How Photography Made My Morning in Paris Unforgettable
“I still need the camera because it is the only reason anyone is talking to me.”
I first felt the subtle breeze on my body when I woke up from the window that I left ajar overnight overlooking a quiet Parisian neighborhood.
My phone read 4:57. It was my first morning in Europe.
The five friends I was staying with were still in a deep slumber.
I knew falling back asleep was out of the question because excitement began to rush into my mind. Planning this trip had been my central focus for the nine months leading up to the current moment — and now I’m here. Do I wait until everyone else is awake or set out by myself?
It was the perfect time for photographing the city because you achieve similar results to how you would at sunset’s golden hour but with much fewer people in the frame. I knew what I wanted to do.
I locked the red wooden door as I left and embarked on the first of many twenty-thousand-steps-a-day adventures. It was dawn, and the sun was about to cut through the gorgeous French architecture. Nobody was roaming the streets apart from the club-goers ending their night and some shop owners beginning their day.
This is how the streets looked that morning. I would go on to shape and grade the colors to reflect the feeling of being there, but the essence is unchanged. A few hours from this moment, this street would be alive and breathing with people.
The first person I interacted with was a local photographer who was also catching the morning light. With the little French I knew, I was able to hold a brief conversation; he ended up recommending some spots nearby that look pretty at sunrise.
This led me to photograph:
At this point, it was about 7:30. I was starting to get hungry but the cafes wouldn’t open until about 9:00. At this point, I found myself walking alongside the Seine River and noticed a business owner preparing his cafe for the day.
“Excusez-moi monsieur, a quelle heure ouvrez-vous?” Excuse me sir, when do you open?
He told me in about an hour and a half. I asked if there were any places nearby that were open. We chatted briefly, and he eventually told me to come and sit inside as he would prepare me petit-déjeuner breakfast.
He told me his name was Daniel. He spoke no English. He told me stories of how he had immigrated from Turkey and how he came to operate the cafe, which he emphasized its existence since 1765. I thanked him for his hospitality in letting me dine before they opened.
This was a photograph I took while sitting at his cafe:
Some guys use dogs to get conversations started with girls. I use my camera to talk to Turkish cafe owners.
It was now 8:45. People were walking the streets; Paris was beginning to awaken. I continued my walk. I approached some of the most gorgeous architecture I have ever seen in my life — only about a block away from Daniel’s cafe.
As I was taking these photos, I heard choir music. I saw a gate that led into the church. As I entered, I saw a large group sitting near the front. I thought it was a wedding group rehearsing for a ceremony, as I noticed a photographer with them. I thought I could avoid attention, so I stuck around. While I was exploring the cathedral, they began their service.
They weren’t rehearsing anything; they were holding Mass.
Having grown up in a Catholic environment, I was familiar with the service and decided to stick around because it was not often you get to experience moments like these. The language wasn’t French or any other I was familiar with. I didn’t understand a single word of the Mass, it was by far the best one I’ve ever been to.
Maybe the lack of sleep made me emotional, but I couldn’t help but shed a tear a few times because of how gorgeous of a setting I was in.
As the Mass reached its end, I decided it was my time to slip out. Everyone began to go to the front instead of the exits, and I heard someone call out vocally. The head priest was pointing at me with the entire group staring.
Oh no. Did I do something wrong?
He waved at me to come over. They were taking a group photo.
Me in their picture?
He signaled no. He made the taking-a-picture signal to signify that I was to take a picture of all of them. He simply noticed the camera and wanted me to use it one last time. This was the photo I took of all of them:
After I took that photo their photographer, Felix, came up to me and introduced himself. He told me how they were a group from Romania — that is why he had his camera; it was a significant Mass for them. We chatted about our shared interest in photography and exchanged contacts. They were such a warm group that made me feel included when I couldn’t have felt more like an outsider looking in at the beginning. A truly beautiful moment.
We said goodbye to each other as he rejoined his group. I proceeded to explore the city and find where my group was.
Photography is about capturing life. The photographer is a character in the story just as the subject is. So, in order to take the best photographs, you need to be experiencing the best stories yourself as the primary character.
If I didn’t step outside the Airbnb that morning, I wouldn’t have any of the photographs I took, but more importantly, I wouldn’t have experienced any of those interactions. Even though each of them may have been brief, they led me to appreciate the importance of stepping outside and exploring.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was chasing new things and I didn’t know what I would find. The stories find you if you allow them to.
To synthesize my experience into advice:
Use photography — or anything that gets you out of your routine — as a catalyst to get you into places you aren’t familiar with. For some reason, growth seems to happen when people are in uncomfortable situations. You either revert back into your comfort zone, which is not the right path, or you adapt and tell yourself that you will overcome any environment you’re thrown into because you can.
Meet people and get a glimpse into their life because it will widen your understanding of humanity, which will empower you with perspective.
Language is an artificial differentiator. We are not that different from other humans wherever we go.
Emotion is universal. Communication finds itself in unforeseen ways when you try.
Explore new places. For me, it adds to my amazement of how beautiful the world is and how unique humans can be.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about my experience and can take something away from it, even if it is just enjoying the photography. Leave a comment below if you feel inclined to share thoughts or add to my advice.
Best,
Reece
