How far away are you?

Far enough not to be noticed — usually thirty to sixty metres, with a long lens. You will not see me and neither will they.

What if they spot you?

Then I am one more tourist photographing the Eiffel Tower, which is what everyone standing there is doing. I do not carry anything that marks me out.

Tell me. I will wait. A proposal that starts twenty minutes late is a scheduling problem; one where nobody warned the photographer is a lost photograph.

Can we do the portraits somewhere else afterwards?

Yes, as long as it is close enough to walk to. Say so when we plan the morning.

A couple kissing directly beneath the Eiffel Tower under a stormy sky

Paris Proposal Photographer

Planned in advance, photographed from a distance, and never noticed. Surprise proposals in Paris, with nobody spotting the photographer.

The whole thing rests on not being seen

A proposal photograph is worth having for one reason: the face. Not the ring, not the view — the half-second before either of you has decided how to react.

You only get that if the camera is genuinely invisible. So the work happens before the day: the exact spot, the exact minute, where I stand, how you arrive, and a signal that will not look like a signal.

Then it happens, and it takes about ninety seconds, and afterwards we take twenty minutes of proper photographs of the two of you while it is still sinking in.

A couple standing under a stone arch of the Pont de Bir-Hakeim with the Eiffel Tower framed beside them

A bride and groom holding hands on a terrace above the Seine, the Eiffel Tower rising between them

A couple kissing beneath an ornate lamp on the Pont Alexandre III, the Eiffel Tower small in the distance

A couple facing each other on wet cobbles with red roses, the Eiffel Tower pale behind them

A bride and groom leaning into each other in the middle of the Pont Alexandre III, the Invalides dome behind

A very close frame of a couple kissing, her earring catching the light

How does a surprise proposal actually work?

We agree the location, the time and the approach in advance, I am in position long before you arrive, and I photograph from a distance with a long lens.

You tell me roughly where you will be and when — the more exact, the better
I confirm the spot, the light at that hour, and where I will stand
We agree a signal that does not look like one: a hand in a pocket, a hat taken off
You arrive as though nothing is happening, because as far as one of you knows, nothing is
Afterwards we photograph the two of you properly for twenty minutes or so

What time of day is best for a Paris proposal?

Early morning, well before the crowds. The Trocadéro at seven is empty and beautiful; at seven in the evening it is neither.

The second-best option is the last hour before sunset, but you are sharing the location with several hundred other people and the light goes quickly. If the surprise matters more than the sunset, take the morning.

What happens if the plan changes at the last minute?

It often does. Weather, a late train, a change of heart about the spot. Tell me as soon as you know and we adjust the location or the hour together.

Nothing from a proposal session appears on this website, on Instagram, or anywhere else unless you have said yes to that specifically.

How many photographs will we receive?

Around 40 to 60 edited photographs, covering the proposal itself and the portraits afterwards, every one selected and edited by hand.

Delivery takes 3 to 4 weeks.

What it costs

from€430
Proposal
1 hour

Planning the spot, the hour and the signal in advance · The proposal photographed unseen, with a long lens · Around twenty minutes of portraits immediately afterwards · Around 40 to 60 edited photographs, every one selected and edited by hand.

What is included

Locations

Where are the best places to propose in Paris?

The best proposal spot is one you can stand still in for two minutes without being asked to move along, with the photographer far enough away to be furniture.

Trocadéro, at sunrise: The view everybody wants, at the hour when it is actually available. Be there before seven in summer.
Pont de Bir-Hakeim: The arches frame the tower and hide the photographer. It reads as intimate rather than as a postcard.
Pont Alexandre III: Wide enough that a stranger with a camera is unremarkable, and beautiful in almost any weather.
The Palais-Royal gardens: For couples who would rather not do the Eiffel Tower at all. Enclosed, quiet, and completely Parisian.

Answers

Questions people actually ask

How far away are you?: Far enough not to be noticed — usually thirty to sixty metres, with a long lens. You will not see me and neither will they.
What if they spot you?: Then I am one more tourist photographing the Eiffel Tower, which is what everyone standing there is doing. I do not carry anything that marks me out.
What if we are late?: Tell me. I will wait. A proposal that starts twenty minutes late is a scheduling problem; one where nobody warned the photographer is a lost photograph.
Can we do the portraits somewhere else afterwards?: Yes, as long as it is close enough to walk to. Say so when we plan the morning.

Let’s make something worth keeping

Planning a wedding, an elopement or a session in Paris? Tell me the date and the place, and I will tell you honestly whether I am the right photographer for it.

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