Traverser le Monde: Photography

This has been exactly what I wanted out of a photography class. No one expected me to know what I was doing at the get-go, and the grading is based on improvement. We have class 3 days a week from 2-5pm, and our professor splits the time between studying the history of Paris photography, critiquing our work, and dragging us around his favorite places in Paris to shoot. It's marvelous.

The early photographs of Paris are my favorite. The works of Atget and Kertesz beautifully document that early 20th century Paris which fascinates me: the world of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Stein. I would love nothing more than to experience the "moveable feast" that those celebrated expats knew so well. The old Paris is still alive, but sometimes it's difficult to search out. My professor tries to channel my romantic sentiments for the past into modern times. My impressions of the past are, of course, inaccurate and grossly exaggerated. Life in the early 1900's was, of course, as quotidien for them as the woman with the neon fanny pack is for us, right? Though delusions they maybe, I still try to portray my dreams of old Paris in many of my 2011 photographs.

When it comes to shooting, our teacher lets us do whatever we please. He'll take us to an area of the city, perhaps give us instructions on some technique to try, then let us loose for a couple hours. Our first day in the city, he took us to an area where pre-Haussmann Paris is still intact, and told us to wander. Our troop of girls set off in different directions, but a bunch of us started out taking pictures of the fruit in the market. As collateral for swarming their stand with SLR cameras, I bought some cherries. Our group, including my professor, enjoyed some before we fragmented further into the windy medieval streets. I wandered into a park beside a church, taking pictures of flowers and such. I passed a homeless woman sitting on a bench. I decided to ask her permission to take a picture. So, I did, explaining that I was a photography student. She nodded and looked at me just as you see in the picture. She had no misgivings and no pretenses. Her face conveyed pride and honesty, but her eyes held enough stoic tristesse to fill a Russian novel. I took only one pictures, for which I was chastised later. Our professor always says you should take as many shots as you can, while your subject is willing. I took the one I wanted though. I didn't want to inpose in any way. I told her thank you and moved along. It occurred to me a minute later that I had cherries and she was probably hungry. So, I returned to give them to her. After thanking me, she told me very earnestly that she was from Romania. We had been speaking French, and she found it very important to tell me where she was really from. She offered me as small piece of her story. Every time I look at her picture, I wish I knew more.

These are the experiences of Paris that I cherish. The tourist attractions are neat, to be sure. Notre Dame, Montmartre, Eiffel Tower, etc. all have their merits. But I am thankful that my photography class pushes us out of the American comfort zone, seeing Paris in a way we never would have on our own.

At the beginning of every class, Claudio encourages us to "meet someone new."

Here are the other photos I presented at our first critique: