I'm Quentin Carlier, a couple photographer based in Paris. This September I photographed Caitlin and Ben, who were touring several countries in Europe and had one evening in Paris they wanted to remember. They had found me through one of my TikTok videos and wrote that they wanted exactly that kind of photograph: the two of them, the city at night, the Eiffel Tower lit behind them.
Here is the route we took, how the timing works, and what to plan if you would like a night session of your own. The preparation is the same as for any of my Paris couple photography sessions.
/ The evening
The evening: a stop in Paris on a trip through Europe
When a couple is visiting several cities in a few weeks, Paris often gets two or three days. A photoshoot has to fit around everything else they want to see, and for Caitlin and Ben the evening was the obvious slot: the days were for sightseeing, the night was for the two of them.
Sunset that evening was at about 7:50pm, and we met on Pont Alexandre III a little after 8pm. What I remember most is how quickly the light changed in the first twenty minutes. The sky went from pale gold to deep blue, the lamps along the bridge came on, and the Eiffel Tower was already lit at the end of the river. We started photographing straight away and kept going as it got darker.
The session lasted one hour. We walked, stopped where something caught our eye and photographed along the way, so a good part of their gallery is the two of them simply walking and talking by the river.
/ The route
The route: Pont Alexandre III to Passerelle Debilly
- 8:15pm Pont Alexandre III: the end of sunset, then flash portraits on the bridge
- 9pm The quays towards Pont de l'Alma: the Eiffel Tower sparkles on the hour
- 9:25pm Passerelle Debilly: full dark, the tower at its closest
The walk is flat, about a kilometre and a half, and follows the right bank of the Seine towards the Eiffel Tower, so the tower gets closer at every stop. It suits a one-hour night session well: three settings, no metro, and plenty of walking photographs in between.
Pont Alexandre III, from about 8:15pm. A bridge with bronze statues, lamp posts and a clear view down the river to the tower. It is the place to start while there is still some colour in the sky, and we stayed until the sky had turned deep blue.
The quays towards Pont de l'Alma, around 9pm. The stone walls by the water give you somewhere to sit or lean, with the river and its reflections below. Between stops, walking together is often where the most natural photographs happen.
Passerelle Debilly, around 9:25pm. A footbridge with a wooden deck and padlocks on its railings, very close to the tower. By the time we reached it the sky was fully dark and the tower filled the frame behind them.
If you would like to see these places by day, my pages on the Seine and the Eiffel Tower show both settings in different light.
/ When to start
When to start a night photoshoot in Paris
Start about fifteen minutes before sunset and keep photographing into the dark. The first half hour gives you the most variety: a sky that still has colour, city lights coming on, and then the fully lit tower against black. In September in Paris, sunset moves from around 8:30pm at the start of the month to around 7:30pm at the end.
The season changes the evening a lot. In June the sun sets close to 10pm, so a night session runs late. In December it sets before 5pm, which makes it easy to fit before dinner. Tell me your travel dates and I will send you the exact start time for your evening.
The two clips below were filmed at the start and at the end of this session, just over an hour apart.
/ The sparkle
Timing the Eiffel Tower sparkle
Once it is dark, the Eiffel Tower sparkles for five minutes at the start of every hour. Most of the year the last sparkle is at 11pm; in summer, when the tower stays open later, it continues until 1am. The official Eiffel Tower website has the current schedule.
If you would like the sparkle in your photographs, we plan the route so that we are somewhere with a clear view of the tower on the hour. Five minutes goes quickly, so I choose the spot in advance rather than looking for one when the lights start. For Caitlin and Ben, 9pm fell while we were on the quays towards Pont de l'Alma, facing the tower.
/ Flash or city light
How night photographs are made: flash and city light
This evening was photographed digitally, alternating between flash and the light already in the city. They give two quite different results, and a night gallery is better with both.
With flash, your faces are bright and sharp against a dark city, as on the quay wall above. The look is bold and a little editorial, and it works even when the background is very dark. In the clip below, filmed on Pont Alexandre III, you can see the flash go off twice.
Without flash, I use the light of the tower, the street lamps and the bridges. The background turns into soft points of light, as in the close portrait in the next section, and the photographs feel quieter. I switch between the two as we walk, so you do not need to do anything differently.
Caitlin and Ben asked for black and white, which suits the contrast of a night in Paris. I still delivered every photograph in colour as well, in case they ever want it. The short clips in this article, filmed on my phone as we walked, show the colours of that evening.
/ What to wear
What to wear for a night photoshoot
Night photographs are mostly contrast: bright lights, a dark sky and your faces. A white shirt under a dark coat and a black dress, as Caitlin and Ben wore, works very well. Light fabrics catch the flash and the street lamps; dark ones blend into the night, which can be exactly the look you want.
Even in September, the evening gets cool once the sun goes down, especially by the river. Bring the coat you would wear anyway and plan to keep it on in some photographs. The route ends on a footbridge with a wooden deck, so wear shoes you can walk in, or bring a comfortable pair for between stops.
My guide to what to wear for a couple photoshoot in Paris has more examples from real sessions.
/ On your trip
A night session on a honeymoon or a trip through Europe
A night photoshoot suits a busy trip because it uses a part of the day you are not spending on museums. You can go straight to dinner afterwards, and you have photographs of Paris at the time you will probably remember it best.
If you are in Paris on your honeymoon, the session works the same way. My article on planning a Paris honeymoon photoshoot covers the rest: how long to book, when to fit it into your stay and what to ask before you arrive.
/ Price and booking
How much does a night photoshoot in Paris cost?
A night session follows my couple rates: one hour from €399 and two hours from €599, with digital photography included. One hour is enough for the route above.
Sessions that start at 7pm or later have a 30% night fee added to that price. Whether it applies depends on the time of year. From November to February, the tower is lit well before 7pm, so a night session can start earlier with no fee. From April to September, it only gets dark after 7pm, so an evening like Caitlin and Ben's includes it. In March and October it depends on the date. When you send me your dates, I will tell you the start time and the exact price.
Your private online gallery arrives within a week, edited photograph by photograph, with full-resolution downloads. You can write to me in English or French. Current options are on the pricing page.
/ Questions
A few more questions
Can we have the sparkle in our photographs?
Yes, if the session is running on the hour after dark. We plan the route so that we are facing the tower at that moment.
Does a night photoshoot work in winter?
Yes. It gets dark before 5pm in December, so the session starts earlier, finishes in time for dinner and has no night fee. Plan warm layers you are happy to be photographed in.
Can we have our photographs in colour and in black and white?
Yes. Tell me which you prefer. Caitlin and Ben asked for black and white, and I delivered every photograph in colour as well.
Can we start somewhere other than Pont Alexandre III?
Yes. It is one route among several. Tell me which part of Paris you are staying in and what you would like behind you, and I will suggest a starting point.
Your session