08/25/2026
Elle. A Portrait in Provence.
I met Elle in Aix-en-Provence, a beautiful city with an incredible quality of light that I’ve never seen anywhere else.
When we met, Elle had been living in Aix for a of couple years, and like me, she had been inspired by the city.
Aix is a place of sunlight and elegance. There is a relaxed polish to the way people live and dress. The light seems to wash the old stone facades in honey. The streets curve and wander between small squares, cafés and fountains. You hear water everywhere. Aix is often called the City of a Thousand Fountains. It is easy to understand why people fall in love with it.
When we were looking through clothing options for the shoot, this soft peach dress caught my attention. Its color felt so harmonious with the warm palette and timeless elegance of Aix that Elle seemed almost like a natural part of the city itself.
Elle has been a traveler for most of her life, and there was something about her that gave me a sense of movement. I asked if she was a dancer and I was right, she had studied ballet.
There is something ethereal and refined but very natural about her presence. Elle means “she” in French.
I wanted to capture the spirit of a woman moving forward. For a few minutes, she settles into the sunlight of a quiet square, becoming part of Aix before the traveler in her moves on again.
She turns toward you for just a moment and gives you a glimpse, a small smile.
And as she slips out of the frame, something of her remains, like the warm light on the walls of the city.....
There is something special about being photographed in a place that moves us. For a moment, you we not just visiting it. We become part of its story. ❤
