[STORY] I’m proposing tonight. My girlfriend thinks we’re just hanging out with friends

Last weekend, I had one of the wildest photography and videography experiences of my life.

And trust me, I’ve been through a lot behind the lens — from wedding shoots with crying bridesmaids to product photography sessions where clients argue about “which shade of white” is actually white. But this one? It was different.

It started with a late-night DM on Instagram. The message read:

“Hey, urgent booking needed. Can you shoot tomorrow night? Video + photos. I’ll explain when you get here.”

Normally, I avoid last-minute photography gigs — they scream chaos.

But something about this felt intriguing. So, I packed my DSLR camera, my 50mm prime lens, my gimbal, and two portable LED panels. Just in case.

When I arrived, the venue was nothing like I expected. It wasn’t a hall, studio, or even a decorated space. It was a small rooftop in Yaba with fairy lights strung around old water tanks, giving off this dreamy, cinematic vibe.

Standing there was a guy in a simple black hoodie, pacing nervously.

“Bro, you’re the photographer?” he asked as soon as I showed up.

“Yeah. You said urgent shoot. What’s the project?” I replied, adjusting my camera strap.

He took a deep breath.

“I need you to record me proposing tonight. My girlfriend thinks we’re just hanging out with friends. I want every moment — photography, videography, emotions. Everything. Can you handle that?”

My heart skipped. I’d shot proposals before, but this one felt… different. Maybe it was the raw nerves in his voice.

I set up discreetly, placing one LED light behind a potted plant to mimic moonlight, another near the rooftop wall to give a soft glow.

I switched my camera to 60fps for smooth cinematic videography and set my second body with a wide-angle lens for candid shots.

Minutes later, she arrived. A petite girl in a flowing mustard dress, her hair catching the city breeze. She looked surprised by the setting.

“Babe, what’s all this?” she asked, laughing nervously.

Her boyfriend squeezed her hand. “Just… stay with me.”

The moment felt straight out of a movie. The lights twinkled, the night hummed with faint Lagos traffic below, and I positioned myself like a shadow, capturing everything.

He pulled out a ring.

“From the first day I saw you at UNILAG cafeteria, I knew you’d change my life. I don’t have fancy words, but I know I want to spend forever with you. Will you marry me?”

Tears welled up in her eyes. She gasped. But then, the plot twist hit.

She whispered, almost trembling:

“Why now? You know I just found out I got the scholarship to Canada. I leave in three weeks…”

The air went still. Even I froze behind my lens.

He dropped the ring box slightly, voice cracking. “So… what does that mean?”

She looked at him with eyes that screamed love and pain.

“I love you. But I also love my dreams. I don’t want to choose wrong.”

The rooftop, once glowing, suddenly felt heavy. My camera kept rolling — part of me felt guilty capturing such raw heartbreak, but this was the kind of photography and videography moment people talk about years later. Real. Untouched.

He nodded slowly, trying to smile through tears.

“Then let me not stand in your way. Just… promise me you’ll keep shining.”

She hugged him tightly. No answer. Just silence.

I lowered my camera. My chest felt tight, like I was intruding on a diary entry that was never meant to be read.

After a long pause, she finally whispered:

“Take the ring. I can’t wear it now. But maybe one day, when life brings us back together…”

I packed up quietly, trying not to break the fragile bubble of emotions floating in the night.

Later, as I walked down the narrow stairs of the building with my gear, I realized something: photography isn’t just about beautiful shots.

Videography isn’t just about cinematic edits. Sometimes, it’s about capturing truth — the unplanned, the raw, the messy, the heartbreaking, the beautiful.

And that rooftop? That was one of the most unforgettable shoots of my career.