Rooftop Soliloquy

Before my trip, I read the book Rooftops of Paris. It contains utterly beautiful watercolor paintings by Fabrice Moireau depicting this "levitated, almost unreal world". To capture his views, he would slip into apartment buildings, pretending to live there, and painted while perched precariously on high. I wasn't quite as bold as Fabrice, but was determined to capture this landscape of form, pattern, and rhythm. There is nothing like the feeling of stepping out onto a rooftop to suddenly have Paris there in front of you, in all its magic, at an unfamiliar altitude.

Méditerranée

I know that I'm skipping about here. I have many more photographs of Paris to share, but my computer has been out for repair most of this week, so I'm sharing what I have on my laptop.


While in France, I had a chance to try the newly released Polaroid PX680 Color Shade film, and I must admit that I am smitten by it. Learning how this film behaves under different lighting conditions was all part of the fun of experimentation. The color palette is delightful, sometimes tending toward the soft and pastel, and other times toward the bold and saturated. But when the stars align, the effect is like that of a faded watercolor painting.


These photographs were taken in Nice and Aix-en-Provence and are now available as a set in my Etsy shop.

Remaining Neutral

I apologize for the long delay in posting photographs from my trip to France. I've been having some serious computer problems (still ongoing). I finally managed to edit enough photographs for a post.

In this series of images, I allowed myself to stay neutral and to try to do justice to the beautiful and subtle color palette of Parisian architecture. The monocromatic color scheme, upon closer inspection, seems to in fact contain hundreds of variations of grey, cream, beige, and white. Perhaps this is where Parisian women, famous for dressing in classic, neutral colors and adding splashes of color through accessories such as scarves, get their inspiration.

YUL -> CDG

In a few hours I'll be getting on a plane bound for Paris (YUL is the airport code for Montreal and CDG for Charles de Gaulle in Paris). Excitement doesn't even begin to express how I feel about this trip. I'll be spending a week in Paris. I've rented an apartment near the Luxembourg Gardens through New York Habitat. It has a huge window and a fabulous view and I plan on eating baguettes smothered in various cheeses while looking at it. After my week in Paris, I board a train to the south of France, where I'll be staying in Nice and Provence. The last few days of my journey promise to be an incredible and unforgettable experience.
While I'm gone, I probably won't be blogging much. I'll try to do shorter and more frequent updates on Facebook. I don't tweet much, but I hope to do so more during this trip. I'm eyepoetry on Twitter.
I'll be back on June 5. Until then, adieu mes amis!

Icons

As I wrap up my New York City posts (for now), I'm already packing for my next trip. Where did the time go? I'll be back on Friday to say goodbye before I board my plane.

New York Noir

Even though I work mostly in color, I still adore black and white photography. It lends itself so well to the drama of New York City, particularly at night.
Some of you have been asking about prints. I'v been adding many of the photographs I've been blogging to my shops. They can be found in my Etsy shop and in my personal shop.

Last of the Bohemians

Some of the best balconies and fire escapes in the city are found in Greenwich Village.


The arch and its design details in Washington Square Park.




Yes, the cappucino is fabulous here.


I mean really. Just look at that.




The house used as Carrie Bradshaw's apartment building in Sex and the City.


Magnolia Bakery was featured in a Sex and the City episode. It's not hard to see why. Its retro interior is so very charming. And the cupcakes, with pastel-colored icing like mint and lilac, are yummy.




My favorite neighborhood to stroll through is Greenwich Village. It has a unique charm, with its more haphazard street layout revealing its origins as a rural hamlet. How I would have loved to have experienced it in the 1960s, at the height of its bohemian heyday.