Shirley & Adrian | Stunning engagement session in Arles and Les Baux de Provence, France
Shirley, who lives in Manhattan, New York City, contacted me via Instagram on my account @karinaleighphotography. She and her fiancé, Adrian, were coming to Provence for their vacation, and Shirley thought about an engagement session while they were in Provence. What a great idea! As a Provence engagement photographer, I love photographing people all around the region and I’ve got some favorite spots to share, too!
Provence is a large region in southern France. A famous region, much like Tuscany in Italy.
The region extends from the lower part of the Rhone river, to the Italian border, and to the south by the Mediterranean Sea. The largest city in the region is also France’s oldest, Marseille. The Romans made this part of the world home for a long time and their remnants, or ruins, are everywhere.
Cities like Nîmes and Avignon have Roman ruins, as well as Orange. But my Provence home of Arles is probably some of the best Roman ruins in the entire region. Not only is Arles a former Roman settlement, with interesting architecture to view, but it’s cute, funky, colorful and charming, with loads to do in the summer. It’s a visual treat, so much fun. It’s the perfect place for a Provence engagement session!
Shirley agreed, so she and Adrian met me in Arles, and I took them to some of my favorite parts of the town, pointing out the history that I know. I photographed this fun loving, cute-as-can-be couple at the old Roman colosseum (arènes), as well as the beautiful main town square. We then visited the charming neighborhood called La Roquette, with its impressive 17th century buildings. I absolutely love showing people around Arles and photographing them here!
Shirley had indicated that she’d also love some nature in their engagement photos, so after a session in Arles, we hopped in their rental car and Adrian drove us to the nearby town of Les-Baux-de-Provence. Les Baux is an old fortification with ruins of a chateau on the top of a mountain. The views from here are stupendous, and while it is quite touristy (Les Baux attracts 2 million visitors a year to its ancient streets), it’s also surrounded by mountains and olive groves, as well as vineyards.
This part of France is always very windy, so it’s essential to tie your hair back with a visit here, but the stone walls and pathways are so charming. To end our Provence engagement session, we dipped into the olive groves. Olive oil production is big business in this part of France, and while the olive oil isn’t generally exported outside of France, it’s of excellent quality and you can find it all over France’s grocery store shelves.
Our Provence engagement session was at the end of July, and to say it can get quite hot this time of year is an understatement. On this day, though, due to the wind, it wasn’t too hot by the time we finished. To combine Les Baux and Arles into a few hours can be done easily, we were done by noon, before the main heat of the day hit.
It’s essential to wear lightweight, breezy fabrics. It doesn’t hurt to bring sunglasses and hats, and of course, a big bottle of water to sip.
My hearty thanks to Shirley and Adrian, such a fun couple, kind and so easy to photograph. I so enjoyed my time with them!
