Paris is one of the most, if not the most, photogenic places I’ve ever been. Some people are just naturally beautiful but photogenic-ness is something else — a quality that conveys life even through the 2-dimensional version captured through the lens.
I would go as far as to say, that Paris’s beauty in photos exceeds its beauty in real life. It talks to the camera in the language of energy and unspeakable knowing, that mysterious blend of undoubtable presence while just a bit unreal.
In Paris, I feel like I’m at a carnival and a symphony at the same time. It is one of the most inspiring places for me visually, and I had the good fortune of getting to do a couple of photo shoots along the River Seine (sneak peek of my session with a child model above).
I saw Versailles, the catacombs, so many beautiful buildings — blocks and blocks of them. I ate lots of bread and cheese and drank wine, and rode the Metro. Images blur through my mind, recalling the week, voices speaking French phrases, accordion players on trains and platforms.
Millions of bones displaced from graveyards to the catacombs reminded me of how quickly things pass away. How we are part of something big, and yet our bodies will be piled up, anonymous to future generations, and we’re really just one of millions and millions.
I’ve said before that waking up in Paris is like waking up but not ceasing to dream. Perhaps this feeling is the same thing that speaks to the camera lens its confidences, always showing something a little beyond what is there, blowing kisses to the subconscious… and me, never knowing whether it’s being coy or sincere.
