A wedding photographer who went viral online after a stubborn man refused to move as he was taking pictures outside the Louvre has given PetaPixel the full story behind the incident.
The video of Christian O’Reilly from Fire and Ice has been shared across multiple platforms this past weekend, racking up millions of views. It shows a confrontation between O’Reilly and the man leaving viewers split as to who is in the right.
O’Reilly explains that he was in Paris to capture a surprise proposal at the Louvre. “I had carefully planned a composition to frame the couple with the triangle of the pyramid and the sun setting perfectly behind them,” he tells PetaPixel
“I stood the couple on the wall at the corner and politely asked a man sitting nearby if he could shift over just a few inches so I could get the shot.”
The man, who apparently did not speak English, first ignored O’Reilly and then began “ranting” at him in French.
“I realized he didn’t want to move, so I respected that and continued with the shoot. However, he continued speaking loudly at me, so I calmly asked him not to speak to me as I was working,” says the photographer. “I took the shot with him in the frame and moved on. Ironically, as we walked away, he got up and left — which made it quite clear it had been done purposely.”
O’Reilly says he’s never had to deal with a situation like this before. He mainly shoots luxury weddings all across the world with his Fire and Ice brand and says people are almost always “kind and considerate” when he’s photographing a couple. “That’s what made this a little surprising,” he adds.
The British photographer says that throughout the incident he was trying to stay professional so it didn’t spoil the couple’s moment.
“I knew I could edit him out — but I also knew that moving the couple would throw off the composition I’d spent time planning using PhotoPills and Cadrage,” he says. “I had specifically chosen that exact corner of the Louvre at that time of day to align the sun with the tip of the pyramid.”
“So yes, I could fix it later, but in the moment, I was frustrated — not just by the disruption, but because I couldn’t fully realize the shot I’d envisioned,” he adds.
In the video, O’Reilly quickly and effortlessly removes the man from the portrait using the “remove person” prompt with the Generative Fill tool on Adobe Photoshop.
“It was surprisingly quick and effective,” he says. “That part wasn’t the issue — the frustration came more from having to compromise the original creative setup.”
O’Reilly describes the subsequent response to the video as a “whirlwind” that has invited lots of different perspectives and sparked a healthy conversation.
“The response has been very split,” he says. “Most people say they would have happily moved to make space for a couple during a moment like this — but some have argued that it’s a public space and he had every right to stay put.”
The video underlines the reality for professional photographers who have to operate in public. While apps like PhotoPills allow us to simulate the weather, one thing that cannot be planned for is a random member of the public disrupting things.
“Stay calm, take the shot anyway, and remember you’ve got the tools to handle the rest later,” O’Reilly tells other photographers who find themselves in a similar scenario.
“Preparation, patience, and a bit of post-production know-how will always get you through. Most importantly, don’t let one awkward moment overshadow what could still be a magical memory for your client.”
More of O’Reilly’s work can be found on his website, Instagram, and Facebook.
Image credits: Photographs by Christian O’Reilly/Fire and Ice