The Paris Photo Shoot

While most of my posts involve cycling or running or some other crazy outdoor activity, these are not the only things in life that might be considered an adventure.  There are lots of other adventurous activities.  Like a photo shoot for example.  Especially if it was your first photo shoot.  And, even more so, if that first photo shoot was in Paris.

Sherry and I are very fortunate in that we have the opportunity to travel and have been to Paris many times. A few years ago, Sherry suggested we have professional photos taken in the city that was beginning to feel like a second home.  Since this would be the first time we were in Paris for Christmas, it seemed like the perfect time.

Gonçalo in Paris for Flytographer 

With a little research Sherry found a company call Flytographer.  Their approach is a more candid versus posed style that appealed to us.  Plus, selecting one of their photographers meant we didn’t have to spend months on Craig’s List.  The more we saw the more we knew this was the right move for us.  A few clicks later, we had signed up and selected to work with Gonçalo (his style really spoke to us).

Tedi, our Concierge, could not have made the process easier.   She helped with everything from sending tips on selecting our clothes to selecting our date and time and finally connecting us with Gonçalo.  She also asked a lot of questions to truly understand our goals and did a great job of passing them along to Gonçalo.

Gonçalo in Paris for Flytographer

Finally, after months of planning and multiple discussions on what to wear, the day arrived.  We met Gonçalo at 9:15 am at the Café Des Beaux Arts to finalize our game plan over coffee.  Our goal was simple.  We wanted to capture our love for each other while also capturing the essence of Paris.  Gonçalo “got it” right away and began to develop the plan.

With the game plan and coffees finished it was time to get started.  Our first spot was the Pont des Arts.  This is were we learned to “walk” in a way that allowed Gonçalo to shoot.   As we walked we would hear his voice from the behind the camera offering suggestions but mostly he wanted us to walk the way we did if he wasn’t there taking photos.  Often, we would walk the same small section multiple times to get just the right shot.  It really did feel like a professional photo shoot.

Gonçalo in Paris for Flytographer

From there it was on to the Pont du Carrousel where we could get Sherry’s favorite tower in the background.  Then, we started heading towards Saint Germain des Prés taking photos along the way.  We shot on Rue Visconti, which is where we rented our first apartment.  We shot as we strolled along Rue  Bonaparte like we have done a hundred times before.  We stopped at Ladurée and look at the lovely macaroons as Gonçalo snapped away.  We shot along the very busy Boulevard Saint-Germain.  Finally, we finished by shooting some café scenes at the Le Bonaparte café.

Gonçalo, our photographer

As we sat and chatted with Gonçalo after the shoot, we realized that this was our Paris and we were very excited to see the final results.  A few days later we received a link from Tedi to our online gallery of 63 photos.  They were amazing!!!  The best thing I can say about them is that Gonçalo captured exactly what we were looking for.  In the end, we could not be happier with the process or the results.

From the concept created by Flytographer, to the support from Tedi, to the photo shoot with Gonçalo, and finally to the finished photos, we simply cannot say enough positive things about our experience.  I would encourage everyone who wants to capture special memories from your vacation to contact Flytographer and starting planning your own adventure.

Ciao!