NIGHTTIME PHOTOGRAPHY IN PARIS: TIPS FOR STUNNING ROMANTIC PHOTOS

Paris, the City of Light, is a magical backdrop for romantic photos, especially when the sun sets and the city sparkles under the night sky. Nighttime photography is a bit different from doing a photoshoot in the daylight, so here’s everything you need to know to get the best shots

My personal favorite plan for a photoshoot is scheduling it before sunset and going into after the sunset time or "blue hour".  The "blue hour" is ideal for shooting, as the sky turns a deep blue while still providing enough ambient light for softer photos. This way you can get the best of both worlds and have daytime photos and then switch to the more romantic and dramatic nighttime look either using a flash or still working with ambient light. It's best to plan at least a 1,5 hour shoot for this experience and have a couple of different outfits.

Keep in mind though that in summer the days are longer and Paris is bustling well into the late evening. A little tip - Google your date of the photoshoot and "sunset in Paris" and it will tell you exactly when the sun is going to set and the "blue hour" begins. For example, on June 1st that's at 9:46pm, while on December 1st it's at 4:56pm. 

Winter is great for the timing of the nighttime photoshoots but it is also rather chilly, so it gets trickier with the outfits. Whichever time you are traveling to Paris and planning you shoot just keep in this in mind - summertime you'd have a very late shoot, wintertime you'll have a cold one :)

Flash photography has become very trendy recently and it's been used not just at night but during the day too to give the images a more fashion or editorial look. Personally I love it, but I'm always mindful of who and what kind of story I'm photographing. In some cases working with a flash can totally ruin the romantic mood, so don't chase the trends and embrace the real you and create together with your photographer. 

Let me show you a couple of examples below where I have tried several different light techniques in the same situations and how individual it was for each couple which light worked best for them. 

Flash - there are several different things we can do with it. During the nighttime shoots specifically we need some sort of light to let the camera not only take a well exposed photo but also to simply focus on the subject, so a flash can be this kind of light. The camera needs extra time to focus when it's dark and after it takes a photo the flash needs a bit of time to recharge, so overall nighttime flash photography takes longer per each photo to shoot, so expect to have less photos when using the flash. Have you ever seen the photos at night during a party or in a background full of street lights that dance across the photo like paintbrush strokes? That's the effect called shutter drag when we use a very slow shutter speed to get a lof of ambient lights in the photo while moving the camera paired with a flash in the end of the exposure that freezes the subject in place surrounded by all the lights the long exposure captured. This effect you can only do with a flash, so if that's something you'd like tell your photographer to play with shutter drag images for you. 

Ambient light - by this I'm referring to any light that's available that is not flashing. Usually that's street lights, but I often use video LED light mounted on the camera to produce an effect of the flash but still shooting as fast as during the daytime. Using ambient light and high sensitivity lenses with low aperture (those that make everything blurry in the background) allows for faster time taking the photos as there is no battery recharge lag between the shots, but the images you'll get will be darker and more grainy and with very blurry background (and often just overall blurry). That said - those are very romantic and I prefer ambient light for couple love story shoots at night. 

Nighttime photos are often more formal or romantic, so choose outfits that reflect the mood you want to create. Darker, elegant clothing looks great against the lit-up city, while lighter colors can pop beautifully in the glow of the lights. Sequins work best if there is some flash or strong ambient light source around, otherwise you won't see the play of light on them. And another tip - avoid strong colors like red or green or blue if using sequins especially as they will reflect the flash light onto your skin casting you in the same color as your outfit. During the day this effect is minimal, but at night you are risking to have red/blue/green skin tone from this reflection

With these tips, you're all set to capture stunning, romantic photos that will forever remind you of your magical Parisian adventure. Whether it's winter or summer, the city at night offers endless possibilities to immortalize your love or celebrate your individuality.

Ready to plan your Paris photoshoot experience?