PICTURES: Highland photographer goes undercover to capture proposal of American couple from Georgia at iconic Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness
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A photographer's shots of a wedding proposal on the shores of Loch ness went viral after he posed as a tourist for the occasion.
Michael Carver (45) was contacted by Stephen Price, from Georgia, US, and was asked to come on a cruise on Loch Ness during which he planned to propose to his girlfriend, Lisa Urquhart.
Mr Carver pretended to be a tourist to take some spontaneous shots of the couple and Ms Urquhart's son, Sonny, on this special trip.
He said: "Stephen had emailed me to say that he was going to propose on that day and asked if I could come along with them, he would buy me a ticket on the boat and I'd be there undercover as a tourist, taking some shots as I go.
"Then we pre-arranged the spot where they would walk to when they got to Urquhart Castle where he was going to propose in public.
"Then, hopefully after she said yes, I would introduce myself and take a few more pictures on the way back home."
He said the trip was particularly special for the couple: "Lisa had never left the States before and her surname is Urquhart, so she really dreamed of coming to Urquhart Castle because of her ancestry traces back ties to the Highlands and this area.
"They were so happy to be there for the first time as a family.
"When we got to Urquhart Castle there was a particular spot that Stephen and I had agreed to get the castle in the backdrop and when we arrived there were some tourists there standing around, and I had to ask them 'guys, he is about to propose so do you mind coming back a bit?', and they were all excited so they went at the top to watch over the wall and so when he got down on one knee and she said yes they all cheered from there!"
Mr Carver, who moved to Inverness in 2000 and has been a wedding photographer for about six years, said that going undercover for him was a fun experience and the potential start of a new business.
He said: "I felt a little bit weird on the boat pretending to take photos but actually taking photos of them. In fact, once I revealed myself, Lisa's son said 'Oh, I thought you were taking photos with us in, but I didn't want to say anything' so he kind of realised it a bit, but Lisa didn't!
"Stephen kept on looking at me and winking when there was a good photo opportunity. It was really a fun experience and something different."
The pictures on his social media soon went viral, gaining more than 800 likes on Facebook!
"I have had some new messages from guys saying 'Wow, I didn't know that you could do this, cause I am planning to propose on a beach , I might give you a shout ' so it might a new business opportunity for me!
"It's one of those things where you only get one shot. But that's really one of the things I enjoy about photography.
"This has been my busiest year so far because everyone is trying to catch up after lockdown and the wedding industry is very busy now, which is good for catching up!
"I'd like to do more of these. I tend to be booked up a year or so in advance for wedding photography but hopefully this could become something that I can fit in between dates, maybe mid-week. So, possibly it could be a new business venture, yes.
