What could be more romantic than Paris? Right, sunset in Paris. This is a magical evening time when the sun covers a city with golden rays, which slowly fall below. Everything begins to play with new colors, warmer and softer than in daylight. And hasty passers-by are becoming less and less. It’s a perfect ambiance for organizing a love story photoshoot in Paris, as my clients Nikita and Anya did.
Not only the Eiffel Tower can become a symbolic and stunningly beautiful location for romantic evening photography. A much more interesting and non-trivial solution would be to visit the Pantheon. Originally known as the Church of Ste-Geneviève, the Pantheon became the tomb of the great sons of the French fatherland, including Honoré-Gabriel Riqueti, Voltaire, Russo, Alexandre Dumas, and many others.
An incredibly affecting story stands behind its walls: in the 18th century, during the Seven Years' War, King Louis XV got a serious ailment. He appealed to Saint Genevieve, the patroness of the sick and the defender from troubles and promised that in case of his recovery, he would erect a magnificent temple in her honor. The king’s life was miraculously saved, and the fateful temple was finally built.
Today, the Pantheon is one of the most luxurious and breathtaking examples of the classical school. We chose it as the first location for the photoshoot in Paris, based on the images prepared by Nikita and Anya. I happened to meet a phenomenally stylish and elegant couple. Each element of their clothes, hairstyles, and accessories coexisted in the concept of Yin and Yang, organically complementing each other with contrasts.
Anya was like a white swan, in a flowing snow-white blouse and loose trousers with perfectly straight hair tucked into the band. Nikita was a black knight, in a strict dark suit and with naughty curls as if he was a native french man. Together they created a unique harmony of opposites, woven of nobleness and passions. If people could be associatively compared with the sights, I would definitely associate Anya with Nikita with the Pantheon, as the bright representatives of the classical style and delicate taste.
Walking along the spacious and quiet streets of Paris, we took pictures in the middle of the road on the way to the main point of our photoshoot - Jardin du Luxembourg. This place is deservedly called by the French people “The Most One.” They talk about it with superlatives: it’s the most beautiful, romantic, French, amazing; the list of epithets is endless. The scale of this palace and park ensemble is striking: from all sides, there are hundreds of floral arrangements, numerous lawns, ponds, bridges, fountains and benches for rest. You can spend the whole day in this enormous residence, enjoying the symbiosis of the beauty of nature and masterpieces created by human hands.
In this abode of greenery, the burning feelings of the lovers seemed to have freed up. Anya and Nikita presented their gentle hugs and loving glances to every corner of this garden, and the atmosphere there became truly enriched with love. And thanks to their amazing European elegance, this photoshoot in Jardin du Luxembourg turned out to be not only sincere and romantic but also extremely stylish as for a fashion magazine.
We continued our fascinating photo trip and finally, approached Church of Saint-Sulpice. This place is the source of attractions and became really famous due to the shooting of the legendary mystical thriller The Da Vinci Code. However, we did not want to plunge into a world of secrets and puzzles. Instead, we took a series of bright and cozy photos from the outside of the cathedral, near its facade, where silence, tranquility and peace reign.
By the time of the last shots, the veil of sunset had completely wrapped Paris with a pleasant pink glow. Isn’t it the color of romance? Nikita and Anya hugged in the center of the city, enjoying the sunset, Paris, and each other.
Your photographer in Paris, Dimitri Finko.