Former Paparazzo Captures Picture-Perfect Surprise Proposals

NEW YORK, NY — He was wearing a gray blazer, brown pants and a white shirt. She was wearing a long pink dress with white heels and carrying a blue shoulder bag. The second the couple walked into Central Park's Strawberry Fields, photographer James Ambler sprung into action.

At 6-foot-3, staying incognito while lugging around professional photography equipment can be a tough task, but crowds of tourists in Central Park allowed Ambler to blend in while snapping photos of the couple. He followed them from the Imagine monument to Bethesda Fountain — snapping a photo through an information desk on the way — and finally to a set up on Cherry Hill overlooking the famous Bow Bridge.

When the man dropped to one knee, Ambler was hiding behind a tree about 40 feet away clicking away on his camera. The former paparazzo gave the couple some time before announcing his presence, revealing he'd been hired by the man to capture the moment without tipping off the now-fiancee.

Ambler traded in his life as a professional paparazzo in 2011 to start his company Paparazzi Proposals, and he doesn't miss the old life.

"You definitely come home with a sort of feel-good feeling as opposed to when I was doing the paparazzi stuff and you'd spend the whole day hiding in a car, or you'd get into a rut with a security guard," Ambler said. "There's definitely a much happier, funner element."

But Ambler does use a lot of the skills he learned as a paparazzo in his new line of work. It's important that he doesn't give away the surprise, so Ambler has to stay hidden while getting clear photos of the couple in places often filled with crowds. It's no easy task, which is why Ambler and his team develop a game-plan with clients before the proposal that usually includes a map and route for clients to follow.

Paparazzi Proposals has yet to capture an outright rejection, Ambler said. He asks his clients provide a full payment up-front due to the "moving parts" involved in the surprise proposal, but said he'd provide some sort of refund in the case of a rejection.

"I'm a pretty reasonable guy, and I think if I'd just seen a guy's heart get broken in front of me I'd help him out," Ambler said.

The most popular New York City locations for Paparazzi Proposals are often landmarks like Times Square and Central Park. Sights like the park's Bethesda Fountain and Bow Bridge are popular, but Ambler tends to guide his clients to less crowded areas. Because Ambler has to stay hidden, it can be tough to get good photos in extremely crowded areas without giving himself away.

"We need a balance that's lightly populated but not too populated where we can blend in," Ambler said. "So we're always working with the client to kind of find that happy medium between being able to get the pictures discreetly but also ensuring that we can get pictures because that's ultimately the most important part."

Ambler started the company after proposing to his wife in Central Park. After telling friends he didn't have any photos of the moment, inspiration struck. He'd already been looking for a way out of the paparazzi game after a recent illness and layoff, so he decided to put the contacts and skills he made over his career to good use. The company now operates in 35 cities — using photographers Ambler knows from his paparazzi days — and offers clients packages that include serenades from professional musicians, rooftop proposals, carriage rides and private cruises, Ambler said.

Couples with particularly successful proposals have even asked Ambler to shoot their weddings.

"It's kind of cool seeing guys go from a nervous, gibbering wreck to then getting married," Ambler said.

Photo by Brendan Krisel/Patch