This black tie family photoshoot in Paris was Brittany’s Trocadéro dream shoot brought to life. A fall morning, a family of five dressed to the NINES, and one very clear request — an incredible family portrait directly in front of the Eiffel Tower.
And when we say dressed to the nines, we really mean it.
There was black tie. A red gown. Three kids looking impossibly polished before most people had finished their first coffee. And underneath all of that gorgeousness was the thing we actually cared about most. Photographing this family exactly as they are together right now.
Because that’s always the point.
At KDP, our Paris family photoshoots aren’t about dropping a family in front of a beautiful landmark and calling it a day. As a Paris family photographer, we want to create beautiful portraits that actually mean something to the people in them. Before we ever pick up a camera, we want to know who you are, what matters to you, and what you want these photographs to say twenty years from now.
Brittany knew.
What You’ll Find in This Blog:
- Before the Paris Family Photoshoot: Brittany’s Vision
- Before the Shoot: How the KDP Photography Team Prepared
- The Day Of: Making Paris Family Photoshoot Magic
- Can We Talk About These Outfits?
- Choosing Artwork at the Studio Viewing Session
- Artwork We Offer at KDP
- FAQ: Black Tie Family Photoshoot
- Ready to Book Your Paris Family Photoshoot?
Before the Paris Family Photoshoot: Brittany’s Vision
One of the most important parts of preparing for a KDP session happens well before we meet in Paris.
We ask questions.
Not a million questions. We promise we’re not sending you homework. But we do want to know enough about your family to understand what we’re really photographing.
Brittany described her family in three words: fun, loving, and traditional.
Her children were 12, 8, and 5 at the time of their fall session, which is SUCH a fun combination of ages to photograph. They’re old enough that their individual personalities are very much their own. But they’re still firmly in that chapter where the entire family moves through the world as a unit.
And that was exactly what Brittany wanted us to preserve.
When we asked what was most important to capture emotionally — and what she hoped she would see reflected back at her when looking at these family portraits in 20 years — she told us:
“How we are a strong family unit and that our nuclear family of 5 is the most important thing to us!”
THAT is the information we want.
Because now we aren’t just thinking, Okay, family of five, Eiffel Tower, everyone smile.
We’re thinking about closeness. Connection. The parents together. The kids with each other. Everyone piled in. The beautiful composed portrait, yes. But also the candid moments, playful interactions, and all of the in-between pieces that show how these five people fit together.
Brittany also already knew where she imagined enjoying the finished photographs: their family room and in an album.
That matters to us from the beginning, because we photograph with the final result in mind rather than treating printing as an afterthought.
Location-wise, the Eiffel Tower was non-negotiable. Brittany wanted “the Eiffel Tower and another great spot that you would recommend [that] is iconic Paris.”
And her dream photograph was:
“A great family shot directly in front of the Eiffel Tower.”
Done. We can absolutely work with that.
For a perfect Eiffel Tower family photoshoot, Trocadéro was the natural starting point. Place du Trocadéro gives us the strong architectural framing and open Eiffel Tower view Brittany had in mind, particularly in the softer morning light we get during fall. It’s a perfect location when that classic tower portrait is the priority. Also, there are several other ideal spots within walking distance. This means we can create variety without spending half the session moving between locations.
Our Trocadéro sunrise photoshoot guide goes much deeper into why this particular photo spot works so well for portraits. Including, of course, that best view of the Eiffel Tower Brittany had envisioned.
A Personal Vision Board/Inspiration
Brittany also sent us an inspiration photo before the session, which we LOVE when clients have one. An inspiration image isn’t something we want to copy pose-for-pose. It helps us understand what you’re responding to. Maybe it’s the formality. The closeness. Or maybe it’s the scale of the landscape or the way the family is arranged.
It gives us another piece of the visual language you have in your head so we can turn it into something that feels like you.
This is actually something you’ll notice in our Soldana engagement shoot too. The preparation is personal because the final photographs should be personal. A professional photographer should be thinking about more than where everyone is going to stand.
Before the Shoot: How the KDP Photography Team Prepared
Once we know what you want, the logistics nerds in us take over.
Paris outdoor sessions require preparation, and fall especially keeps us on our toes. One October morning can be crisp and clear; another can bring overcast skies, wind, drizzle, or some combination of all three.
So we watch the weather. And then we watch it again.
We think through backup options. We establish an exact meeting point so nobody is wandering around Trocadéro at an ungodly hour dressed in formalwear trying to locate “the photographer with a camera.” We plan the route based on the locations, the family, the children’s ages, the light. And how much walking makes sense.
That preparation becomes even more important with young children. We want enough time to let everyone settle in without making the session drag on. And we want plenty of time built into the plan for the normal little things that happen when five actual human beings are involved.
For this session, we knew that Brittany’s hero image needed the Eiffel Tower. So the route had to protect that priority first.
That’s one of the reasons we love photographing around Trocadéro: there’s more variety than people realize. You can create the big, formal family portrait with the Eiffel Tower. And then you can move into photographs that feel completely different without trekking across half of Paris. For families on a family trip, that’s a very good thing. Your photoshoot should feel like part of your time here, not an endurance event inserted into it.
And if you’re planning to actually go up the Iron Lady during your trip — separate from your portrait session — use the official Eiffel Tower website and ticket office here!
Our goal with all this behind-the-scenes planning is pretty simple. To create a stress-free experience where you shouldn’t have to think about any of this on the morning of your session.
You show up.
We’ve got the rest.
The Day Of: Making Paris Family Photoshoot Magic
Here’s the funny thing about a family arriving in black tie. You might expect the session to suddenly feel VERY SERIOUS.
It didn’t.
And that’s why these photographs work.
Formal clothing doesn’t mean formal personalities. The Messmers still got to be themselves. Fun, loving, connected, and very clearly a family who genuinely enjoys being together.
With kids who are 12, 8, and 5, we aren’t trying to make everyone behave exactly the same way. That would be weird. A five-year-old brings completely different energy to a photograph than a twelve-year-old, and we want that.
We guide when guidance is needed. We bring everyone together for the family pictures that deserve a place over the sofa. Then we let things loosen up.
People walk. Kids react to each other. Parents look at their children instead of the camera. Somebody laughs. Someone does something ridiculous. Everyone forgets for a minute that they are technically in front of the camera.
THAT’S where the good stuff lives.
Those authentic moments are also why an early morning session doesn’t have to mean standing stiffly in a row while a photographer clicks away. A professional family photoshoot can — and should — have movement, personality, and much fun built into it.
And against the cleaner fall landscape, the black tie wardrobe felt especially striking. The photographs have a sense of special occasion without losing the warmth that Brittany told us was so important to her. It’s one of the things we love about photographing families in this beautiful city. The setting can feel significant without overpowering the people in the photographs.
Check out the Messmer Family Portfolio
You can see more gorgeous photos from their session in the Messmer Family portfolio, and Brittany also shared a behind-the-scenes look at the experience in her Instagram reel from the shoot.
If you’re still deciding where your own session should take place, our guide to the best Paris photoshoot locations is a great place to start. There are so many iconic locations around Paris, and the best place ultimately depends on your family, your wardrobe, the kind of photographs you love, and how you want the session to feel.
Can We Talk About These Outfits?
Because we NEED to.
This family understood the assignment.
Black tie for family photographs can go wrong if the clothing starts wearing the people instead of the other way around. Here, it worked because the wardrobe felt cohesive and intentional. While still leaving room for everyone to be an individual.
And Brittany’s red dress?
COME ON.
Against the cooler tones of a Paris fall morning, that saturated red was incredible. It immediately gave the portraits a focal point without making the rest of the family disappear. The black tie pieces grounded everything. And the overall palette had exactly the kind of contrast that photographs beautifully against Trocadéro’s stone architecture.
It also proves something we tell clients all the time. You do not have to dress casually just because you’re doing a family shoot.
If your family is formal, BE formal.
If you have been waiting for an excuse to wear the floor-length gown, this is a pretty excellent excuse. And booking portraits around a milestone, vacation, anniversary, or celebration is a great idea if you want the photographs to mark a particular chapter of your family’s life.
The important part is that the clothes feel like an elevated version of you. Our philosophy isn’t to turn clients into models or dress everyone according to one KDP uniform. We want you to recognize yourselves.
Just yourselves on a particularly fantastic day.
Need some Outfit Inspiration?
If you’re trying to figure out your own family’s wardrobe, start with our What to Wear for a Paris Photo Shoot: Ultimate Guide to Outfit Ideas.
It covers everything from casual sessions all the way through black tie, including how to coordinate a whole family without making everyone look like they’ve been issued a uniform.
Choosing Artwork at the Studio Viewing Session
The photoshoot is only the first half of the KDP experience.
Afterward comes one of our favorite parts: the studio viewing session.
This is when you actually get to SEE what we made together.
We don’t want to send you a giant online gallery. And leave you alone to scroll through hundreds of almost-identical frames, wondering whether you prefer photo 87 or photo 88. We guide you through the photographs.
We look at the strongest portraits together. We talk about which images make you feel something. We help narrow things down and think through what works best as wall artwork, what belongs together in an album, and which Paris photos you want to live with every day.
For Brittany, we already knew from her pre-session questionnaire that she pictured these photographs in two places: the family room and an album.
And that’s exactly where the Messmers landed.
They chose four Fine Art Acrylic pieces for their walls — two in black-and-white and two in color — along with the corresponding digital files. We LOVE the mix of black and white and color here. The black-and-white portraits have that timeless, almost sculptural quality. While the color photographs preserve all of the richness that made this fall session so visually striking. (Hello again, red dress.)
Check out their Favorite Photos Below:
They also chose a Fine Art Album to tell the fuller story of the session. The finished album features an off-white leather cover with gold embossing on the cover page and comes tucked into a premium pastel white presentation box.
It feels elegant without being fussy, which is basically the perfect description of this entire session.
And more importantly, their choices brought us right back to what Brittany told us before we ever photographed them: she wanted artwork for the family room and an album. Now they have those statement portraits to see every day, plus an album that holds all of the expressions, relationships, and smaller moments that couldn’t possibly fit into a single frame.
If you’re curious about the full process before booking, our guide to how a Paris photo session works at KDP walks through the experience from planning through artwork.
Artwork We Offer at KDP
At KDP, we don’t want photographs this meaningful to disappear into a camera roll.
We specialize in museum-quality Paris artwork, including premium acrylic wall portraits, framed fine art canvases, hardwood-framed archival photographs, smaller archival prints, and hand-designed fine art albums printed on archival papers. Our wall artwork is created with archival materials and layers of protection designed to last for generations, and artwork can be shipped directly to clients worldwide.
And this is where we come back to that question we asked Brittany before the session:
When you look back in 20 years, what parts of yourselves do you want to see reflected back at you?
A strong family unit. Their nuclear family of five. The people most important to one another, together.
That’s why the artwork matters.
A family portrait in the family room becomes part of daily life. The kids walk past it. Their parents walk past it. Years pass. People grow up. Hairstyles change. Houses change. Eventually that five-year-old isn’t five anymore.
But there they all are.
And an album gives the rest of the story somewhere to live — not just the one definitive portrait, but the laughter, individual relationships, siblings, parents, movement, expressions and smaller moments that together say, this was us.
It’s a great way to preserve not just what everyone looked like during that particular fall in Paris, but how it felt to be together. One photograph might hold a special moment; the album gets to hold the whole story.
That’s what we want to make.
Not more files to manage.
Something you keep.
FAQ: Black Tie Family Photoshoot
Absolutely. Fall is one of our favorite seasons for portraits because the light can be beautifully soft and the richer seasonal colors work incredibly well with Paris architecture. The weather is variable, though, which is why we plan carefully and encourage layers when they make sense with your wardrobe.
And despite the nickname City of Lights, you absolutely do not need blazing sunshine for wonderful photographs here. Soft clouds can be incredibly flattering and give us beautiful, even light.
YES. If black tie feels like you — or feels like the version of yourselves you want to celebrate — go for it. Formal wardrobe can look incredible outdoors, especially against the strong architecture around Trocadéro. The key is coordinating rather than making every person identical and making sure everyone, especially children, can comfortably move in what they’re wearing.
A Paris photographer who regularly works with families can also help you think through how your wardrobe will photograph against your chosen locations before the session.
We keep a close eye on the forecast leading up to outdoor sessions and communicate about weather and backup plans as needed. Paris weather can change quickly, so we don’t panic over every cloud icon several days out. Some of our favorite portraits have also happened on moody mornings. The goal is always to make the best decision for your family and the photographs we’re creating.
KDP generally recommends booking about two to four months ahead, and earlier when your travel dates are inflexible or you’re visiting during a particularly busy season. We do sometimes have last-minute availability, so it’s always worth asking.
If you’re traveling internationally and researching English-speaking photographers, booking early also gives you more breathing room to plan locations, wardrobe, timing, and artwork without squeezing another decision into the week before your flight. Working with a professional family photographer who handles those details with you is one of the easiest ways to keep the experience enjoyable.
Ready to Book Your Paris Family Photoshoot?
Get in touch with Katie Donnelly Photography to plan your Paris photoshoot.
Whether you’re planning a black tie family session, celebrating an anniversary, bringing your children to Paris for the first time, or simply realizing that everyone in your family is growing up WAY too quickly, we’d love to hear what you have in mind.
Tell us who you’re bringing. Tell us what matters to you. Tell us about the photograph you already have floating around in your imagination.
Then let us figure out how to make it real.
