Wedding photographer in Lorgues

A documentary wedding photographer, I photograph your wedding. In Lorgues, that means two places in one day, the ceremony in the village and the reception in the vines, with the drive between them counted as part of the reportage. In the profession since 1992, trained in press photography, the Gamma and Vandystadt agencies before weddings.

A day in two places

In Lorgues the schedule almost always splits. The ceremony takes place in the village, while the reception carries on further out, among the vines or in a bastide. The wine estates and reception properties around take over from the village in the late afternoon.

That split is the main constraint of this ground, and it is prepared for. Between leaving the village and the guests settling in, there is a drive, and that drive counts in the day as much as the drinks reception does. Anticipated, it goes unnoticed. Improvised, it eats into the couple session.

Château de Berne stands a few minutes from here, in the commune of Flayosc. It is the nearest estate where I work, and its page describes what the inland light allows there.

What you will see of the day

You come out of the ceremony under the plane trees, the shade is dense and the air still cool. The road then opens onto the vines, and the light changes in nature within a few kilometres. By the time you arrive, the late afternoon has begun, and it is the best moment of the day.

The light, from the shade of the plane trees to the vines

It passes through two states in a single day.

In the village, courtyards shaded by plane trees filter the light and soften it. Complexions are modelled without being hollowed, even when the sun is at its highest. That is where the ceremony and the preparations find their best rendering.

Then the roads leave the shade. The late afternoon light turns warm and low, it takes the rows of vines and the stone together, and faces gain a colour the village shade does not give. Far from a compromise, the two moments complete each other.

A few minutes away, Trans-en-Provence offers a third register. The Nartuby brings an unexpected coolness there, with narrow passages, old stone and a light less direct.

How long should be allowed between the village and the estate?

It is set when the schedule is fixed, with the venue. The distance is short, but it adds to the end of the ceremony and to the guests settling in. Margin at that stage protects the couple session, which is always the first thing cut when a day runs late.

How is access to the estates prepared?

Ahead of the reportage. The estate entrances of the inland country and the approaches to the village each have their constraints, and the last few kilometres are rarely the quickest. I do that scouting beforehand, so there is nothing left to think about on the day.

When the town hall is in Draguignan, old town and vines are a quarter of an hour apart on winding roads, in the same register of light.

Frequently asked questions

Why does a day in Lorgues run in two places? The ceremony takes place in the village while the reception carries on further out, among the vines or in a bastide. It is the most common arrangement here, and it calls for the drive between the two to be anticipated.

Is Château de Berne in the commune? It stands in the neighbouring commune of Flayosc, a few minutes away. It is the nearest estate where I work, and its page describes what the inland light allows there.

How does the light change through the day? In the village, courtyards shaded by plane trees filter it and keep complexions soft even at the height of the sun. Once the roads leave the shade, the late afternoon turns warm and low, taking the vines and the stone together.

What margin should be allowed for the drive? It is set with the venue. The distance is short, but it adds to the end of the ceremony and to the guests settling in. Without margin, the couple session is what gets cut.

How are the terms of a booking settled? They are set in the quote, together with the schedule for the day, and then written into the contract. The office is in Cannes, and I work across the whole region.

This ground belongs to Provence. Towards the sea, Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël bring back red rock and a direct light, an hour away and in an entirely different register.

Tell me how your day divides between the village and the estate, and we will look at how it photographs.