James & Laya

Finding your way to an unfamiliar place in the dark is an adventure of its own. For James and Laya, the mountains and still water outside Tromsø felt a world away from the familiar.

They reached the location on their own. I was already in position, ready to photograph the proposal while keeping my involvement a surprise.

Then, just as they arrived, the northern lights appeared. As James later wrote, “as soon as we arrived the lights turned on for us.” It was their first time seeing them together.

James proposed beside the water, with candlelight on the rocks and the aurora above. Afterwards, we stayed for portraits, letting the landscape and the changing sky become part of their photographs.

Some parts of a surprise proposal can be planned carefully. The sky follows its own timing. On 30 September 2026, both came together.

Their evening is a lovely example of a discreet proposal where the couple arrives independently. A beautiful setting, a private plan, and a little luck with the northern lights.