Tips For Planning Your Overseas Pre Wedding Photoshoot in Paris
Hi Everyone,
Check our this new video and blog post we did on our experience shooting in Paris recently.
Are you considering to have your pre wedding photoshoot in Paris? We recently went to Paris for an overseas pre wedding shoot and want to share our experience shooting in that beautiful city (albeit very crowded with tourists).
When we arrived in Paris 2 days prior to our photoshoot. We set out to check out the various locations which we were intending to shoot at. Our very first impression was that Paris, almost at all hours of the day was crowded with tourists. In order to avoid having people unknowingly walk in and out of your photos you will need to start your photo shoot very early in the morning.
Time was tight for our couple who had 1.5 days with us before they would need to another city to continue on their vacation. Here are some tips and things to note whilst planning for a photoshoot in Paris.
1. Plan around the crowds.
The city of Paris being a very popular tourist destinations tends to be rather crowded especially at the scenic spots which you would likely be doing your pre wedding photoshoot. Avoiding the crowds often means to start your photoshoot at the crack of dawn. An example would be at the Eiffel Tower.
The Eiffel Tower:
When we arrived at the Eiffel Tower around 7am, the sun was just rose and the location was bathed with beautiful sunlight. "What a beautiful time to take photos!" I thought. This same thought must have run through the 10-20 other wedding photographers with their couples there. Although it was not crowded with tourists, there were many groups of wedding couples having their photos taken there and all of us were jostling for the best position as the light changed as the sun rose gradually.
Taking the photo below for example, this direct view of the Eiffel Tower from the Champ De Mars viewing platform is one of the most popular angles to photograph from.
As we were waiting for our moment below, we had to work quickly as other couples and their photographer were waiting in line for us to be done. Not to mention the street vendors hawking Eiffel Tower souvenirs (Eiffel Tower keychains of all sizes and colours)
Here is a wider perspective of the eiffel tower shot and you can see the number of people in the photograph early in the morning.
2. Pont de Bir-Hakeim - Inception Bridge
Much less crowded was the bridge at Bir-Hakeim, where a well know scene of the movie "The Inception" was filmed. The metro runs on top of the bridge with 2 roads flanking this popular photoshoot location. By mid morning this place is bustling with people and bicycle commuters heading to work. Our couple had rented a car and we had opted to stop by the side of the road.
A respite from the madding crowds under Pont de Bir-Hakeim
Once of my favorite alternative vantage points of the Eiffel Tower along the Seine River.
3. Visit some lesser know locations
We planned to take a lunch break around Rue de charonne. It was a nice break from the more crowded and touristy spots around Paris. As we were walking about we chanced upon a rather quaint alley housing a toy shop where we grabbed some quick shots.
During your photoshoot although we had planned for every location. Do also take time to walk around and stumble upon places like this. Not only will you find unexpected places such as this you will have it all to yourselves.
Inside the quainty little toy shop we found in Rue De Charonne. The owner was kind enough to allow us to take some quick photos inside the shop.
5. When to shoot at the Louvre
The Musee De Louvre is another location which is often crowded every day of the week. There is however a good time to take photographs there when it will likely be deserted and that is when the museum is closed on Tuesdays. You can check out the museum's operational hours here.
For this shoot we arranged to meet the couple early the next morning to do a shoot at around 6.30am. After braving the crowds the day before it was refreshing to have the location all to ourselves.
Sadly the fountain was out or order during our shoot and we could not use it to add some nice reflection shots to our images. We did however, have very good light!
Apart from doing your pre wedding photoshoot at Musee De Louvre, do take some time to go inside! Especially the Denon wing which houses the Mona Lisa.
6. Take photos at night.
Apart from taking photos in the morning, Paris is also exceedingly beautiful at night! Here are some photos which we took in the vicinity of the Eiffel Tower. We found a Carousel there which lit up beautifully at night and knew that it would serve as a beautiful place for our night shoot.
About Chris Chang Photography
Our Vision is for Chris Chang Photography to be one of the best wedding photography teams here in Singapore.
We believe that photography should come from the heart.
Pictures are not taken with a camera and lens but with our heart, soul & mind.
Our company was birthed out of a passion for photography, to capture life's precious moments.
We provide Pre Wedding Photography, Actual Day Photography & Overseas Pre Wedding Photography.
We'd love to say many more wonderful things about ourselves but we would much prefer to meet up with you for coffee to chat more!
If you would like to check our more of our works, do follow us on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chrischangphotography
Instagram: www.instagram.com/chrischangphotography
Email: info@chrischang.photography
Destination Pre wedding Shoot in Japan // 5 Tips for overseas pre wedding prep.
Our trip to Japan.
Its been some time since we updated the blog and since then we have been incredibly blessed to be super busy. In 2017 we endeavour to update this blog more often. So for this blog post we will share with you our experience for shooting in Tokyo Japan and 5 Tips for having a successful shoot in Japan or any other overseas location.
Check out our behind the scenes trailer of our shoot in Japan done by our very own Sean Ng. You can check out his other videos here and his photography works here
1. Book Early!
This applies especially for flights and accommodation. Book 3-6months in advance of your trip in order to secure good rates for travel to the destination of your choice. For example, for our accommodation this trip we decided to stay at a local Ryokan. Thankfully we booked the accommodation early as the rates almost doubled closer to our departure date.
2. Plan your itinerary with your photographer.
Most overseas locations are much larger than Singapore and require much more travel time to move between shooting location. For this trip, our couple share with us a couple of locations which they were looking to visit. From there our team came up with a detailed itinerary/shooting schedule for the photoshoot. Factoring in travel time, rest time and hair and make up. We also took into consideration sunrise and sunset timings in order the determine how much day light we had for the shoot. Depending on the season in your destination country, hair and make up may start very early in the morning. For our couple, it started at 4am that morning!
3. Hiring a local driver.
Having a local driver with us was invaluable during this trip. Not only were we able to rest during transit between locations, the driver also had extensive knowledge where we could do outfit changes and touch up for hair and make up. Do search online for deals for local drivers. They usually have a full day package or go by hourly rates.
4. Prepare for cold weather.
If you are intending to visit a country during autumn or winter the temperatures will get very cold. Unbearable at times! For this recent shoot, we experienced temperatures about 7 Deg C. Especially for the bride, remember to pack warm clothing to wear over your wedding gown to in between shoots.
5. Have fun.
In the midst of all the travels and planning don't forget to have fun and enjoy yourselves. If you are stressed it will show in your photos.
Lawrence & Charissa Wedding Day U&I Session
Ever since introducing U&I sessions which are intimate couple sessions not only for engaged couples but for all who are in love. Thus far, I have had the opportunity of doing U&I sessions for couples celebrating their 1st, 20th & even 30th Wedding anniversary.
Most recently, Lawrence & Charissa who decided that instead playing gatecrash games, decided to take the time to do a U&I session on their Wedding day. Often times, wedding days can be hectic with its back to back events and celebrations. For Lawrence & Charissa, they decided to take a hour after their Holy Matrimony in Church to take a drive out to the NUS Law campus for simple and intimate couple portrait session.
Having visited the law campus only many years ago, I was pleasantly surprise to see realise that it turned out to be a very charming place indeed. With rows of arches and beautiful greenery, it is indeed a very beautiful place for portraits.
