Drone captures proposal during fall foliage shoot, do you know this couple?

SALT LAKE CITY — A photographer visiting Utah to capture shots of the fall foliage is looking for a couple whose proposal he happened to catch on camera. 

Shreenivasan Manievannan is based out of California. He is a landscape photographer who has traveled the world to take pictures.

He said he’s visited Utah several times, including for work with the International Dark-Sky Association. He said it’s been his dream to visit Salt Lake City during autumn. 

“The fall colors were stunning, the display this year was pretty amazing, mind-blowing,” Manievannan said. 

He drove around northern Utah, capturing vivid colors in the canyons, and decided he would return to Big Cottonwood Canyon when the lighting was better for his plans. 

“I went there around nine or ten 10 o’clock when the light was shining on those rocks,” Manievannan said. “I hiked up to the spot, whenever these folks weren’t there and there was a nice ledge from there which was leading to the fall colors down in the valley from the road.” 

With the lighting on his side, he choreographed footage of the sweeping views. 

“First focusing on those fall colors, then pulling it back all the way to show the whole panoramic view of the mountains and canyons,” he said.

The photographer said he noticed some people on a cliff, but because he was shooting wide, he had no idea what they were doing or why they were there. 

“When I came back to my hotel and I was checking out the pictures, that was something interesting,” Manievannan said. “It was two people standing and the guy was going down on his knee to propose.” 

At that exact moment in a quiet Big Cottonwood Canyon, he captured the start of the couple’s next chapter. 

“If the two people weren’t there, it would’ve been nice from a landscape perspective with the reveal, but obviously the subject made it so dramatic,” he said. 

Part of Manievannan wishes he had a re-do.

 “I would’ve stopped the shot, probably framed it better,” he said.

 Composition aside, he’s hoping to find the mystery couple.

 “That would be awesome to connect with them, I would love to share this nice moment with them,” he said.

He insists he didn’t coordinate this drone video, but said the timing is perfect on the couple’s part, with a still photographer who appears to be tagging along.

“It might have been planned or it might have been, ‘Hey, I just want to take you to this nice view with the fall colors,’ and this guy probably would’ve followed them.”

Regardless, this video will be one of his favorites professionally and personally.

“Considering a lot of things are happening now, which are super negative, this kind of is a lighthearted moment.”