In order to celebrate their five year anniversary, high school sweethearts Michelle and Josh chose to travel to Europe. The two Colorado raised lovers share a taste for adventure and enjoy the outdoors. After hiking the Alps in Switzerland, they stopped by southern France, in a B&B near Gordes, to relax and take in the charm of Provence.

The couple wanted to capture their memories of this journey in Provence with some portraits amongst the iconic lavender fields. I couldn’t think of a better location than Sault for such a photo session. More wild and authentic than Valensole, Sault is located at the foot of Mont Ventoux and offers many different settings for photos in lavender. The hundreds of fields offer a delightful and scented sea of purple.

After a Skype session a couple weeks before that allowed us to chat about the details of our session and get more comfortable with each other, I met Michelle and Josh at our first spot overlooking the village of Aurel, near Sault.

The spirit of the photo session was very candid and laid back for more genuine photos.

Since we wanted to switch things up a bit, we moved to another area nearby and used a blanket for the husband and wife to sit in between two rows of lavender. A nice trick to downplay their height difference (14 inches!) and for more intimate shots. Butterflies and bees were surrounding us, and a ladybug even tried to steal the show!

We then moved to our final location which is one of my favorites: a tree was left standing in the middle of this huge lavender field for a unique effect. Broom bushes surround the field for a nice contrast between purple and yellow.

We also played with some wheat for some more contrast and got solo shots of Michelle frolicking in lavender.

I had a fun time shooting these two lovebirds in the beautiful countryside of Provence! Lavender season is pretty short (from mid-June to mid-July), so as a photographer, I’m always happy to capture the beautiful blossoming purple flowers looking their best. See you next year, Sault!

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Coren and Ajim flew to France from San Francisco to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.

Their romantic gateaway started in Provence where they discovered the lovely Luberon and Alpilles area. Unfortunately, their schedule being filled with various visits, we were not able to do a photo session there. Paris would be our playground then!

I met them at their rental apartment which was conveniently located around the Opera, not far from the Palais Royal gardens. We started our session on the way there and randomly found a lovely flower shop.

We then enjoyed using the beautiful architecture of Palais Royal and its endless tree alley. One of my favorite places in Paris.

Coren, who could be actor Natalie Dormer’s twin (Game of Thrones, Hunger Games) as they look alike so much, chose a dressy casual look.

After a quick wardrobe change, we headed off to Ile Saint Louis for some old Paris street shots as well as the Seine river.

The couple brought home this sweet souvenir from sunny Paris!

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I first met Kristyne and Kent in Paris, while they were visiting France for their 5th wedding anniversary. The couple wanted to capture beautiful photos in the French capital before going home to Toronto, Canada. A few weeks go by and they reached out to me asking if I would be interested in meeting them in Venice, Italy. You bet I was!

Fast forward to a few months later, on a sunny day of June. I got to Venice a couple days before, as it was my very first trip there, I wanted to get a good feel of the city and scout locations before our photo session. I met up with the couple at their charming hotel. If there’s one thing you should do in Venice, it’s wander in the little alleys by the canals… until you get completely lost! But thankfully, I got my GPS and found my way to K&K, who had booked a room with a balcony over the canal, perfect for the start of our session.

We then walked towards St Mark’s square or Piazza San Marco, stopping along the way whenever there was a cute photo to take, which happens a lot in the colorful streets of Venezia.

We did the tourist thing of course, but who goes to Venice with their better half and doesn’t ride a gondola? The sun was setting over the city as we embarked on the beautiful gondola.

After passing under the Bridge of Sighs, we enjoyed the small canals and since we couldn’t move much, the couple had bought two great props: venetian masquerade masks for the Carnival of Venice feel.

We then took some photos by the huge Doge’s Palace or Palazzo Ducale and under its famous colonnades, as well as St Marks Basilica. The light was so perfect that afternoon, it really complimented the gorgeous architecture of the Italian city.

We ended our shoot with few shots by the water, admiring the view and thinking that, for sure, Venice is a city for one’s bucket list. The Rialto bridge was under rehabilitation so we didn’t get to capture its beauty during our photo session, but it was such a lovely experience for me to shoot in a different country. I took 8 years of Italian in school and barely ever get to speak it, but if you know me even just a little, you know I love travelling so I’m always up for a change of scenery and a challenge (shooting at sunset in a busy touristy city such as Venice is definitely one). I’m so happy Kristyne and Kent offered me that chance and I can’t wait for our next meetup!