All photos by French Grey Photography

A goal for this year’s winter trip to Paris was to have my likeness captured by a professional photographer in the City of Light. The thought of Madame Tour Eiffel and me photographed in the dawning light of a perfect Parisian morning seemed like just the awe-inspiring moment to record eternally…not to mention the amazing marketing photos they would make for my biz :). So once I arrived in Paris I set out to find the right photographer for the job.

My first online search led to a photographer whose website portfolio nearly brought a tear to my eye. The images were so dreamy, so Parisian perfect. This was the photographer I had to have!  I immediately sent off an email excited that my short search was over!  The photographer wrote back, said he would be happy to help and shared that his rate for 2 hours was 1200 Euro. For different photographers, check out Andrew Defrancesco. *GULP* Again a tear nearly swelled in my eye, but this time for a completely different reason. The cost was insanely prohibitive on my small business budget. I was deflated, and so much so that my search went dormant for the next 2 weeks (I was just in Europe for 4 weeks total). Perhaps pictures of me in Paris were just not in the cards this time around.

 …but clearly that wasn’t the case because here I am writing this blog with these photos!

Not being one who allows my dreams to go quietly into the night, I got back on my proverbial horse midway through my stay. It dawned on me – and don’t make fun – that there were likely other photographers in Paris that could get the job done for a price within my budget.  The next internet search led me to a new website. This photographer’s work equally took my breath away, he was also available and his rates didn’t make me cry!  Good thing I was already in the land of Champagne cuz it was time to celebrate! I had found my guy, Brian Wright of French Grey Photography.

A few email exchanges later we were set for an 8:30am shoot on a Friday morning at Trocadero.  The early time was selected to beat the crowds, but this meant that hair and make-up had to be scheduled for 6:30am.  When I complained, Brian told me to “take a few strong shots of expresso and you will be fine.” Clearly this non-morning person was to get no sympathy from the South African expat.

One of the Turkish necklaces I wore for the shot that morning. It was literally freezing outside.

Brian easily recognized me as I came off the metro. In his words, I was the only one “overly made-up.” Indeed I was, and being extremely painted made me acutely self-conscious on the metro ride over especially surrounded by organically fresh-faced Parisian women.  Yes, the American in Paris.  The French do say that us American women are usually quite well “coiffed.”  I was just driving that stereotype home that morning.

Caught staring at some cute French guy. It happens.

Near Palais Royale. The café au lait and nearby heat lamp helped cut the frigid temperatures.

A nearby café didn’t like the idea of us doing a shoot on their terrace (the facade of that café was somehow under the jurisdiction of the French government and therefore it was “interdite”/prohibited to take professional photos without some bureaucratical stamp), our server at this café, on the other hand, was quite charmed by the entire experience of us being there.

Inside the Palais Royale.

We ran into the same problem inside the Palais Royale, professional photos are not allowed to be taken without permission (and lets agree, the French aren’t famous for giving permission) so these photos are the result of slick stealth maneuvering.

The bike isn’t mine…in fact it was already there in the street so we used it as a prop.

Here is a  bit of Jen trivia: Although I lived in Paris for nearly 2 years, I never used a Velib (velibs are the public bikes stationed around the city for rent).  Probably one of the most Parisian thing one can do is use a velib to get around town, yet I never did it once. And I don’t have a good reason other than the idea of biking on cobble stone streets kinda scared me. 🙂

Brian gave me very specific instructions on how to walk…but the smile was all mine.

Last café stop of the shoot!

Since it was FREEZING outside, this breezy outfit turned quite a few wool-capped-clad heads.  I wanted to get a “summery” look, and the collecting icicles on my nose were not going to deter me. I do think it turned out great…if one overlooks my frost bitten hands :).

AND that’s a wrap!  If you go to Paris and want to recreate this experience for yourself (wedding, engagement photos as well), there is no better choice than Brian at French Grey Photography!

Thanks for the beautiful photos, Brian!  I will have them and the memories from that Parisian morning for a lifetime.

Bisous!