Photography Project #1

I was taking photos under the Eiffel Tower, when a charming wedding chauffeur approached me. He asked me (in very rapid French) what I was doing, and I explained that I was shooting pictures to send to my family. He said, “You can find photos anywhere. This place is for living. The beautiful monuments only make Paris better.” We chatted about photography for a few minutes, and he invited me to have drinks with him sometime. I politely declined.

He was right. It is so easy to Google beautiful postcard images of the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame. But what do foreigners do when they finally see one of these stunning monuments in person? They often miss looking, feeling, and smelling. Paris has a very strong heartbeat, but I believe that many tourists miss that energy.

I wanted to sketch the Eiffel Tower, so I spent a long time on a nearby bench. In that time, I discovered so much about the life of the tower, and the lives of visitors as well. So many different scents, colors, and accents passed by my little park bench. If I had just taken some pictures of the Eiffel Tower and moved on to the next attraction, I would have missed that experience.

The more I spend time soaking in the culture here, the more I realize that I have become part of the energy of Paris. That’s why, of all the pictures I’ve taken this week, I chose this simple self-portrait (of sorts) to share with you. I only photographed the corner of the Eiffel Tower on purpose—because, as the chauffeur said, the monuments only enhance what Paris has to offer.

As I discover Paris, I discover myself… and I’m finding that the two are not very different, after all.