Surprise Proposal La Diosa Waterfall Nauyaca | Costa Rica Proposal Photographer
A Surprise Proposal La Diosa Waterfall Nauyaca became the setting for Kimberly & Jack’s story. Jack was staying at Holos Community and wanted to propose to Kimberly somewhere they could experience the waterfall together. He also had one very specific request: he wanted the proposal photographed on 35mm film.
The Story: A Surprise Proposal La Diosa Waterfall Nauyaca
La Diosa Waterfall is inside Holos Community in Nauyaca, Pérez Zeledón, on the road toward Dominical. The property is next to the famous Nauyaca Waterfalls, surrounded by tropical forest, rocks and running water.
Jack was staying at Holos Community when he asked if I could photograph his proposal to Kimberly. He had seen my work and knew that I use film. He also loves analog photography, so he asked if it was possible to photograph the proposal on 35mm film.
It was.
Kimberly already knew the waterfall, so Jack had a natural reason to suggest going there.
His idea was simple:
“Let’s watch it one more time before we go.”
I arrived before them and pretended to be photographing birds. It gave me a reason to be there without making Kimberly suspicious.
Then something unexpected happened.
A tiger heron arrived.
That made the story even easier. I could genuinely photograph the bird while Jack and Kimberly continued toward the rocks near the waterfall.
When Jack proposed, I was already in position and photographing.
Afterwards, they laughed, and I introduced myself to Kimberly. Once the surprise was over, we spent some more time photographing them around La Diosa.
The best proposal plans are sometimes the simplest ones. There was no elaborate setup for Kimberly to notice. Jack had a reason to bring her to the waterfall, and I had a reason to be there.
The Photographer’s Perspective: Photographing a Proposal on Film
This was different from the way I normally approach a proposal.
Usually, I work with digital and film together. This time, Jack specifically wanted the proposal photographed on film. It was the first time someone had asked me to photograph a proposal using film as the main medium rather than as part of a hybrid approach.
That changes the preparation.
With film, there is no opportunity to look at the back of the camera and check whether the photograph worked. You have to understand the light, the location and the moment before it happens.
I spent time around the waterfall before Kimberly and Jack arrived, metering the area and looking at how the light was falling.
It was a sunny morning, but the waterfall was underneath the tree canopy. There was a mixture of shade and rays of sunlight coming through the trees. The light was very stable, so once I understood the exposure of the area, I knew what I was working with.
I also took a small number of digital photographs so Jack could receive a 48-hour sneak peek. The proposal itself and the rest of the session were photographed on film.
The Technical Side: Canon EOS 3, Leica M6 and Portra 400
For the film photographs, I used two cameras:
- Canon EOS 3 with a Canon 50mm f/1.2
- Leica M6 with a Leica Summarit 35mm
The film was Kodak Portra 400, and I shot two full 36-exposure rolls.
I used the camera meter and did not push the film.
Portra 400 is one of my preferred films for Costa Rica because of its ability to handle the combination of bright tropical light and deeper shade. At La Diosa, that was particularly useful because we were working beneath the forest canopy with sunlight coming through in different areas.
The negatives came back well exposed.
The film was developed and scanned in Costa Rica by Codifo Photo Lab.
For me, film is not a filter or an extra effect that gets added to a wedding or proposal. I like it because of what the medium itself brings to the photograph: the depth, color and texture.
Digital sensors can be incredibly precise. Film has a different physical quality that makes me react to the photograph immediately. It feels real in a different way.
For Jack, that was important. He already loved analog photography, and he wanted that feeling to be part of the photographs of his proposal.
An Insider’s Look at La Diosa Waterfall and Nauyaca
La Diosa Waterfall is located inside Holos Community in Nauyaca, Pérez Zeledón, on the road toward Dominical.
The location has a very different feeling from a conventional proposal setting. Instead of a designed viewpoint or a formal garden, you are surrounded by tropical forest, rocks and the sound and movement of the waterfall.
For photography, that gives you plenty to work with without needing to create a complicated setup.
The tree canopy creates shade, while openings in the forest allow sunlight to reach parts of the scene. The rocks around the water also give the couple places to move naturally after the proposal.
For a surprise proposal, the environment can also help the photographer remain unnoticed.
In this case, the bird-photography idea worked particularly well. I wasn’t simply pretending to be somewhere else. The location genuinely gave me something to photograph while waiting for Jack to make his move.
And then the tiger heron appeared.
Sometimes the best cover is something you couldn’t have planned.
What I Would Tell a Couple Planning a Proposal at La Diosa
Keep the plan believable.
Jack didn’t need to invent an elaborate story to get Kimberly to the waterfall. She already knew the place, so suggesting that they go back to see it before leaving made sense.
Think about what you would normally do together and build the proposal into that experience.
I would also plan around the light. At La Diosa, the forest canopy creates a mixture of shade and direct rays of sunlight. Arriving beforehand gives your photographer the opportunity to understand where the light is and where they can position themselves without becoming part of the surprise.
And if you want your proposal photographed on film, talk to your photographer about it before the day.
Film requires preparation. Your photographer needs to know the location, understand the light and have a plan for where to be before the proposal happens. There is no second chance to recreate the moment if the photographer isn’t ready.
A Proposal That Felt Like Them
Kimberly and Jack loved the photographs.
For Jack, the photographs looked the way he had imagined them. The film wasn’t something added afterwards to change the appearance of the images. It was part of what he wanted from the beginning.
That is what I like about this story.
The proposal wasn’t built around photography. It was built around a place they already knew, a simple excuse to visit it one more time, and a plan that allowed Kimberly to experience the moment without knowing what was coming.
The 35mm film simply became the way we preserved it.
Ready to Plan Your Costa Rica Proposal?
If you’re planning a surprise proposal in Costa Rica and want the photography to feel connected to the place, the experience and the people involved, I’d love to hear what you’re planning.
