I am noctilien by nature. Anyone who sees me before 10 am can confirm that I am not a morning person. I cringe at the army recruitment ad—“We do more before 8 am than most people do in a day.”
But Sunday spring mornings in Paris are too perfect to miss. Most of the city is asleep after those wild Saturday nights. The light is soft, and the places that will soon be overrun with footsteps … are empty. Pure and quiet.
I love to photograph during these “magic hours.” The light feels as if it’s warming the earth, and the few people who are out all seem to be characters from some bohemian novel. Some are still living Saturday night, stopped in time wherever they were when their body or mind hit that invisible wall. (Some never even saw the wall. They drank their way through it.) Some are the “early birds,” catching those worms … or collecting those coins in the fountain. And some are just so darn perky (singing out loud as their jogging feet make a gravel rhythm in the gardens) that they make you thankful you’re noctilien.
Meredith Mullins is an internationally exhibited American photographer and writer who currently lives in Paris. She is a recent winner of the 2010 Worldwide Gala Photography Awards and Px3 competition, a 2009 winner of the Grand Concours Photo sur Paris, author of the award-winning book, In A Paris Moment, (Click here to order) and contributor to Paris Magazine and Browntrout travel calendars. Visit www.meredithmullins.artspan.com to see more of her images. Original photographs are available directly through the artist. Meredith will be teaching photography workshops this spring through WICE. She is also available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris. Sign up for an information-filled, creative lesson! Contact: [email protected]
In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New Yorkís best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!
Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris. www.eyepreferparistours.com
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
So, Richard, those thrilling photos are not yours but Meredith's? I realise in times like this that my English is (still) not up to scratch because I am not 100% sure that I understood correctly.
The whole series is absolutely delightful and touching à l'extrème. Thank you for this rich and wonderful gift!
Posted by: Kiki | April 20, 2011 at 04:46 PM
kiki
yes, these are meredith's wonderful photos.
Posted by: richard | April 21, 2011 at 04:00 PM
Beautiful collection of photos, thanks. MM has a wonderful eye.
Posted by: John W. | April 26, 2011 at 07:13 PM