By Doni Belau

Audrey Brock, a young French woman, is a partner and fellow photographer with her American-born hubby, Anthony, in their firm One and Only Paris Photography. They are both gifted photographers—I know for certain because they somehow made me look cool for my press photo and my FB page. Plus, Audrey is just a lovely French lady, smart and funny both. It was such fun to see how she and Anthony worked together on our recent photo shoot in Paris.

After meeting Anthony, Audrey tried valiantly to live in the US, but she just missed her native France too much. Who can blame her? So she whisked her American boyfriend off to Paris, they wed, and then they rode on Vespas to the reception. That’s a photo I’d love to see! Their concept photo shoot (which they do for folks who are visiting Paris) is called You and the City, and it allows you and your partner, lover, sister, daughter or group of friends to have photos taken with Paris as the backdrop—these are not snapshots, dears. They are framable pieces of art. Don’t believe me; check out their website.

How did you become a photographer?
In college I had an internship abroad in Madrid at a movie and television production company. Being around so many visual artists and in a great city to photograph, I started shooting for fun. Over the next year and a half, that internship was followed by internships at Le Monde in Beijing and Universal music in Manhattan, with short semesters in the South of France in between. I couldn’t stop shooting in these places. By the time I finished my master’s degree, it was obvious I was a photographer instead of a journalist.

How did you meet your husband, and what's it like to work together?
I made a summer visit to Madrid to see an old friend who happened to be his roommate. By that fall he had got me the internship at the television production company, where he was working. It was supposed to be his last three months of a three-year stay abroad, but by the holidays I had convinced him to follow me to Beijing. I guess that answers how nice it is to work together.

Tell us how you discovered your You and the City concept.
You come to the fashion capital of the world and you automatically want to dress up. Then, when you step out onto the streets of Paris, you get wrapped up in all the gorgeous sights that surround you. It’s like dressing up in another layer. You can’t help but want to be photographed in the glamour of this combination. Within a week of my husband moving here we were developing the idea.

What interesting new work have you done? (Boudoir, etc.)
Our photographer friends in the US say boudoir is exploding there. It’s crazy that more women don’t think of doing it while they’re in Paris. After all, this is the birthplace of boudoir! Isn’t anybody looking at those old black-and-white postcards at Les Bouquinistes [antique booksellers] along the Seine? Boudoir is more about attitude than bare skin. Attitude comes easy in a sexy city packed with stylish boutique hotels and chic apartments. Women coming to Paris are just starting to realize this, so for me boudoir is my latest pet project. This summer we’re going to introduce eight-millimeter movie film (the format of the Kennedys' home movies decades ago). I’ve been shooting in preparation for this and find it fascinating working with such an old format. Think of You and the City shot retro-style with motion film. Something else new and interesting is You and the City Couture. It’s a still photo session with a personalized story and props. You’re the star of your own story. You can see a preview of this on our blog. There's also a “making of” video for that couture shoot.

Where did you grow up in France?
I grew up in Montpellier and Aix-en-Provence, in the South of France, with its good weather, nice beaches, fun people and lots of parties.

You lived for a time in the US. What was that like, and what did you miss the most about Paris and France in general?
Manhattan is an exciting city, but you just can’t replace the romantic atmosphere of Paris. Who can live in a world where you have to take a crosstown bus to get a decent pain au chocolat? I couldn’t.

Which arrondissement do you live in in Paris, and what are your favorite places in your neighborhood?
I live in Le Marais, in the 3rd, and love it. If you like trendy boutiques, you could spend your whole vacation here and not even begin to cover half of them. I like Café Charlot, just because I’m a sucker for a good chocolat chaud, and they have the best in the city. My husband thinks the best hot chocolate is at a café on l'Île St.-Louis, but who are you going to trust on this subject—une jeune femme française or an American male? Le Marché des Enfants Rouges is a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon. It’s the home of the most entertaining crepe cook in the city. I don’t know where he gets his energy. Also in that market there’s a tiny shop that sells really old snapshots from different decades. You can find a collection of an entire family vacation from 60 years ago. It’s fascinating.

You photograph a lot of weddings. Tell us about your own as well as the most interesting one you've shot.
Mine was an intimate outdoor wedding in my grandmother’s hometown, just outside of Versailles. I hit the wedding trifecta with perfect weather, both families and all the friends getting along smashingly, and no last-minute surprises.

The most interesting wedding I’ve shot is a surprising answer. If my friends who’ve seen all my work were to answer for me, they would choose the huge wedding we shot at a château where Sofia Coppola filmed a bunch of scenes for Marie Antoinette. The wedding theme was Marie Antoinette meets Bollywood. The high-profile guests played along well, choosing between the two styles. Some took the route of powdered wigs, corsets, brocade, velvet and neck-high ruffles. Others went Bollywood, with turbans, saris, henna, jeweled midriffs and thick eyeliner. Remember, that would be what my friends answer. For me the most interesting was a tiny elopement. It was just the couple and the people who were working the wedding (wedding planner, officiant and his wife, party room staff, photographers). The couple was so genuinely emotional that it affected all these strangers. Among these people who’ve seen countless weddings, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room!

Do you know a lot of other "mixed" (American/French) couples, and do you ever have any real cultural challenges being married to an American?
I know a few mixed couples, but they all live in the US. I seem to be the only Frenchie who won that battle. I think I know where the phrase “pardon my French” comes from. English is the language of our couple, but when I get angry at my husband I’ll speak in French, including a few choice words. He just thinks it’s cute and laughs. That’s not the effect I’m going for!

What's your beauty regimen?
The first step is to have realistic expectations. So I begin by looking at a photo of a famous star or a model in a magazine. Then I import a photo of myself into Photoshop and apply all the same tricks that they applied to those magazine photos. Once I’ve reminded myself that those magazine photos are just fantasy, I do the real stuff. Apply lots of sunscreen, drink lots of water, no smoking, and limit alcohol. Oh, and eat lots of chocolate (a girl has to keep her curves).

What do you suggest to friends who visit Paris in the way of restaurants, cultural sights and other not-to-miss activities?
The thing I always suggest requires you to be a bit of a daredevil. On a summer night the brave should rent a Vespa and cruise the city center. The best time is after the traffic has died down but all the buildings are still lit up. You get a real sense of how condensed so many beautiful sights are. Be sure to cross all the bridges along the Seine. For those who actually have a sense of mortality, the Bâteaux-Mouches cruise along the river at night has a similar effect. The key to both these activities is late evening.

What would you miss the most if you had to leave Paris?
I’d miss sitting in the street cafés and restaurants for hours with good friends. Since nobody tips here, it’s one of the few cities in the world where you can sit all day having fun with friends and the waiters don’t care.

Describe your ideal day in Paris.
Wake up late. Brunch with friends at the Marché des Enfants Rouges. Then stroll along the Seine. After night falls, grab a scooter and scout the city for new places to shoot. Finally, cap off the evening by going to the last session of the cinema with my baby d’amour and a big bag of sweet and salty popcorn. When you order popcorn at the cinemas in Paris they’ll ask you if you want sweet or salty. Just tell them to mix it all up. (“Tout mélange, s’il vous plaît.”)

What is the one shop or restaurant you cannot live without?
Shop: BHV. Lingerie to lightbulbs, this is the store where you find all the quality stuff in one place.

Do you have a favorite French phrase?
“J'en ai marre.” ("I've had enough.") It’s the select clichéd phrase of the pouty French girlfriend. Sometimes I even stomp my foot when I do it.

If Paris were a painting, a photograph, a movie or a song, what would it be?
Painting: all the ones sold along the river by the bouquinistes. Photo: Doisneau's Le Baiser de l’Hôtel de Ville. Movie: Before Sunset. Song: “La Foule,” by Edith Piaf.

INFO

Les Bouquinistes
Along the Seine. Tues–Fri, 2–6; Sat–Sun, 11–6.
Summer: about 9:30–7.

Café Charlot
38, rue de Bretagne, in the 3rd Arrondissement. 
01 44 54 03 30.

Marché des Enfants Rouges
39, rue de Bretagne, in the 3rd.
Tues–Thurs, 9–2 and 4–8; Fri–Sat, 9–8; Sun, 8:30–2.