Your paris photographers
for Paris, FranceA Romantic Resource
Frequently Asked Questions
When do you recommend taking portraits?
We strongly recommend morning sessions. The light is bright and soft and beautiful. There are very few people out so you don’t have to fight the crowds. We can avoid security guards who often hassle us at the Eiffel Tower or Louvre area. And once you’re done, you’ve got the entire day free to sightsee or relax! Morning sessions are especially good for those husbands and boyfriends who aren’t entirely excited about taking portraits, because it doesn’t take a large chunk out of their day and they don’t have to be embarrassed by posing in front of large crowds of strangers. Generally we start these as early as 6AM, but no later than 7:30AM at the Eiffel Tower locations, though the recommended start time changes throughout the seasons. (If you're coming in Fall or Winter you get to sleep in!) Afternoon and evening sessions usually result in substantially less photos, because we have to spend more time waiting for crowds to clear from the background.
What should we wear for our session?
In my opinion, Paris is the kind of place where you dress up. The architecture and atmosphere of the city is refined and elegant, as are the French. Even if you consider yourselves “jeans and t-shirt” people, I suggest taking this as an opportunity to embrace your inner Parisian and go with something more formal or dressy. If you’re recently married, consider bringing your wedding gown and suit. Otherwise, companies like Rent The Runway in the USA or Ma Bonne Amie, Le Temps d’un Soir, and C’est Ma Robe in France offer you the chance to wear expensive designer gowns at very moderate prices. We also love TB Dress, SheInside, ModCloth, Simply Dresses, and Vogue Dresses for inexpensive formalwear. In the winter, layer thick thermal leggings under your dresses and consider a fur coat or wrap that will keep you warm and photograph nicely. The most important thing to keep in mind when selecting your outfits for the session is silhouette. What makes you look best is the curves that define your body. If your outfit (this includes jackets and overcoats, if you wear them in the photos) is baggy, loose, or ill-fitting, you’re not going to look your best, so choose something that shows off your curves rather than hides them. We are experts at using lighting, posing, and retouching to make our clients look amazing, so don’t worry about looking bad – it won’t happen! We will be adding more resources for family suggestions this year as well - but in the meantime, keep your kiddos toes warm! It's often still in the 50's on occasion in June, so please pay attention to the weather when coordinating outfits.
Our Instagram account and Pinterest page are also great resources to see what people have been wearing for their sessions.
Can I pay in cash on the day of the session instead?
Yes and No, we do require a deposit up front to hold the date, but arrangements can be made to pay your balance in euros the day of the sesison. See this page on our site for more information about banking and currency while traveling abroad.
What do most people DO with their photos post session?
At L’amour de Paris we have a passion for the printed image, and we find that our clients value having their printed memories displayed within their home to remember these precious memories forever. Whether in an Heirloom Album filled with all of your favorite moments, or a piece of Wall Art that captures the perfect moment, our art consultant team will skillfully guide you through all of your options so you get to enjoy all your beautiful images and memories presented in a way personalized to you.
Can you edit my photos to look like _____? Can I get the RAWs or all of the unedited JPGs?
No. Before you inquire with us, we ask that you look at our previous work and view some of the sample sessions on our site. If you like what you see, then you can trust that we will use our expertise and artistic vision to choose and edit the images in a way that is consistent with our other work. However, if you are looking for a completely different shooting, lighting, or editing style, we suggest you seek out a different photographer whose style more closely matches your vision.
Who will be shooting my session – CheyAnne or Doug? What about the associate photographer?
CheyAnne & Doug are the owners and principal photographers, and Kevin is the associate photographer. If you choose a collection from the Principal Photographers offerings, you will be paired with CheyAnne or Doug, based upon availability. If you choose a collection from our Associate Photographer offerings, you will be paired with Kevin. All of our photographers are heavily trained to shoot in the same style with the same editing, and we work very hard to make sure our work is consistent across all of our team members. If you like the work you’ve seen on our website, you’ll like your photos, too!
Can I change outfits during my session?
Yes, however places to change clothes are EXTREMELY hard to find in Paris. Usually you will have to go in a cafe and have a drink so that you can use their restroom to change. This can easily eat up 15-20 minutes of your session time, and that’s if there’s a cafe nearby. If not, it can take 30 minutes of your session time. It’s also a major hassle to carry around extra bags with a change of clothes for the entire session. Unless you really want two outfits, we suggest sticking with your favorite one. If you don't mind to change on the fly, behind a tree, in a corner, then it's a bit easier.
Is there anything else we should bring for our session?
Make sure you’ve got comfortable shoes, as you’ll be doing a lot of walking. Ladies, if you choose to wear heels for your session, bring a pair of easy-on-easy-off flats that you can slip into as we travel between locations. Avoid anything with snaps, buckles, or zippers, as you don’t want to waste your session time constantly changing into and out of complicated shoes. Bring a cell phone so that you can contact me if you get lost or if you’re running late. You may also want to bring a small Ziploc or clutch with makeup for touchups. Otherwise – leave everything else at the hotel! Please DO NOT bring a big bag full of passports, cameras, and other valuable items that you might keep on you. When we stop to take photos, you’ll have to set that bag down and it will be unattended, and unfortunately, some thieves do target photographers for this reason. I can keep a small sack inside my camera bag, but please leave any large bags at your hotel.
We selected multiple locations for our session, what do we do for transportation?
Great question!
1. The least stressful option is to schedule a car to be with you for the duration of your session. You may do this on your own, or we can do this for you. There is a 50€ booking fee plus the rate of the driver. Their price is 140€ for 2 hours, 210€ for 3 hours, paid in cash.
2. You can schedule an Uber or G7 taxi to pick you up and bring you to your first location. Please allow buffer time to arrive to your session on time in case your scheduled car cancels and you need to find another car. For the second location you can call uber or taxi on the spot again as well. If you are a large family, the downside is that sometimes the vans can be tricky to find, or wait times are often longer. The photographer will help guide you as to when to request it so you can keep shooting while you wait.
3. There's always the option of public transportation. From Trocadero, Bus 72 is convenient as it runs along the river to many of our photo locations. It's unavailable in the very early morning hours, and starts later on Sunday mornings, but usually is a viable option. The metro is also an option, but that takes the longest as it's approximately 30 minutes to all locations by metro. (Montmartre is closer to 45 minutes.) If you already have a metro pass/card it will work on the bus too. You can also purchase tickets on the bus if you have cash with you.
Can you suggest places for us to take our portraits?
Absolutely! When you book with us, we’ll send over our great location guide that lists our favorite locations and some sample images to give you an idea of your options. The right location(s) for you will depend on a variety of factors, including your personality, as well as the timing and weather for your session. There are some places that photograph better in the winter, or when it’s raining, or when it’s nighttime, or with couples who are wearing casual clothing, etc. If there’s a location that has special meaning to you, we definitely want to incorporate that as well.
Does travel time in between locations count against my session time?
Yes, therefore if you want multiple locations we highly suggest booking the longer session options.
What happens if it rains? Will we cancel the session?
It rains very often in Paris. Typically it rains for just a few minutes, then clears up to a bright beautiful sky for a few hours, then back to rain, and so on. I recommend bringing a cute umbrella for your session that you don’t mind getting photos with so that if it does happen to rain, we can embrace it and turn it into more portraits. See my post here for a long list of sturdy and photogenic umbrella suggestions. I also have a number of cute umbrellas I can bring for you to use (upon request). Otherwise, we can duck into a cafe for a quick drink until it passes. We can also reschedule if you feel it is necessary, depending on our schedule. For family sessions we do our best to work around the rain -- often rescheduling bc it is more difficult to have the entire family under umbrellas.
What if I need to reschedule or cancel?
We are very flexible with scheduling, and we do not charge any fees to reschedule your session, so if a conflict pops up, just let us know and we will adjust accordingly. Sessions may be canceled up to 4 weeks prior to the session with a full refund. Any session canceled under the 4 week mark will forfeit 150€ booking fee for reserving the date. However, the 150€ may be used as a credit in our Art Gallery Print/Gift shop, or it can be applied towards a new session date for yourselves or a friend within one year of your original session date.
We do not refund for rainy weather. In our experience and time in Paris we do not have many days truly affected by the weather. When it does rain, it is typically very light and manageable in nature. We can generally adapt with the use of umbrellas or pivot to locations with some cover and still have lovely images in your collection. Oftentimes, rainy days end up providing some of the most unique Paris portraits.
If rainy weather can be avoided if it looks to be a true thunderstorm or high winds, we will work with you to try and secure a better time if your schedule and ours align.
When and how will I get my photos?
We truly believe that the trip of a lifetime and photographs in the most iconic city in the world deserve a more important place than just on a phone or an ipad. This is why we have an amazing art consultant team that will guide you through the entire process both before and after your session. Once you've booked your session, you will schedule a consultation with our art consultant team. In this consultation we get to know more about you and how you plan on displaying your photos. At the end of this call you will also schedule your viewing session where our design team will show you all of your finished images and help you design your album and/or choose the best frame and size for your wall art. So you’ll know your gallery release date before your session even takes place!
Anthony BourdainTravel is not a reward for working, it’s education for living.
In a world where most images live on screens and are easily forgotten, we are on a mission to create lasting, physical representations of your most important moments. A beautifully curated album or a piece of wall art ensures that your memories are not just seen but felt, every time you look at them. Book your session with us now & you can immediately schedule a call with our design team to start preparing for your Paris photography session!
Your Paris Photographers
in the City of Love
info@lamourdeparis.com
