The Trickiest Photo of My Life
Originally photographed in 2019, this remains one of the most memorable and technically challenging shoots I’ve ever done. I’m revisiting it now to share the full story behind the images.
The couple in this shoot asked that their names be kept private, but graciously agreed to let me share these photos.\
In April of 2019, I was asked to photograph a surprise marriage proposal for a couple I’d never met, connected through a mutual friend. The proposal was set to happen inside The Broad Museum in downtown Los Angeles, one of my favorite places in the city. Naturally, I said yes.
My first thought? Would I even be allowed to bring my camera inside the museum?
It turns out that was the easiest part of the entire shoot.
The groom-to-be planned to propose inside Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room, one of the most breathtaking immersive installations at The Broad. The space is lined floor to ceiling with mirrors, filled with glowing orbs of shifting light, and each visitor gets just 45 seconds inside.
The proposal was meant to be a complete surprise. He wanted the moment to feel intimate and magical, but he also wanted it documented. That meant I needed to be in the room without his girlfriend knowing I was there.
That’s where the challenge began.
The Infinity Room is mirrored on all sides, with only a narrow platform about three feet wide and ten feet long to stand on. There’s nowhere to hide. And to even get access, you have to show up in person the morning of, add your name to a list, and hope you get a reservation. There’s no guarantee.
Let’s recap:
A room made entirely of mirrors ✨
45 seconds inside ⏱
No place to hide 🫣
One chance to capture the proposal 💍
No pressure 😰
I knew I’d have to plan this down to the second. There are no do-overs in a proposal shoot, especially not one with a 45-second time limit.
So the groom and I decided to do a practice run. Thankfully, our mutual friend connected us with someone who works at the museum who became our inside ally.
A couple of days before the big moment, the groom and I met at The Broad. With a little help from our museum contact, we were able to get access to the room for a test run. When we went in, I was reminded that in addition to the room being filled with mirrors and lights, those lights are not static—they shift and change and flicker and brighten and dim in unpredictable sequences within the span of those 45 seconds. There was not one master manual setting that I could make that would cover the whole sequence of light changes.
It was going to come down to instinct, experience, and a bit of luck.
We mapped out exactly how I’d slip in behind them, where I’d crouch, and how I’d stay hidden. I tested my exposure settings as best I could, knowing I’d have to adjust quickly in the moment.
Then came the big day.
I wore all black to blend into the shadows. Our museum friend guided the couple to the line while I quietly followed, pretending not to know them. The groom’s girlfriend didn’t suspect a thing.
We entered the room. The door closed. I crouched down. The lights began to flicker and the future groom dropped on one knee, asking his girlfriend to be his wife. It was beyond magical. They hugged and kissed and she cried (and I cried!). I shot and shot away and after they had a moment, he turned to his now-fiancé and said, “Suzanne is here and has been photographing the entire time.” She jumped back in surprise. She hadn’t seen me once.
I was honestly unsure if I’d even be able to get the shot from a technical perspective given the lighting and reflections—and that’s not even including the challenge of staying hidden and of dealing with all of the moving parts and logistics of shooting in the museum itself. It truly was one of the most challenging shoots I’ve ever done.
But somehow, every piece of the plan came together.
And the photos? Better than I ever imagined.
It was a beautiful reminder: sometimes you have to take the leap, trust your instincts, and believe that everything will fall into place.
Congratulations to the happy couple!
