Whether inspired by tenderhearted sentiment, the desire to record history in the making or something more narcissistic, some marriage-minded men are remaking one of humanity's most private moments into one that can be instantly shared with family, friends and even, thanks to the Internet, virtual strangers. They are conspiring with photographers who, with all the stealth of covert operatives, lurk in crowds, behind bushes and in the darkened recesses of restaurants to capture the delighted, unposed reaction of the fiancée-in-the-making.

"The trend is on the rise to have all the moments documented in your life," said Anna Post, the author of Emily Post's Wedding Parties, to be published next month by Collins. "You see it on MySpace and Facebook, where people have posted 200 photographs of themselves, and they're not even photographs of profound moments." Ms. Post finds the idea of photographically preserving a marriage proposal "wonderfully romantic, personally," she said. She warned, however, that it is not for everyone. The idea dovetails with the current trend toward photojournalistic realism in wedding photography. In recent years the intimacies of a wedding day - a glimpse of the bride as she dons her underpinnings, the stolen mash session between the newlyweds when the guests aren't looking - have become increasingly fair game.

"Initially wedding photojournalism was an aesthetic choice by photographers like me because it emphasized the story of the wedding," said Terry deRoy Gruber, a New York photographer who shot the wedding of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, among others. "But as time has gone on, with the proliferation of the paparazzi, reality television and online autobiography all kind of cooked together, people almost feel it's really the only way to document something. Proposal photographs represent the absolute beginning of the marriage story, and for some groom who is influenced by these other forces, this is sort of an obligatory scene to record." Over the last four years, he and his team of photographers, who charge $500 and up for these sessions, have clandestinely snapped proposals on the Lincoln Center Plaza after the opera; masqueraded as tourists in public places; and hidden in the wings of a cavernous and empty (save two) restaurant rented for the occasion by a prospective bridegroom, cameras concealed behind black cloth, the sounds of the shutters obscured by the clatter of dishes.

Still, the idea of being secretly photographed at a traditionally private moment can be unnerving to some women. "I thought it was a little stalkerish to know that this person was following you to get these great pictures," said Briana King, of the secret photo session in December 2004 that Christopher Joralemon, now her husband, arranged with Gruber Photographers. A crew armed with telephoto lenses and dressed like tourists trailed the couple, who were on a stroll through Central Park - ostensibly to attend a holiday brunch - where they'd met at a dog run seven months earlier. "But the end product was good," Ms. King said. "It was a little weird but definitely worth it."

With price points starting at just $19.99, Disney's imaging products also come with the Disney Pix(TM) software, designed to inspire a child's creativity and imagination. This proprietary, highly interactive and easy-to-use editing software suite allows users to customize their photos with Disney characters, stamps, frames and more. A video editing version is also available for digital camcorder products.

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The line includes:

-- Disney Pix Micro(TM) Digital Camera: An ultra-small camera (6.5"w x 10"h x 2.5"d) for easy, on-the-go pictures -- perfect to hang from a backpack or handbag. Features CIF digital resolution, storage capacity of 24 photos, status LCD display, requires 1 AAA battery (not included) and comes with camera strap and Disney Pix(TM) software CD-ROM. (SRP $19.99)

-- Disney Pix Click(TM) Digital Camera: Loaded with many options, this camera features a 1" color LCD screen, VGA digital resolution (640 x 480), stores up to 200 photos, a 2X digital zoom, built-in auto flash, TV output (NTSC/PAL compatible), requires 2 AA batteries (not included). The Disney Pix Click comes with a camera strap, Disney Pix(TM) software CD-ROM, USB cord and 2 interchangeable face plates with stylish character graphics. (SRP $49.99)

-- Disney Pix Max(TM) Digital Camera: Fully loaded with high performance options for optimum picture taking, features a 3 Mega Pixel digital resolution, a 1.5" color LCD screen that allows users to view their photos enhanced with Disney images utilizing innovative digital custom photo frames available directly on the screen. Also includes a 4X digital zoom, expandable memory card slot, built-in auto flash, TV output (NTSC/PAL compatible), requires 2 AA batteries (not included). The Disney Pix Max comes with a camera strap, Disney Pix(TM) software CD-ROM and a USB cord. (SRP $79.99)

-- Disney Princess Digital Movie Maker(TM): Girls can now star in their very own Disney Princess movie with this new digital camcorder featuring 32MB of built-in memory, 640 x 480 video resolution and a built-in microphone. With easy-to-use Disney Pix(TM) software included, girls can edit their own videos and add music, animation, sound effects, titles and credits. The Disney Princess Digital Movie Maker(TM) comes with a wrist strap, a docking station, Disney Pix(TM) software CD-ROM and a USB cord. (SRP $79.99)

More than 30% of the camera phone owners surveyed said that they plan to purchase a digital camera because they got into digital photography from camera phones. The survey was aimed toward owners of camera phones in the United States, and inquired about the amount of images one captures, deletes, prints, and archives with their phone.

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The survey also showed that the biggest imaging activity camera phone owners participate in is archiving the images and sharing them through email.