Anne-Sophie & Clément’s Pre-Wedding Shoot at La Cannonerie

The evening before Anne-Sophie and Clément’s wedding, we spent a little time walking around La Cannonerie for their pre-wedding shoot.

This one was particularly personal because La Cannonerie isn’t simply where they were getting married. Anne-Sophie and Clément actually own the venue, so we were photographing them in a place that means a huge amount to them.

The courtyard and main house at La Cannonerie wedding venue in France

The grounds and countryside surrounding La Cannonerie wedding venue

I arrived at around 5pm for a planned 5.30pm start, and the first thing I noticed was the light. It was already looking good, but it was only going to improve as the evening went on. I told them not to rush getting ready. If we started half an hour later, even better.

Sometimes the best thing you can do as a photographer is simply wait.

A relaxed pre-wedding shoot at La Cannonerie

We started at the front of La Cannonerie before heading towards a long corridor of trees within the grounds. By this point the evening light was filtering through beautifully and it gave us a great place to start without needing to manufacture anything.

Anne-Sophie and Clément walking together during their La Cannonerie pre-wedding shoot

Anne-Sophie and Clément walking through the evening light at La Cannonerie

Black and white photograph of Anne-Sophie and Clément walking hand in hand

That’s generally how I approach pre-wedding shoots anyway. I don’t want couples thinking too much about having their photograph taken. I’d much rather they walk, talk and spend some time together.

They can be as romantic or as unromantic as they want. Hug each other, take the mick out of each other, talk about something that makes them laugh. It really doesn’t matter. The important bit is that it feels like them.

Anne-Sophie and Clément walking along the tree-lined path at La Cannonerie

Anne-Sophie and Clément walking together beneath the trees at La Cannonerie

Relaxed black and white portrait of Anne-Sophie and Clément on their pre-wedding shoot

Anne-Sophie and Clément walking through the tree-lined avenue at La Cannonerie

Anne-Sophie and Clément sharing a kiss beneath the trees at La Cannonerie

Anne-Sophie and Clément completely settled into it. Nothing needed forcing and, looking through the photographs afterwards, I think you can see that.

Anne-Sophie and Clément together in the evening light at La Cannonerie

Black and white pre-wedding portrait beneath the trees at La Cannonerie

Anne-Sophie and Clément walking hand in hand through the French countryside

Anne-Sophie and Clément walking beside the fields at La Cannonerie in the evening light

Natural black and white photograph of Anne-Sophie and Clément walking together

Black and white close-up of Anne-Sophie and Clément during their pre-wedding shoot

Anne-Sophie holding Clément's arm during their relaxed pre-wedding shoot in France

Anne-Sophie and Clément laughing together during their La Cannonerie pre-wedding shoot

Black and white photograph of Anne-Sophie and Clément embracing

Clément kissing Anne-Sophie on the forehead during their pre-wedding shoot

Intimate black and white portrait of Anne-Sophie and Clément at La Cannonerie

Photographing around La Cannonerie

We gradually moved through different parts of the venue rather than treating the shoot like a list of locations we needed to tick off.

Anne-Sophie and Clément during their relaxed pre-wedding shoot at La Cannonerie

The main doorway of the house gave me a natural frame as Anne-Sophie and Clément walked out together, while the open courtyard gave us plenty of room to work without taking them away from the surroundings.

Anne-Sophie and Clément framed by a stone doorway at La Cannonerie

Black and white photograph of Anne-Sophie and Clément walking through the main doorway at La Cannonerie

Black and white portrait of Anne-Sophie and Clément walking through the grounds of La Cannonerie

Anne-Sophie and Clément walking closely together at La Cannonerie

Black and white photograph of Anne-Sophie and Clément laughing together at La Cannonerie

Later we headed towards the long driveway leading up to La Cannonerie, with more trees running alongside it. By then the light had softened even further and we finished with some of my favourite photographs from the evening.

Anne-Sophie and Clément walking across the grounds with La Cannonerie behind them

Anne-Sophie and Clément framed beneath the stone archway at La Cannonerie

Black and white photograph of Anne-Sophie and Clément walking through a stone doorway at La Cannonerie

Anne-Sophie and Clément walking hand in hand across the courtyard at La Cannonerie

One of the things I really liked was how much variety we could find without going anywhere. Doorways, trees, open space, the main house and the driveway all gave the photographs a slightly different feel while still clearly belonging to the same place.

Anne-Sophie and Clément smiling together in the evening light during their pre-wedding shoot

Black and white close-up of Anne-Sophie and Clément smiling together

A little 35mm film photography too

Alongside my digital cameras, I also brought my Canon F-1 35mm film camera with a 50mm f/1.4 lens and photographed a small part of the shoot on film.

At the time of writing, those rolls are still at the lab, so I haven’t seen them yet. There’s something I really enjoy about that. You photograph it, move on and wait to see what comes back.

I’ll share some of those frames once they’re ready.

The evening before their La Cannonerie wedding

The following day I was back at La Cannonerie to photograph Anne-Sophie and Clément’s wedding properly.

I’ll share much more from that day once the full gallery is finished, but spending this time together the evening before was a lovely way to start. No big production and no hours of posing. Just the two of them walking around a place they know incredibly well and allowing me to document it.

If you’re planning a wedding in France, you can see more of my destination wedding photography or have a look through my guide to wedding venues in France.