Tom & Jill | Love story photo session in Arles, France

Tom & Jill | Love story photo session in Arles, France

Ahhh, as an Arles photographer, I live for days like this! What a delight this lovely couple from Tucson, Arizona was! Tom and Jill are young retirees, Tom was a police officer, and Jill a criminal defense attorney. Married for 35 glorious years, and always having had a passion for travel, this new phase in their life allows for even more flexibility. I met Tom and Jill during their month-long visit to France. We met in my second home, Arles, France.

Arles isn’t well known by a lot of people, but it’s a fantastic small town in the south of France that should be on everyone’s radar. It was one of the most important Roman outposts during the Roman era, and there are still quite a number of Roman ruins to see, the most famous of which is the Roman amphitheater, which is still used to this day. The other claim to fame Arles has, is that Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh lived here for a year and painted a lot! He arrived in February 1888, leaving Paris, searching for great light in which to paint, and it was here in Arles where he found that great light, inspiration in the landscapes and with the townspeople as well. One of his most famous paintings of a café at night was painted in Arles.

In addition to the Romans and Van Gogh, Arles has a number of very popular events that happen every year. Probably one of the most famous is the Rencontres de la Photographie, the photography festival, which spotlights photographers, and increasingly, videographers, from all corners of the globe. In 2023, it celebrated its 54th year, and the festival runs from early July to the end of September. The range of photography to view is staggering, insightful, and so fun. Not only that, but the exhibit locations, of which there around 40, take place in very interesting, historic buildings in Arles (and a few modern ones too), which adds to the interest.

Tom and Jill were staying in nearby St. Remy de Provence, and were to spend the day in Arles. In the afternoon they planned to take a Camargue adventure tour. Arles is the gateway to the Camargue, a national recreations area which is a marsh that ends at the Mediterranean Sea. It’s a popular spot to watch birds, see the famous Camargue bulls and white horses, and to learn about rice cultivation. We spent part of the morning together in Arles, the center of town, the old part of the town.

We met on the steps of the great Roman amphitheater, the arènes, it’s called in French. No one is quite certain which year it was built, but its hard to believe its so well preserved (thanks to the work of many) and a living relic of an earlier time. The amphitheater can also be visited, and you can learn more about all that there is to do in Arles at the Arles Tourist Office. I love to start my Provence couples sessions here, it sets a great tone for all that we are to see.

From here, we walked through the neighborhood and saw also remnants of the old Roman theater, which is also still in use. Every summer there are movies shown on a giant screen, dance performances, music performances and more. We entered the town square, with its impressive obelisk. The obelisk was once located at the old Roman circus. The circus is where they’d have chariot races. Not much remains of the circus, just a few blocks, but the obelisk is impressive. It sits near the city hall (Hotel de Ville) and the Saint Trophime Church. It was built in the 12th century and is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. It also has a magnificent cloister that you can visit.

After we passed through the center of Arles, I took Tom and Jill over to the charming neighborhood known as La Roquette. I love this quiet neighborhood, you’ll find lots of colorful homes, lots of greenery, and pretty doors, too! One green door is amongst my favorite, and I photographed Tom and Jill in front of it. We looped around La Roquette, stopping to take a peek at the Rhône River, too. Back in 2004, forensic divers found an old Roman barge. The barge was recovered, painstakingly restored, and eventually placed in the excellent Musée Départmental Arles Antique, for visitors to view. There’s a companion movie that shows how the barge was discovered and restored. This museum also houses many Roman artifacts, statues, and models of how the town looked back in the Roman era.

During my time with Tom and Jill, I learned so much about them. They’re active and enjoy travel so much, learning about new cultures, languages and the beauty in this world. We had a lot in common and I so enjoyed not only photographing them, but chatting with them too! Usually, my clients and I end up with so much to talk about that the time flies so quickly.

I seriously could have walked around all day, but Tom and Jill had many other things they wanted to do in Arles, so we finished at the Place du Forum. The Forum was a Roman building, a huge building, that had an outside portico and served as a market place. Not much is left of it except for one pillar in the square, and we ended with Tom and Jill enjoying coffees at the famous historic hotel, Nord Pinus.

How fortunate am I to meet lovely people like this? And to photograph them, and celebrate their love story, set against all of this beautiful history? I’m so incredibly grateful to have met them and hope to see them again!