I find that the best things in life are often unexpected.
I woke up this morning to a beautiful day in New York City. Rather than waste it, I decided to take my camera into Central Park and snap some photos. After putzing around for about an hour and taking some [rather lame] pictures, I decided to do a time-lapse of the Bethesda Fountain. Often a nice tourist spot, I figured I would get a cool looking time lapse of the crowd. I set my camera and my intervelometer to take a photo every 5 seconds. About a minute in though, it started to drizzle. I packed up my gear and headed home.
The time-lapse amounted to less than a half of a second when played back at normal speed. Not surprising since I only recorded a photo every 5 seconds for 1 minute. I was about to delete the sequence when something in my head said “review them before deleting.”
And that’s when I saw it. Directly in the middle of the frame, as if I had planned it: a man proposing to his girlfriend. 50 seconds. 10 pictures. A fleeting moment now relive-able.
I don’t know who this couple is or where they’re from. I don’t know if they’re New Yorkers or here on vacation. Finding them will be near impossible. But in this social world of Facebook and Twitter, I’m hoping we can track them down. This is something they should have.
UPDATE 5/11: So far no leads have turned up, yet the word is slowly spreading. I realize adding the time might be helpful, so… I was taking these photos on Saturday May 7th at around 12:41 pm in Central Park. Please post it on Facebook/Twitter, maybe go back to Saturday’s posts and see if any of your friends congratulated anyone on a recent engagement. Anything might and can lead us to this couple!
UPDATE 5/23: The response has been incredible — over 200K people have seen this post. Unfortunately though, nothing that has led us to the couple in these photos. We have reached out to the Ellen Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and some news sources to help us. So far no one has picked up the story.
This is AMAZING. How sweet of you guys to post this hoping to find the couple.
Thanks Michele! Please pass this link around — we won’t be able to find them unless people start spreading it.
All I can say is, when I propose I would love to have something like this..!! And I hope you can find the couple and share this with them..!!
I posted this on FB and Twitter – I hope you find the couple! This is really sweet!
Maybe he was tying her shoe
Where is the upvote button?
Same thoughts !! 😉
Haha! Oh, silly…
I assume you have higher res versions of these? Can you crop the couple in question at and post the full size version of that section? In the third picture it looks like his face might be at least a little more visible if it were the full sized version.
Enhance!
Posted on FB! Good luck!
Very sweet of you! I hope you can find them! I bet they didn’t think they’d have such a nice memory of their engagement. I’m in tears! 🙂
“Maybe he was tying her shoe”
I always hug people who tie my shoes. If no one shows them appreciation for their sacrifice, then we’re no better then the animals!
LMAO
I’ve posted it on facebook too, I have lots of family in NY so maybe they will spread it too. I hope they can be found 🙂
This made me cry. This is absolutely wonderful. I love it!
Posted to my facebook and twitter… I hope you find them! Great story 🙂
Awesome! Where can I see the full timelapse?
Hey Duncan, we only got 10 photos from that timelapse b/c it started to drizzle and our cameras are not waterproof. That is what makes this story even crazier. I started the timelapse at photo 1, when he is just getting down on his knee…and then I stop the timelapse when they are kissing.
I can safely say the goosebumps on my legs lasted at least 8 seconds after seeing this series of photos. Good luck in your search, I really hope the couple is found!
This is so amazing!such a special way to capture that special moment.I hope you find this couple!would be an amazing end to this glorious story.
This is such a great story Michael, thanks for sharing. We’d love to help find this couple so we’ll post something on CentralPark.com and let you know if anything comes up!
[…] really looks like MP had planned it. Check out the full time-lapse and story on his blog here. What could have been a “womp” moment turned out to be pretty exceptional. Life can be […]
He is definitely not tying her shoe! His face is looking up at her the whole entire time! I hope you find them!!!
Thanks God You dont deleted the photos. Well seen and wonderful storie.
Fun story, and a cool time lapse! I hope they can be found! I will pass the word on.
Everyone should contact their favorite newscast and suggest a story be run about this.
Your story has been posted on Facebook, twitter and now tumblr. Linked to your blog. I really hope that someone around the internet finds this couple for you. Good luck mate!
[…] Michael Justin was just starting a timelapse at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, when it began to rain. With […]
You should try to contact some news stations in the NY area everyone loves a love story!
Perfect idea! 🙂
Beautiful.Everything that’s great about photography.
Cheers
What if they’re from (gasp) Jersey? I can just imagine. “Ohhh my god, so Shaaairyl, he toook me to da paaark, got down on one knee, one knee! and just popped the ring right out da box, I staarted crying soooh hharrrrrd, I made ’em get up and hold me, oh my god, it was adoooooorable, you shoulda been there, I took pictures though, going to put ’em on facebook.” I’m just saying, maybe the tristate area should be examined. Who proposes in the daylight in JNCO’s? People from New Jersey.
This is clearly an attempt at viral advertising. A agency that sells wedding photography services “accidentally” catches a couple’s proposal on camera? That sounds highly suspicious. And it wasn’t enough to just show everyone the pictures, they have to turn it into some sort of game. “Go find this mystery couple! Post it on you facebook and twitter! Surely people will see this and be able to find these people!” This tactic will do nothing more than virally spread the name of this photography company. No one will find the couple, because they are most likely paid models.
Also, I am going going to archive this page, so when this comment is deleted it will just be further proof of this company’s dishonesty.
Skeptic,
I’m sorry you feel that way. In fact, I am not a professional photographer. I make movies. Huge difference. If you need more “proof,” here’s a ‘high resolution’ version of one of the photographs. You’ll notice it’s out of focus b/c I had set my camera to auto focus, not manual focus like you’re apparently supposed to. A real photographer would have known that. I hope that we do find this couple and I really do believe they should have this memory. You should watch my cross country proposal video where I propose to my fiance — there’s nothing greater than having that memory captured so that years from now, we can relive it.
http://flo.michaeljustinstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/IMG_3280.jpg
This is a ridiculous response. The fact that you are videographers instead of photographers is not at all relevant. This is a website that sells services to people getting married (and even suggests “proposal” videos).
Showing an out of focus shot also does nothing to “prove” authenticity. If this was meant to be a viral campaign, making the shots look non-professional would be an obvious step.
Finally, to end your response with a suggestion to watch a proposal video on your website further reinforces the fact that you are trying to sell video services.
If this was in fact a serendipitous event, it would be cool if the couple finds these images, but the skeptical argument is pretty compelling. Even if the couple turns up in the end, that would not be proof that these photos were a coincidence. It would be extremely easy to work with a couple (especially since that’s what you guys are in business to do), and then get them to lie low for a while while the viral publicity drummed up.
It’s a shame that you feel that way Adam. I understand that it might sound “fishy” considering I film weddings, but it is 100% real. I wish I could say I’m smart enough to think of an idea like this for marketing purposes. The fact is, i’m not. I was in Central Park, I was taking photos, and this was caught. I hope this post finds this couple…for no other reason than to allow this couple to have this memory.
Skeptic,
You’re despicable. Go away. It’s people like you who will never understand the notion of romance or miracles.
Harvard Student
I’m on your side skeptic.
You should enlist the help if the Ellen show… They love stuff like this!!
[…] got engaged over the weekend, it’d be super cool to find them. See the full set of pictures here. [Michael Justin Films via […]
Nice capture mate 🙂
This is beautiful, I hope a news station picks up this story so that you can share this with the couple!
This is amazing-and it looks like you specialize in wedding video/photography as well, what an amazing coincidence!Good luck finding this couple, I would love to see them come forward so they can have the photo record of this treasured memory
Hi Justin,
I have posted this link on Time Out New York.
You should set up a FB page to try seek the couple.
Good Luck.
Sx
Err I meant Michael, haha not Justin.
[…] got engaged over the weekend, it’d be super cool to find them. See the full set of pictures here. [Michael Justin Films via […]
LOL, very cool indeed. I hope that they hear about it and manage to get copies!
Defnitely! Contact the today show, or Ellen! I bet you find your couple in no time!
On my facebook as well, lets find these two!
Awesome! Now that is what I call great timing…- Ok, with a little bit of luck thrown in.. 🙂 Great photos.
That’s so cool 🙂
I bet some kid with a cell phone camera got a better shot than this at ground level. They look like ants.
[…] Il a pris les photos le samedi 7 mai vers 12h47 à Central Park. Vous trouverez les autres photos ici. [Michael Justin Films via PetaPixel] Articles similaires :Pas d'articles similaires […]
What a gift for all involved! Never delete without review 😉 Will share on Twitter/Facebook…God bless…
Awesome. Posted on FB. Hope you find them.
[…] near the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park last Saturday? Really? Well, Michael Justin Films have some pictures that might interest you.Green home Chicago Just as our seasonal flights to Chicago start so too does the summer run of the […]
It’s just this sort of amazing serendipity that made me pick up the new book, Heart of the City: Nine Stories of Love and Serendipity on the Streets of New York. It’s a collection of true love stories set in public places in NYC. Details here, for the curious: http://www.arielsabar.com/heart.html
Good luck with the search!
Meg
[…] He shares his story here: [I woke up this morning to a beautiful day in New York City. Rather than waste it, I decided to take my camera into Central Park and snap some photos. After putzing around for about an hour and taking some [rather lame] pictures, I decided to do a time-lapse of the Bethesda Fountain. Often a nice tourist spot, I figured I would get a cool looking time lapse of the crowd. I set my camera and my intervelometer to take a photo every 5 seconds. About a minute in though, it started to drizzle. I packed up my gear and headed home. […]
Is she wearing a NY Mets Tee?That is helpful 🙂
She’s a Mets fan-that’ll break it down a little more. Perhaps there was a game that day?
*shrugs*
[…] τον Michael. Έτσι, αποφάσισε να ανεβάσει το αποτέλεσμα στο site του, αναζητώντας ταυτόχρονα το «τυχερό ζευγάρι» ώστε […]
Yeah, good luck – Posted on FB too, let us know if you find them!
Why do you want to find this couple ?
Why wouldn’t I? This is a memory I believe they would love to have.
[…] Check out this spontaneous Central Park proposal caught by the guys at Michael Justin Films. Apparently the whole thing took only 50 seconds. Life would be so exhausting if all minutes were this action-packed. Submitted by: UnknownIncorrect source or offensive?Funny Wedding Photos -proposaltime lapse […]
[…] A cool story out of NYC: http://flo.michaeljustinstudios.com/an-unexpected-time-lapse-memory/ […]
Very sweet!Good luck finding the couple. It can be done: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmop7EAY1Zg (watch all 3 videos if you haven’t seen them already!)
My husband says you should contact Yahoo.com. Says they are always picking up stories like this and it made me think that Good Morning America has done stories like this as well… Just a thought! It would be awesome for this couple!!
I got engaged on this date as well! Botanical gardens and about three hours later so it’s not me, but I am so happy for this couple…whoever they may be! Good luck to them, and best of luck in finding the lucky pair!
[…] Michael Justin Films-Time Lapse memory […]
I hope you can find them!! I know how meaningful these photos would be to the bride!
I have time-lapse photos of my engagement and it is wonderful! I even put a shutterfly book together as a flip book. My finace planned it out, so our family was around and his uncle took a picture of us and then all of a sudden he got down on one knee.
Have you thought about posting this to ELLEN or some other popular talk show??
Good Luck!!
Hi Dee,
We reached out to the Ellen show — so far we haven’t heard back 🙁
I swear I am NOT saying this to be mean, but it looks like the woman could be pregnant…maybe that can narrow the field down a bit???
Cara- I thought the same thing because of the way she is tipping back on her heels a little bit, though it could just be her coat is unzipped or something. I submitted this as a tip to the Today Show. I hope that they get found!
Thank you Nikki!
Hello from Japan!
I just saw the news of your article on Yahoo Japan. This is so lovely!
It’s been depressing here in Japan but your pictures made me smile.
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Michael, posted this to my FB and to the local news stations FB page also.https://www.facebook.com/pages/WDBJ7/26382032216
Good Luck in finding the couple. This is a great thing you are doing.
Thank you!
[…] http://flo.michaeljustinstudios.com/an-unexpected-time-lapse-memory/ […]
[…] http://flo.michaeljustinstudios.com/an-unexpected-time-lapse-memory/ […]
I love this…..may I post about this on my tumblr?
Yes please!
What is the exact date/time of the shots? Might help find your couple. 🙂
Oh … nevermind! Just saw it in the “update”.
Tweeted to my friends in NYC. This is amazing, Justin..as are you!
This is fantastic. Good Job!
Someone sent me a message on facebook about this, because on May 8, i did post a message congratulating my daughter on her engagement, and yes , she was proposed to in New York at Central Park===May 7, 2011, but after viewing the pictures, i am almost 100% sure, it is not them===but what a coincincidence—- hope you find the couple
Have you contacted various wedding websites? Even if the couple doesn’t visit the sites maybe their family will!
[…] May of this year, Michael of Michael Justin Films decided to do a time-lapse of the Bethesda Fountain on a beautiful Saturday in New York CIty. He […]
[…] blue.” Jen, the rad person behind the site, contacted me a few weeks ago regarding our unexpected time-lapse proposal where we were fortunate enough to capture a proposal during a time-lapse of the Bethesda Fountain […]
[…] When this came out a couple of months ago, my heart completely went a-flutter. Videographer Michael Justin Porco had been shooting a time lapse of Bethesda Fountain, shooting frames every 5 seconds, when he captured this gem. It wasn’t until after he reviewed his photography that he realized he had captured a sequence of a couple’s proposal. You can see the whole fairy tale unfold here. […]
Posted on my Facebook requesting my friends share. I have some family and friends on the east coast so hopefully some day this happy couple will find this. <3
[…] This post was Twitted by KLopes0819 […]
[…] http://flo.michaeljustinstudios.com/an-unexpected-time-lapse-memory/ […]
Being married myself for over 12 years now if I saw that happening I would of tried to stop it.