FAMILY PHOTO SESSION AT THE EIFFEL TOWER WITH ELIZABETH AND FAMILY

Elizabeth, Elle and Cynthia: 3 women, 3 generations from the US travelling to Paris for a memorable family photo shoot at the Eiffel Tower and its surrounding gardens. The three of them are wearing black dresses to match each other’s outfit: it’s crazy the similarities in their look and their smile: they look so connected.  We’re in a hurry and have to do fast because we misunderstood each other for the location’s meeting and we only have half an hour left as they need to run into another appointment afterwards. With experience and because I’ve been through the area hundreds of time already, we managed to do a wide range of poses that make them more than happy. After they got home, they’ve left this lovely review that has truly touched me:

“I really wanted some professional quality portraits from our vacation. It was a great experience to not worry about having to take photos ourselves. Paulette was great and took really amazing photos with lots to pick from. Wonderful experience! Thanks so much!” Elizabeth

FAMILY PHOTO SHOOT AT JARDIN DES TUILERIES WITH RIME AND FAMILY

Having met so many women during photo sessions, if I had to select one in honour of International Women’s Day, it would be a woman that I had the opportunity to meet a few months ago.

Last October, Rime called me to organize a last minute family photo session. She didn’t tell me which members of the family would be involved. I imagined Rime was a mother of two, probably because of the stress I heard in her voice when trying to find a time slot in what must have been a very busy schedule. At first, she suggested Montmartre, a lovely and photogenic area for family portraits. But instead, I suggested that Jardin des Tuileries was more suitable for a family, and she agreed! As I always do, I set the meeting point at the entrance of the garden on the Concorde side, so it’s easier for everyone. As soon as I arrived, she phoned me so we could find each other.

After a brief introduction, she brought me to the fountain not far from the entrance and introduced me to her parents. She explained that the photo session was a gift for her parents who were visiting for a couple days and she wanted to create nice memories for them. I said hello to the couple but we could not communicate much as they could not speak French or English. I’m not sure where they came from, but Rime gave them instructions in a language I could not understand nor recognize and I didn’t dare to ask straight away. We started the walk through the terrace garden with its gorgeous view of Paris, and enjoyed the colorful autumn leaves on the trees and on the ground. It was all a lovely extension of the beautiful summer we’d had.

We couldn’t walk much since Rime’s parents would get exhausted, so we stayed around the terrace where there were hundreds of opportunities to create meaningful memories: greens chairs, Parisian benches, trees, fountains, nice views of Paris… What else can one ask for? The elderly couple played the game extremely well even though we could not understand each other. They were communicative in their own way, smiling and laughing when posing in front of the camera.

After half an hour of posing here and there, we stopped the photo shoot because the couple started to be tired and Rime walked with me to grab a coffee outside the garden to get change and pay me for the photo session. While just the two of us, we exchanged more intimate words and I finally asked her about their family story. Her family comes from Palestine and it had been a long time since she had seen her parents. They were growing old and she was not sure when she would have the opportunity to see them again. Recently, they had been rather depressed and she hoped that a photo shoot would make them feel better before they return home. Hearing those words, I got goose bumps all over and it reminded me of my own family story.

I was very touched by her words: “I managed to make them laugh and this is all that mattered to me. Thanks Paulette for your generosity”. This photo session is by far the most beautiful I’ve ever had, featuring an ageing couple in their seventies with a painful story but who can still find the energy to smile, laugh and have faith in life!

A FAMILY PHOTO SHOOT AT JARDIN DES TUILERIES WITH ANA , SILVIA AND FAMILY

Looking at them you’d think they’re Scandinavian, but they're not. Tall and slim with blond hair, you can tell the Lagos sisters are definitely Latino listening to them talking to each other in Brazilian Portuguese. Ana has been living in Paris for over a decade and her older sister Sylvia has been in London for more than 20 years. Sylvia and her kids, 11-year-old Clarissa and 9-year-old Daniel, are enjoying the school vacation to visit Ana and dog Frère Jacques in the City of Light. And it’s the perfect moment to capture family memories.

 We meet at the entrance of Jardin des Tuileries in front of the big wheel on Place de la Concorde and I recognize Ana immediately, whom I met couple of years ago. But this time, something has changed for sure. She’s not the same, she looks very different. If I had to describe her in 3 powerful words, I would say: stunning, happy and PREGNANT! She is big but not enormous for being a pregnant woman, now at 6 months and you can tell all the weight is concentrated on her belly. And no wonder why! She’s expecting twins! :)

I'm so excited, this is just the kind of photo shoot I dream to have more often: adults, children, a pet and—above all—a pregnant woman! What more can one ask for? And what do you think the icing on the cake is? The weather's been terrible the whole week, but this morning the sun is out and the sky is blue. I'm lucky and must have been good in a previous life! :)

We start our photo session around the terrace garden, as dogs are not allowed inside. We have fun posing during the walk and really connect. I'm so touched seeing how close the whole family is. You can see the love bursting between the sisters as well as the kids! We talk together a lot during the photo shoot. We take little breaks sometimes and laugh and tell each other stories in a whole mix of languages. I speak French with Ana, English with Sylvia and the kids; the sisters speak Portuguese with each other and we all mix the languages up talking to Frère Jacques the dog! :)

What a morning! Lots of walking, making great photo shots and having nice chats. Laughter and a great time in just a couple of hours. I wish every day could be like that, but sometimes bad moments don’t hurt so we can enjoy and appreciate the good ones. I went back home really looking forward to seeing the results! I send a few pictures to the family in the afternoon and the reply is short but says it all: “we LOVED it!”. How else can one feel after that but incredibly happy? 

The one lesson I’ll remember from that session is that success cannot only be measured by the amount of money you make by selling a service, nor the quality of the product or service you provide. Above all, it’s the impact, emotions and happiness that you create through connections with people! Photography is for me the best job in the world.

ANNIVERSARY PHOTO SESSION IN PARIS WITH MARIA AND ANDREW

It's 8AM in Paris. The temperature is minus something outside. It’s dark and miserable. Another typical winter day like so many in December here. I don’t want to get out of bed, nor get dressed to face the freezing cold. I have hit snooze on my alarm clock several times already and in a superhuman effort, managed to jump out of bed, get to the bathroom, have a quick shower, dress warmly, and quickly swallow breakfast and enjoy a cup of hot coffee before leaving the apartment to make my morning appointment on time.

When I got into the Parisian metro—fully packed of course (this is Paris), I thought to myself, ironically: "I've chosen to work as a freelancer to be able to choose my schedule, and now I find myself in the same routine as most people who've got a 9-5 job! That really sucks!" Why do people book a photo session in the cold winter, wouldn’t spring be better? No! Because they’re only travelling in Paris then and won't be back anytime soon.

And why that early? Oh, I remember, because I’m the one who suggested it because there are fewer people in the morning, and after 9.30AM the Eiffel Tower is totally packed! Do I kick myself?! :) They’re from the United States and like many Americans it was one of their life’s dreams to visit the City of Lights one day and see the famous and iconic Eiffel Tower. Maria, a tall, gorgeous and sweet woman walked towards me in high heels accompanied by her husband Andrew, a friendly and courteous man. They are already married but Paris was more of an opportunity to capture their memories and intimate moments while on vacation. Both were dressed very elegantly for the occasion even though the temperatures were at the lowest for the season.

I felt a bit disappointed because the light was not very good for a photo session and heavy mist was hiding the top of the Eiffel Tower.  We walked, posed, shot photos, smiled, moved, and talked… They took their winter jackets off from time to time for various pictures: So brave, so much admiration for them! Finally, after 45 minutes, we’d covered the whole area and everything was now in the camera.

I went back home, uploaded the pictures, worked on the post-treatment and surprisingly, they all looked gorgeous. As the light was not very pretty, I had converted most of the pictures to black and white and the fog gave them a very romantic and fairytale-like mood. The black and white images had a sort of vintage style look of Paris in the 20-30's, reminding me of Robert Doisneau pictures' style taken on the same spot. 

I finally sent the final photos to Maria and Andrew the day after, and their first feedback was: OMG! :) Not sure how to actually take it but I never had any complaints afterwards :)

YOGA PHOTO SHOOT AT GALERIE VIVIENNE WITH FREYA

Freya is the director of multi-media lifestyle magazine Nourrir, the French word meaning “to nourish”. Not only is she a magazine editor, she is a true and inspiring woman, a fashion lover, yogi, traveler and this time she is in Paris to be the ambassador of Tonic Active Tribe, a Canadian designed and manufactured yoga, active and lifestyle brand.

It's one of those typical Parisian winter days: Chilly outside but the sky is blue and the sun's out which is why we've chosen an indoor location so Freya can practice different yoga poses to promote her outfit. (I have to confess the location is one of my favorites in Paris, and I mainly recommend it to travelers whenever it's cold or raining.)

Our photo session starts at Bistro Vivienne in Galerie Vivienne, with Freya wearing a casual dress. The lighting is not very good, it's pretty dark inside but the deco is amazing and the atmosphere warm and cozy inside the cafe. We are on the first floor, and there's nobody else apart from us. It almost looks like we are in a movie set up. I like the sort of old style and vintage furniture and despite the bad luminosity, I managed to capture some wonderful shots before we continue our session through the gallery.

For the photo session we stay for a while in a long corridor half way between the entrance and the exit, where the light is just perfect. Even though it's freezing cold, Freya is trying different yoga postures in which she sits, stands, falls over, gets up again, falls again, etc. We are really having fun! This is what I love about my job: every location, every customer and every experience is different; no day is the same as another and you never have the same conversation twice.

After an hour, we finally end the photo shoot indoors and decide to do a few photo portraits outdoors to capture the essence of Paris before enjoying a nice coffee together and having a wonderful conversation about yoga, travel and creativity...

Model: Freya Boulakbeche
Clothing: Tonic Active