Harbor Engagement // Casei & Patrick

Patrick made plans to propose to his girlfriend Casei while they were visiting Hong Kong from New York. The plan was to pop the question out at sea on a yacht on the south side of Hong Kong Island. Because of strict rules of the yacht on not having additional personnel, I was not able to be present to capture the marriage proposal, so we arranged to meet up at Aberdeen Harbour after they have docked for a spontaneous engagement portrait session.

It was a beautiful (and hot) sunny day, and we first snapped some photos by the piers at Aberdeen before making our way to nearby Ap Lei Chau for more. The locations provided a lot of different textures, which gave a local feel of Hong Kong for some, and felt out of this world with the natural greenery for others.

I loved the colorful pastel high rises that stood at the edge of the waters… what better way was there to represent the concrete jungle of Hong Kong? The fantastic bonus point was how well these colorful buildings complemented the stylish outfits on the couple.

Some other spots with local flair were the temple on Ap Lei Chau, and the pier for little boats and sampans toward Aberdeen. It was incredible how much signage there was on the wall; such information overload!

Throughout the engagement session, I guided Casei and Patrick to capture them at various angles and gave them points to have some natural interaction. I strongly prefer having the candid moments during a portrait shoot, so I could let their own chemistry shine through. They were such a loving couple, and it made my job incredibly easy!

Locations: Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau, Hong Kong