Photoshoot of Monique in the Luxembourg Garden
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
When a freelance journalist working for the Ohio State Alumni Magazine wanted to photograph our own Monique Y. Wells for the article that he is preparing about her, we took him to the Luxembourg Garden for the beautiful backdrop that it provides.
Click here to learn about our tour entitled Black History in and Around the Luxembourg Garden: http://discoverparis.net/entree-to-black-paris-most-popular-walking-tours
Tom on Assignment
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
June 2013 – Fesses of the Month
To photograph this month’s featured fesses, our intrepid blogger visited one of Paris’s most beautiful gardens. There, he found a lovely set on the façade of a remarkable palace.
Follow the link below to learn the location of this haut-relief sculpture and to view a close-up shot of the subject’s lovely fesses!
pinterest.com/pin/411586853415749238/
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Tom on Assignment
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
May 2013 – Fesses of the Month
To photograph this month’s fesses, our intrepid blogger traveled to the far reaches of Paris’ 12th arrondissement. He had to take three trains to get there!
Follow the link to learn the name of this sculpture, the name of its creator, the name of the park near its location, and a close-up shot of her admirable fesses!
pinterest.com/pin/411586853415634333/
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Six Artists
Photographs by www.DiscoverParis.net
Although we have been living in Paris for twenty-one years, this was our first visit to the Grand Marché d’Art Contemporain. It was fascinating to walk from booth to booth to see what people with creative minds were up to.
Christine Marques
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Christine Marques uses discarded tea bags to create images on canvas. She graciously spent several minutes discussing her technique and various works with us. In this photograph, she stands next to an image that she created of Michael Jackson as a child. Can you see his face in profile? Her Web site has a gallery of her tea-bag creations including one of Barack Obama: art.the.free.fr
Jean-Marc Boudine
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Sculptor Jean-Marc Boudine exhibited a couple of works that looked decidedly bizarre. He has created a series of sculptures for an exhibition in commemoration of the abolition of slavery. The sculptures are on display through May 31 at the MJC-Centre Culturel in the nearby town of Limeil-Brévannes. (The abolition of slavery is commemorated on May 10 in France). His Web site can be found here: www.jean-marcboudine.odexpo.com
Jean-Marc Wettstein
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Jean-Marc Wettstein told me that he gets inspiration from photographs that he sees in magazines. Many of his portraits portray brooding or angry subjects, but if you look at his Web site you will see some happy faces there.
Joost Heetman
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
After Joost Heetman’s partner died, he burned 6,000 votive candles. He shaped the aluminum candle holders to form eyes and then mounted them on canvas as a lasting representation of this emotional period in his life. One of these works is shown in the picture above. Heetman is an industrial designer and his booth contained a number of chairs, benches, and tables displaying fanciful, colorful patterns under smooth, transparent resin. His Web site can be found at the following link: www.joosth.nl.
Mercedes Madriz
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Mercedes Madriz exhibited numerous collages at the show. She collects texts from books, magazines, and newspapers that interest her, mounts them on panels, and records her thoughts on the content of these texts on the support medium (often in a language different than that of the original text). Hailing from Caracas, she came to Paris to learn from and contribute to its rich artistic culture. She does not have a Web site, but can be contacted at mercedesmadriz[at]hotmail[dot]com.
Steve Wells
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Some people really can re-invent themselves—Steve Wells has done it three times! First, he was an electrical engineer, then a rock star, and now a freelance photographer. His artistic vision is bold and subversive. Visit his Web site to have a look at his photographic series, including one of Paris shot on film: www.stevewells-photo.com.
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Our Featured Chefs and Restaurant Owners
We have been writing extensive monthly restaurant reviews for our Paris Insights newsletter since October 2006. One of the elements that makes our reviews unique, we think, is that we interview each chef and include his or her photograph in the review. Until recently, there has been no convenient way to post their photographs in one spot so that the world can see who these hard-working, talented people are. We are pleased to announce that, thanks to Pinterest, we can now draw back the curtain and present them on the world stage!
As always, access to our monthly restaurant review comes with an annual subscription to our newsletter.
And now, to celebrate the launching of our new Pinterest board we are offering, for a limited time, a $5.00 discount off the annual subscription rate of $30.00. That’s a savings of almost 17%! Enter code 57934 in the Promotional Code box of the “Subscribe to Our Newsletter” sign-up form to receive your discount.
Wow! It doesn’t get any better than this! Act now while this offer lasts!
We participate in Wanderfood Wednesdays. Head over there to explore food from around the world!
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Tom Reeves, co-founder of Discover Paris!, photographed while investigating reports of paranormal phenomena on Hallowe’en in Paris.
Smoke from Eye Sockets
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
Forehead Aflame
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
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American photographer David Henry gave a presentation of his recent candid photography at Paris Soirées, a social gathering organized each Sunday by Patricia Laplante-Collins.
David Henry Presenting Candid Photographs
Photograph by Maria D'Arcy
The evening began with socializing around wine, cheese, and other beverages and snacks as people arrived in the spacious, former dance studio where Patricia holds her events. Following introductions of each attendee by Patricia, David began his slideshow. While projecting the images on the wall of the darkened room, he gave running commentary on the kinds of shots he tries to capture.
His main theme for the evening was the interesting juxtapositions and seeming relationships that unconnected people can form in a single, candid shot. For example, he showed the image of an elderly lady looking with active interest at his camera, while in the background, sitting at a café table, a young woman’s bored look revealed her obliviousness to the action that was taking place.
Woman Looking at Camera
Photograph by David P. Henry
In another image, the side view of a woman looking down in the foreground and a young girl looking up in the background gave the impression that they were about to kiss, a common form of greeting in France. While watching the presentation, I wondered how David managed to capture these fleeting moments on camera. It is not only because of his practiced eye, but also because he walks around the city with his camera ready. When he sees a shot, he doesn’t hesitate—he takes it immediately.
Two Girls on Rue du Temple
Photography by David P. Henry
On another of his favorite topics, he showed a series of photographs of young, soon-to-be-married men and women dressed in outlandish costumes who were undergoing a curious ritual of public humiliation. Called “enterrement de vie de jeune fille/garçon,” (“burial of the life as a single person”), the celebration marks a major turning point in their lives.
Hot Dog Man
Photograph by David P. Henry
David arrived in Paris in 1996 and soon found work as a photographer. His pictures have been published in numerous books, magazines, and journals, and he was recently (2008) featured on NRJ Paris television. Watch the video of David in action to get an idea of how he works!
David Henry teaches photo workshops in Paris.
There are numerous restaurant guides available for the Paris-bound traveler to consult before making that dream trip to the City of Light, but the one that I have found that best describes the city’s culinary scene is the soon-to-be-published J’aime Paris: Mon Paris du goût en 200 adresses, by Alain Ducasse (April 2011, Alain Ducasse Edition).
J’aime Paris is a heavy book, weighing in at 4 lbs! It contains 596 pages, and is illustrated with sumptuous black-and-white and color photographs. Co-written with Frédérick E. Grasser Hermé, it is a lively account in words and pictures of some 230 establishments in Paris. While most of the places described are restaurants, the authors also include numerous marketplaces, kitchenware shops, specialty food shops, bars, bakeries, pastry shops, cheese shops, butcher shops, cafés, and more. The book is a veritable treasure-trove of information on the vast and varied world of gastronomy for which Paris is famous.
Although the brief accounts of each establishment are written in French, in my opinion, an understanding of the language is not necessary to enjoy and to learn from the book. It is amply illustrated with hundreds of photographs. The images by themselves effectively convey the passion that motivates Parisian restaurant and food shop owners, and the rich culture and traditions of the French gastronomic experience.
J’aime Paris by Alain Ducasse
Alain Ducasse Edition
Photographer: Pierre Monetta
Appears in bookshops in April 2011 – 35 €
A full review of J’aime Paris is available to the subscribers of our monthly newsletter Paris Insights.
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Bonne lecture!
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Félix Nadar - Self Portrait (1853)
November is photography month in Paris. To mark this occasion, we present Félix Nadar, one of the most renowned photographers of the 19th century. Although he dropped out of high school, he went on to become a novelist, journalist, aeronaut, artist, adventurer, caricaturist, and man-about-town. Read about his remarkable life in this month’s Paris Insights.
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Bonne lecture!
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 | Tom Reeves - author of Paris Insights - An Anthology and Dining Out in Paris - What You Need to Know before You Get to the City of Light. |