Living overseas is wonderful! Depends where you feel the most comfortable with the people, the language, etc. WE lived 3 yrs. in Dakar, Senegal and 2 in Lisbon Portugal back in the late 70's...had three kids ages 7,8,10 when we went..worked for an oil company...but that would be a completely different thing than you are doing. But we DID live off the economy, went to the local outdoor markets, got to know local people and expats from other countries (FUN!)
If you speak some French there are some beautiful small town/cities all thoroughout France...some within an hour of Paris...OR in Provence possibly.
Many books have been written about/and by expats living in FRance, Italy, and other countries. Some towns probably don't accept Americans as much as others, but I wouldnt' consider that as much of a problem if it is handled in the right way.
I'm not much help, but it sounds exciting and will add more if I can come up with something more concrete. As the other person said...you probably wouldn't be able to get a job, but I got the impression you weren't planning on it anyway. A writer and photographer usually "do their own thing"...(and I would love reading a book about your experiences!)
IF you don't like to drive...then a smaller city or town would be the most fun, I imagine. Posssibly a REAL small village...but with train to the city . (OR visa versa, I guess)

If I could live abroad it would be London because I love it and only speak English, also close enough to travel to other countries.

Do keep in mind that there's more countries where French is spoken than just France. There's the south of Belgium, including Brussels, Luxembourg, and a part of Switzerland.
Then if I were you, I'd go for a smaller city in the south of Belgium, or even Brussels (ask perfect Brussels promotor AND expat BTilke for personal experience). It's the center of Europe, at 3 hours from Paris and Amsterdam and cheaply connected with the rest of Europe if you want to go travelling. Plus, English is very widely spoken in Brussels due to all the European institutions and international headquarters (unlike most other French-speaking places)

This is almost two years old . . Amy . . what did you do?

Rich