Brandon & Gabrielle | Joyful morning in Nice, France
You need a special occasion to “have photos taken”, right? Like a wedding, an engagement, some kind of special event. This is the conventional thinking, but it’s absolutely not true, and what I aim to do is more than “take photos”, but to tell the story of you and your loved one through images in beautiful places, that will remind you of your love, of your time together, and bring a smile to your face for many years to come.
Brandon and Gabrielle live in Texas, and have been married for five years. They love to travel, and their travels brought them to the south of France, specifically, Nice, France. As a Nice engagement and couples photographer, it was my joy to welcome them to this colorful, vibrant and relaxed city. I met them at 8:00 am, and in October, the sun had just come up. Speaking of October, this is a fantastic month to visit the south of France. All of the tourist crowds are long gone, as well as heat and humidity. Yes, there can be some rain, but usually you’ll also have some sunshine and mild temperatures to enjoy.
The beach clubs have mostly shut in October, so if your idea of a great vacation is to sit on the beach and read a book, you can still do so, but most of the beach restaurants have closed for the season. But no worries, many days are still nice enough where you can still bring your book to the beach, just bring a light jacket! For me personally, as a photographer, I totally love October, because there is finally some room on the beach to spread out. In June, July and August, sunbathers are at the beach before sunrise, and it’s nearly impossible to get beautiful photographs on the beach without others in the images.
Being that the sunrise was looking to be beautiful, we started at the beach. Made of large stones, the beach in Nice is a bit tricky to walk on. That’s why Gabrielle ditched her shoes and went barefoot for part of our time together. From the moment we met, this couple exuded joy and happiness. It’s hard to describe just how lovely they were, and their willingness to try different things, and adding in a lot of movement too, so that they weren’t sort of static, which while it can be pretty, can also be boring, was really wonderful and appreciated.
At the sea, we were treated to a lovely sunrise, and from there, we headed into colorful old town, known as Vieux Nice. Just wandering around these narrow streets is a pleasure, and for those who love color, it’s a dream. All along the way, we chatted, laughed and shared stories of our lives, and our travels. Their love was so easy-going, and fun, and I was thrilled to capture this for them!
At the end of our time together, we came upon what’s called a brocante. A brocante is an antique sale, taking place right in the middle of old town, on Cours Saleya. This is where you’ll find many major markets in Nice throughout the week, selling flowers and food, soaps, essential oils, etc. It’s a really lovely place to spend some of a morning. We walked through a bit of it together, and then finished up with a rest at a cute café.
Brandon and Gabrielle remind me why I love my job so very much. They filled my heart with joy and sparked my creativity too, and mostly, left me with a feeling of happiness and peace all day long. I cant’ wait to see them again on their next trip to France!
