I live for the days when I look at photographs and am truly moved or inspired. The photographer has revealed some raw truth, captured some serendipitous street moment, or connected with a spontaneous or deep emotion. Most of the time, nowadays, I seethe a lot (granted, that IS an emotion but not really what I’m looking for). I seethe because what I see too often in contemporary photography has lost touch with real life. Images are so full of Photoshop tricks that you can’t trust what you see. Scenes are so manipulated (put through the HDR wringer) that they look like Maxfield Parrish posters … so full of fairytale light and color that you have to turn your head away from all that “magic.”
And so, when I see truth, I breathe it in deeply.
Sophia Pagan’s new exhibit, Silent City, is just such a breath of creative air. I knew from the moment I met Sophia (as a student in one of my photography courses) that she had the passion … that she was someone who was seeking the truth. The truth of her surroundings. The truth of why it is people do what they do and act how they act. The truth of what is in front of us everyday. Her photographs showed this connection from the very beginning, and it was clear that she was opening up to her life in Paris (a New York transplant) and learning to “expose herself to the world,” as she said, “to be as honest as the images she was creating.”
Sophia says that her photography allows her “to see, examine, and understand the grandeur in the minuscule and the minuscule in the grandeur. Silent City is about daring viewers to slow down, to take just one more second to see, to feel, to be. These are the moments I believe reconnect us to ourselves, to each other, and to the world.”
With this first Paris solo exhibit, Sophia is embarking on what I am convinced will be a long and creative photographic journey. Come to the vernissage on Thursday evening to discover the miniscule and the grandeur. Come and celebrate the truth.
Sophia’s exhibit opening/vernissage is this Thursday evening (October 13) beginning at 7:30PM at the Bel’ Air Café Bar, 6 rue Germain Pilon, 75018 (Montmartre). There’s another party on October 27, same time same place. Or see more of her work at www.SophiaPagan.com.
Meredith Mullins is an internationally exhibited America photographer and writer who lives in Paris. She is a recent winner of the 2010 Px3 competition, Worldwide Gala Photo Awards, and Julia Margaret Cameron Award; 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 Browntrout travel calendars. Visit www.meredithmullins.artspan.com to see more of her images. Original photographs are available directly through the artist. Meredith teaches photography classes and workshops through WICE and 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.
I had an epiphany a couple of days ago when leaving the Denver airport. In the last 6 months the airport parking management has replaced pay booth attendants with self-serve technology that allows drivers to speed up their exit from the parking garage by not having to deal with anyone. The result has been not only faster service for the customers but also has given the airport management the ability to cut their expenses through a reduction in staffing.
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