Florence before the summer crowds arrive. There’s no place like it in the world and it’s definitely when we feel most at home here. There’s just something special about it we can’t explain. Adria and Nick wanted a timeless and elegant photoshoot in Florence, where they’re coming back to later on in the year to get married. From a small espresso break in one of our favorite historic cafés to walking along these two along the Arno river, their sunrise photo session in Florence was everything it should be. Including post-session brunch together at our favorite specialty coffee in Florence, Ditta Artigianale.

Even during these emptier winter months, the best thing when planning for a photoshoot in Florence is definitely doing it early in the morning. Mainly for the morning light, that is just incredible as it hits the Duomo and turns everything from gray to bright yellow, but also to make sure you have the town all to yourself before the tourists are done with breakfast and take over the city. In winter and on a cold day, this means you’ll probably have to be ready to spend a cold morning taking photos, which was definitely the case with these two. Adria and Nick being from the Northeastern US definitely made it easier for them to pretend they weren’t cold.

It’s easy for couples to fall into the trap of visiting only tourist sites during their Florence photoshoot, but luckily hiring a Photographer in Florence that actually lives in Italy, makes it so we focus much more on the couple and their interactions than trying to squeeze the Santa Maria del Fiore church or The Uffizi Galleries into every photo— and we were really happy to hear this was exactly what Adria and Nick had in mind.

Adria showed up in a beautiful white dress and these iconic shoes that were just perfect for their photoshoot in Florence. Nick wore an elegant casual jacket and they matched perfectly. We spent the morning talking about their upcoming wedding (that we’re honored to photograph in a few months) and things in common. We stopped for a quick break midway at one of our favorite coffee shops in Florence, and spent the morning strolling through hidden alleyways and side streets photographing these two laughing all morning. After we had said our goodbyes, we said we were going to go get brunch at another local favorite and asked if they wanted to come with—so we spent another hour or two getting to know each other and is perfect for them to feel comfortable with us when their wedding comes along.

Thank you so much Adria and Nick for trusting us with your Florence photos. We can’t even imagine what your wedding in Florence is going to look like, we’re so excited! Congrats again and thank you for all the coffee and for being such a kind and caring couple of souls to spend such a cold morning with. We had so much fun.