A couple session born from a family holiday
Couple photographer Paris, not something I had planned for the summer of 2025. I was on holiday in Paris with my husband and our three children, staying in Montmartre. We had a full programme of family visits, museums, and the kind of chaotic joy that comes with travelling with young children.
And then I posted on Instagram.
Between two family visits, I had a two-hour window on the 31st of July. So I put out a call: if any couple in Paris was interested in a photo session that afternoon, I was available. I imposed the location, Montmartre, because that is where we were staying. I imposed the time, 7:30pm, because the sun sets late in July and the golden light would be perfect.
This is the reality of my life as a photographer and a mother of three. Every session, every client call, every creative decision happens within the constraints of family life. Finding the balance between my clients’ schedules, my family’s needs, and my own rhythm is one of the most complex puzzles I navigate all year. That evening in Montmartre, everything aligned perfectly.
Perrine and Mario said yes.
Perrine & Mario, Montmartre, July 2025
They were young Parisians, living and working in the city. And yet, as we walked through the streets of Montmartre that evening, they told me something that surprised me: they had never really taken the time to wander through this neighbourhood together. In their daily routine, Montmartre was just another part of Paris. That evening, it became something else entirely.
The streets were full of tourists, it was peak summer, and the energy was electric. We wove between the crowds, watching for gaps between passing groups to steal our shots. We talked, we laughed, we explored.
And then Perrine surprised me.
She had come prepared. She had scrolled through Pinterest before the session, built a mood board in her head, and arrived with a list of ideas and poses she wanted to try. As a photographer, this is the best gift a client can give you. I always send my own mood board in advance, but when a client arrives creative and engaged, the session reaches another level entirely.
Mario was equally wonderful. Some partners arrive at couple sessions a little stiff, a little reluctant, not entirely convinced that spending an evening being photographed is their idea of fun. Mario was the opposite. Playful, enthusiastic, game for everything. The chemistry between them was natural and infectious.
The challenge of the height difference, and how I solved it
Mario is significantly taller than Perrine. This is a beautiful thing in life, but it creates a real technical challenge in portrait photography. When the height difference is too marked, tight portraits can feel unbalanced, one face too high, one too low, the connection between them lost.
So I found solutions. I sat them down together on the steps of Montmartre, instantly the gap closes and the intimacy increases. I positioned them on different levels of the staircases that wind through the neighbourhood. And at one point, Perrine climbed onto Mario’s back, and that image became one of my favourites of the entire session.
This is something I think about with every couple. Height, proportions, the way two bodies naturally fit together, it all informs how I compose a portrait. The goal is always the same: to make two people look like they belong exactly where they are, beside each other.
Why Montmartre is one of the most beautiful locations for a couple session in Paris
Montmartre has everything a photographer dreams of. The cobblestone streets catch the light in a way that feels almost cinematic. The staircases create natural levels and framing. The Sacré Coeur provides a backdrop that is immediately, unmistakably Parisian. And in the early evening, when the tourist crowds thin slightly and the golden hour light falls across the rooftops, it becomes something magical.
The Maison Rose, the old windmill, the hidden courtyards, the café terraces, every corner of Montmartre tells a story. And that evening, Perrine and Mario’s story was written there too.
A note on destination sessions
Based in Geneva, I am available for couple and engagement sessions across Switzerland, France, and beyond. Whether it is the Lavaux vineyards, the shores of Lake Geneva, the streets of Paris, or somewhere entirely your own, I travel for love stories.
If you are planning a trip and would love to come home with beautiful images, get in touch. Like that July evening in Montmartre, the best sessions are sometimes the most spontaneous ones.
Mathilde Ballet is a couple and wedding photographer based in Geneva, Switzerland. To enquire about a session in Paris or anywhere else, get in touch here.
