Engagement shoot in Taha'a: Sierra & Josh

Some projects feel right from the very first message.

Sierra is a wedding planner based in the US. She's been traveling to French Polynesia since she was a little girl — Moorea, Bora Bora, Tahiti — almost every year of her life. So when Josh got down on one knee and they decided to celebrate their engagement in the Islands, she knew exactly what she wanted. And exactly what she didn't.

What she wanted: Taha'a. For the very first time. And Le Taha'a by Pearl Resorts — the only Relais & Châteaux property in all of French Polynesia.

What she didn't want: the same overwater bungalow photos she'd seen a thousand times on Pinterest.

Sierra knows everything — and that's what makes her approach even more special

When you're a wedding planner, you spend your life orchestrating perfect moments for other people. You know every logistical constraint by heart. You anticipate problems before they even happen. You have an eye for every detail.

And when it's finally your turn… you want someone else to take over. For real.

That's what she told me in her first message. She wanted to be the client — not the vendor — for one golden hour in Taha'a.

She had zero questions about the process. She already understood everything: the 35-page welcome guide sent at booking, the outfit and styling tips, why I never shoot in the middle of the day, why Amélie would be there alongside us for the content creation side. She'd already taken it all in. What mattered to her was knowing whether we'd connect.

We did. 🔥

The resort: a world of its own

Getting there is already part of the story.

You fly into Raiatea — the nearest airport — then board the resort's private boat for a 30-minute crossing through the lagoon before finally setting foot on Motu Tautau.

Le Taha'a by Pearl Resorts sits on the private islet of Motu Tautau, with the lush shores of Taha'a on one side and the majestic silhouette of Bora Bora on the other. It was the very first Relais & Châteaux member in French Polynesia — a philosophy built on sophistication and authenticity, in harmony with a preserved environment and local culture. Letahaa

This isn't just a beautiful resort. It's a place where time actually slows down. No golf carts driving around the property. No crowds. Just overwater suites, beach villas, and turquoise water in every direction.

And then there's the small motu right next to the main one. Tiny. Discreet. Shaped like a heart.

Some details don't need to be staged.

The session: 9am on the lagoon, and why the logistics became an asset

I almost always shoot at the very start of golden hour. But reaching Le Taha'a — flight to Raiatea, then the boat transfer — meant we couldn't be on location before 9am. At any other spot, I might have hesitated. At Taha'a, not for a second.

In the morning, the light hits the lagoon and gives it extraordinary shades of blue with striking contrasts. The Luxe Voyager At 9am on Motu Tautau, that light is still there — low, warm, wrapping everything it touches. It doesn't beat down yet. It draws.

Content creation fast delivery

We started on the beach, then moved toward the small heart-shaped motu. Water up to our knees. Bora Bora on the horizon. Sierra and Josh in their own world — and me, a few steps back, watching and waiting for something real to happen.

Amélie was there at the same time, camera rolling — filming the behind-the-scenes: the laughs, the lingering looks, the quiet gestures between two people who've decided to spend their lives together. The kind of things a still image can't fully tell on its own.

What you see in the video below is exactly that, delivered the same evening.

[Insert mini recap video — Amélie's content creation reel here]

The first four images

That same evening, Sierra and Josh had their first previews in their inbox.

Four images. Chosen for what they say about that particular morning, those two particular people, in that particular light. Not a calculated teaser — just enough to feel something before falling asleep, on the other side of the lagoon.

What Sierra messaged me that evening

A simple note. She said she'd spent years selecting photographers for her clients. That she knew how to recognize work that had something to it. And that this felt different.

The kind of feedback that doesn't really need explaining. You either feel it, or you don't.

The full gallery and aerial shots — coming in a follow-up post.

Session photographed in Taha'a, French Polynesia — Le Taha'a by Pearl Resorts, Motu Tautau Photography & video content creation