There’s nothing I enjoy more than photographing beautiful couples in beautiful places, and an engagement photoshoot is something to celebrate. The next evolution in a couple’s relationship, the commitment of marriage is sacred and special, and celebrating that new bond, just after becoming engaged is incredibly exciting and important. What makes it even better, is having an engagement photoshoot in beautiful Nice, France, the fifth largest city in France and capital of the famous French Riviera.
Meeting the Couple
Every engaged couple has beauty, and it’s my joy to photograph guests from all over the world who are visiting the French Riviera. I met this stunning couple on a sunny September morning, they were spending their vacation time on the French Riviera, and being a newly engaged couple, loved the idea of having their engagement photoshoot in Nice. It’s a great idea!
Inderjit and Nikhail live in the USA, and their family is from India. Inder’s family is from northern India, and Nik’s from the south. They’ll get married in a traditional Indian wedding in the US, and wanted some lovely photos to enjoy from this special time in their lives, and also to display at their wedding.
I was blown away with their elegance. Inder was dressed so beautifully in a white silk gown that looked like it was created just for her, the perfect minimalist palette for a photo session with a view of the sea and colorful buildings. Nik looked so sharp, a lover of fashion, it completely showed in his choice of suit and complemented Inder’s outfit perfectly. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought they stepped off the pages of a magazine.
Each couple’s style is unique and individual to them, but I do send out a style guide for ideas for every client that books a couples photoshoot with me, to get an idea of what looks great in this setting.
How to Select Your Outfits for a Photoshoot in Nice, France
As they say, less is more. When selecting colors and outfits for a couples photo session in Nice, try to go for neutral colors that don’t compete with the backgrounds. In Nice, we visit the seaside for photos along the water, and also we venture into the old town, which is an explosion of colors, mostly pastels, so we don’t want to clash with the surroundings.
Muted, monochromatic colors are great, whites and off whites work well, but try to stay away from blacks, as while black can be slimming, it also doesn’t capitalize on the beautiful light and colors we have in the south of France. Light colored clothing will reflect the light much better.
That’s not to say you can’t go for some color or even slight patterns, but as a professional photographer in Nice, France, solids look best, as well as lighter colors. Make sure to coordinate outfits with your partner too. In this case, Inder and Nik’s outfits complimented each other perfectly.
A note on skin tones in Nice, particularly the old town. As the old town is comprised of pink, orange and yellow buildings in a pastel color scheme, that light and color does reflect onto our skin, and that means that skin, depending on your collection, can appear to have a pink tone in the images from old town. I try to tone down the warmth enough and remove yellows, but to do so requires maintaining some warmth, as well, which is important.
Time of Day for a Nice, France Photoshoot
During the summer months, which run roughly from June to early September, Nice is what most people consider “hot”. But it isn’t the temperatures, as they usually stay around 80F. It’s the humidity and sun that make it sometimes uncomfortable. The sun is very strong, and there is a lot of moisture in the air. It isn’t a “dry heat”. If you’re coming from a humid environment like Atlanta, Miami, Houston, or even the Midwest of the US in summer, you won’t feel it’s any more humid than back home, however, it is important to start earlier rather than later.
On this day, we met at 7:00 am. This ensured we had a nice cool morning and while there were still quite a few people at the beach, it was much less than later. In summer, I highly recommend starting at 7:00 am if possible, and no later than 8:00 am. In the spring, autumn and winter months, we start at 8:00 am or even 9:00 am in winter, so the weather is just something to keep in mind. While I’m of course concentrating on producing great images, I’m also concerned that my clients have the very best experience.
Starting at the Sea
We started this lovely morning with photographs at the sea. In Nice, many people are surprised there is no sand. No sand beach in Nice, but what you have instead are very fine stones called galets in French. They’re tricky to walk on, but the good news is, the beach is much cleaner than sand. It’s also unique. We went along the water to capture the beauty of the Mediterranean sea.
The sea will look different based on weather and time of day. In the morning, the sea is a light blue and possibly translucent, it will look deeper blue on a sunny day than a cloudy one, but will never look spectacularly blue right at the beach’s edge. That’s why we often also go to other spots higher than beach level to get an overview of the water, and more blue. I also keep these images a bit on the cold side, because when you add warmth, the water doesn’t look as blue.
I prefer to let my clients interact naturally together, and we do a mix of traditional “smile-at-the-camera” photos and many candid photos, as if I wasn’t there. I love to incorporate movement in the images too, so I often have my couples hold hands, embrace, and we do lifts, dips and ballerina twirls too, as each couple wishes. I love that it gives couples a lot of variety in their images, and they can select those they love best.
I so enjoyed photographing Inder and Nik at the seaside, they are so natural together and the light was beautiful. We then took the stairs back to the top of the boardwalk, known as the Promenade des Anglais, and walked around the boardwalk with a view from higher up of the Baie des Anges (Bay of Angels). It was so pretty!
A Walk Up Castle Hill
To get an even better view of Nice, it’s a great idea to climb the stairs to a park known as the Colline du Chateau, or Castle Hill, in English. This was the site of a since demolished chateau, but now is a beautiful park with great views of the marina of Nice, sea, and beach. It’s one of my favorite places to photograph engaged couples!
There is an elevator here, but it’s often not in service, so you should always be prepared to walk up the stairs if you’re up for it. It’s a bit strenuous, but doable, if you take it slowly. Most of my clients tell me they’re glad they made the effort, as the views are quite stunning!
A Walk into the Old Town of Nice
No engagement photoshoot in Nice, France would be complete without a visit to the colorful and charming quarter called Vieux Nice. Its candy colored buildings remind one of Italy, and you’ll find all kinds of cute shops and art galleries, as well as great places to eat and drink in the old town. Yes, it’s a bit touristy, but it doesn’t take away its charm. You’ll find all kinds of food here, Italian, Indian, Greek, Turkish, Thai, Vietnamese, and of course French, and good old fashioned hamburgers, too. Even some great cookie shops!
In homage to Inder and Nik’s heritage, we stopped quickly at one of the Indian restaurants in Nice for some photos, just for fun. This restaurant is so beautifully and colorfully decorated, it stops me in my tracks each time.
I was having so much fun walking around with this fun and kind couple, and I didn’t want the morning to end. But they had much they wanted to do, a trip to Monaco was in the plan for later, so we said goodbye in front of my favorite fountain and I wished them well on their travels and upcoming marriage.
Thanks to Inder and Nik for spending a part of their morning with me, I enjoyed it so much!
Karina Leigh Photography
If the thought of a relaxed, romantic walk through Nice with your boo sounds like fun, with images you’ll treasure forever–make sure to contact me! I’ll show you my favorite spots, and immortalize your love story to treasure forever!
