There really isn’t a bad time to visit Paris, each season has its pleasures and delights, but autumn is really something special. That’s why I was so delighted to be contacted by a couple visiting Paris and celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary, who wanted to capture their love story with a Paris couples photoshoot. It would turn out to be absolutely magnificent!
Love to Meet Interesting People
I was contacted by a wonderful couple who would be visiting Paris for the first time from the United States. They were to be celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary, and it had been a while since they had some beautiful professional photos together. Paris is an absolute dream for a Paris anniversary photoshoot. As a Paris couples and engagement photographer, I love meeting interesting people and photographing them in some of the most iconic corners of Paris. We decided to begin our morning at the Eiffel Tower and then move on to another beautiful location but elected to decide day of the second location.
Autumn Mornings in Paris
Paris in general is a very gray and rainy city, and that comes as a surprise to a lot of visitors, who expect sunny and nice weather. The truth is, Paris is gorgeous no matter what the weather, and as someone who has lived in the city for over a decade, I actually find the city shimmers in the rain, so I don’t mind it so much. However, when you get a day like the day we had on this day, sunny and mild, it just can’t be beat!
For Alyssa and Dave’s photoshoot in Paris, we had a somewhat rare stunning late October morning. The temperature was crisp, but the sunrise was simply incredible, bathing the sky in the most gorgeous light, that we enjoyed all morning long.
Meeting the Wonderful Couple
I met Alyssa and Dave, who live in New Jersey, at Trocadero, with some of the most magnificent views of the Eiffel Tower. They are both in the accounting field and love travel, and I learned later that they both were pitchers. Dave, for baseball, and Alyssa for softball. It was clear from the early moments I met them that they were perfectly in tune and in love, incredibly kind and in great spirits, and happy to be visiting Paris for the first time together. I was so happy to meet them, and also have the opportunity to show them a bit of Paris, in addition to creating some amazing photos!
An Eiffel Tower Circuit
For most visitors to Paris, photos with the Eiffel Tower are absolutely essential. That’s why we typically meet at Trocadero, a viewing platform with incredible views of the Eiffel Tower, and flanked by two museums on either side. The Musée de L’Homme (Museum of Mankind) and the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, which is an architecture museum with very interesting exhibits.
Due to the nice weather, there were a lot of couples and families being photographed at Trocadero on this beautiful October day. Sometimes there is a long wait for the best viewpoints, but it’s worth it. But it would be a shame to only capture these precious moments at Trocadero, because there are so many unique views of the famous landmark. After I photographed Alyssa and Dave with the tower, we also popped into the Trocadero Gardens for some fall color photographs, and then walked over to the Eiffel Tower Riverside.
Enroute to the riverside location, we stopped on Pont Iena, which at this time was still partially closed to vehicular traffic after the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. This allowed us to get some great viewpoints of the Eiffel Tower as well as photographs with the Olympic rings, which aren’t a permanent fixture.
The view of the Eiffel Tower from the Seine River is magical, in my opinion. It’s usually calm here too, and allows for cute casual couples strolls next to the water, of course with the Eiffel Tower, too. It’s also cobblestone, so has a very authentic vintage feel.
From here, we made our way to the Bir Hakeim bridge, a really pretty double decker bridge, with interesting views of the Eiffel Tower from the west side. It’s a fan favorite, and while it is a working bridge, and thus there is a lot of traffic from cars and bicycles, it’s always worth it, in my opinion, because these images are often epic and become the favorites of many of my clients.
Time to See More of Paris, the Latin Quarter
After we finished our Eiffel Tower circuit, it was time to head to our second location. Alyssa and Dave decided that the quaint Paris neighborhood vibe with café is what they were looking for, so we headed via taxi to the neighborhood around Notre Dame Cathedral, personally one of my favorite neighborhoods in Paris for strolling. Often referred to as the Latin Quarter. Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most famous in the world, and having been closed to visitors since the devastating fire in 2019, is set to re-open again to the world. I couldn’t be more excited, not just for the inside of the cathedral, but the gardens. The gardens contain the most gorgeous cherry blossom trees in Paris, and I hope they were protected during the construction.
As I walked around with the couple, I pointed out a few things and was having so much fun. Photographs with Notre Dame are timeless, and a quick trip across the street will also bring you into another world. A bygone world of what Paris must have been like in the 1920s. Cute cobblestone streets, and shops, including the first English language bookshop in Paris, and the famous Odette, with its cream puffs. We didn’t have time for a cream puff this day, there was more to see!
We strolled around the neighborhood and took in some gorgeous views of the Seine River with a few colorful trees, and then finished our morning together at a cute Paris café that was featured on the first season of the smash Netflix hit, Emily in Paris, Le Flore en l’Ile. Alyssa and Dave ordered two cappuccinos, a croissant and pain au chocolat. It was so Parisian!
This morning was simply magnificent, how fortunate am I do spend the morning with gorgeous couples like Alyssa and Dave, and photographing them in this world famous city. I wish them continued happiness and hope to see them again!
Karina Leigh Photography
If you’d love to capture your happy memories in Paris, don’t hesitate to reach out, I look forward to meeting you!
