Nick & Emma. An Evening Engagement Session in Bordeaux
Nick and Emma are an Australian couple living in the UK, and they travelled to Bordeaux in late October with the trip itself planned as a surprise. Earlier that morning, Nick proposed to Emma in the Jardin Public on the steps of the Palais du Capitole. By the afternoon, the excitement of the morning had worn off a little, and they were calmer and ready to enjoy the rest of the day together.
Engagement sessions are about creating photographs that stay tied to a place and a moment, rather than a set of poses. Bordeaux becomes part of the memory, not just the backdrop.
You can see more about how I photograph engagement and proposal sessions here.
We met again later that afternoon at their hotel, the Burdigala, to head out for their evening engagement session in Bordeaux. It already felt easy between us by then because we had spent the morning together and talked a lot in the lead-up to the trip. They came down into the lobby smiling, still replaying the morning, and already talking about wedding ideas and what might come next. Santorini came up more than once.
I had sent them a few images from the morning before we met again, and they had loved them. That helped straight away and it meant we could head out without any nerves hanging around and just enjoy the walk.
We walked from the hotel towards Place de la Bourse, chatting as we went. That walk is such an important part of the session for me, especially when I’m working as an engagement photographer in Bordeaux. It gives people time to relax, talk properly, and stop thinking about what they should be doing in front of a camera. We talked about their plans, about living abroad, and about what it is like to make a home somewhere new. I shared a bit about moving to France myself and still finding my feet here.
Place de la Bourse is a good place to start because there is space to move without feeling watched. We kept things loose and took a few photographs as we went, more as a warm-up than anything else. There was a lot of laughter and very little self-consciousness.
As we moved through the city, I guided things when needed and stepped back when it made more sense to let moments happen on their own. Most of the time, it was simply about paying attention and letting the conversation lead. They were rarely more than a step apart, always touching, always connected, which made everything feel easy rather than forced.
The light slowly faded as the afternoon turned into evening, and the session followed that pace. Nothing needed pushing. A small suggestion here and there was enough, and the rest came from them enjoying where they were.
Find out more what its like to have me around on a wedding day here.
We finished on Pont de Pierre as the light dropped away. By then they were tired in a good way, relaxed, and looking forward to the evening they had planned. They had dinner booked and more celebrating to do, and stopping felt like the right call.
This evening engagement session in Bordeaux was not about squeezing as much as possible out of the day. It was about enjoying the walk, the conversation, and the time together, and letting the engagement photos in Bordeaux come from that naturally.
