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Window or Aisle?

Window or Aisle?

Window or Aisle: Lindsey Tramuta

July 11, 2012

Lost in Cheeseland, Paris, France, Window or Aisle, Travel

I can stare at the picture above for hours. In fact, I’ve been doing so for a while. In the same way I kept staring and reading Lindsey’s blog ‘Lost in Cheeseland’ when I first stumble upon it few months ago. I’ve been having this love affair with the French Capital for the last year or so and every creative blog or website or an image about this city grabbed my attention almost instantly. Same with ‘Lost in Cheeseland’. So one day, I think it was sometimes after my March visit to Paris, I did my ‘Israeli thing’ and contacted Lindsey herself, showing her my latest images of her city. I also wanted to take part in her blog somehow, and Lindsey, as a smart and well experienced blogger, waited for the right moment.

Few days later she contacted me back and offered me to be a guest blogger  while she was exploring San Francisco and I jumped to the roof!

One thing led to another and I ended up in Paris in June and had the opportunity to meet the girl behind the name in person. But before I introduce you to Lindsey, I have a confession to make; If I ever thought my daily schedule is busy and hectic and I am juggling few things at the same time, that was BEFORE I met Lindsey. Not only does she hold that successful blog of hers that has a lot of avid followers, she also works for an international digital marketing and advertising agency, she is a freelance writer (her articles were published in the New York Times) and a cookie baker!

Who can beat that!?

I can’t wait to introduce you to Lindsey and hopefully next time I see her it will be longer than a glass of wine.

Thanks Lindsey!

Where are you from? Philadelphia but I’ve called Paris home for the last six years and it feels like a lifetime!

Where did you study Photography? I actually studied French and Communication. My passion for photography developed once I began blogging and realized how important strong, quality visuals were in creating a site readers would want to frequent. Content remains king but the photos go a long way in my storytelling. I’m fortunate to be surrounded by extraordinarily talented photographers who graciously helped me as I got started but I’m self-taught. A part of me wishes I had become a professional photographer – followed the necessary course of study, learned proper composition and technique – but overall it’s been a wonderful challenge to tackle it myself!

What made you want to learn it? Blogging and reading other blogs really drove my desire to learn. I found myself gravitating toward blogs with spectacular photography and realized I’d need to rise to the challenge for my own site.  Almost instantly, I started seeing my surroundings in a different light and began to appreciate the derelict as much as the divine at home  in Paris and in my travels.

If you weren’t a blogger/photographer what would you do? I already wear a number of different hats so I look at photography as an extension of the rest of my work. I work in social media for an international digital marketing and advertising agency, I’m a freelance writer and I’m a cookie baker – I co-founded an online American cookie company in Paris called Lola’s Cookies. It’s definitely tough to juggle all these passions but they seem to fit together naturally and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Where do you see your blog going next? I’m not sure, to be honest. It has been a catalyst for my writing and even my photography but that happened rather naturally over time. I try not to force anything, just wait and see where things take me and that’s the strategy I employ for the blog too.

What made you move to Paris? I moved to Paris after several stints studying abroad and after having met the Frenchman who is now my husband. I started studying French in middle school and kept with it through high school and college, never really thinking I would be able to make the jump to expat life. One fortuitous encounter changed my life and showed me what WAS possible. I didn’t necessarily foresee the challenges that awaited but I know that my resilience and work is stronger for the stones I had to doge and hoops I had to jump through to define my own place in a city fraught with talented and inspiring people.

Where do you get your inspiration from? My surroundings, books, music, friends, blogs – but all of it depends on my mood and what I’m going through in life. I tend to pick out the darker underbellies of places I visit and focus on that but sometimes it’s the most beautifully mundane spots and moments that trigger an idea.

How do you usually approach a new project?  Usually my photography projects are linked to a writing gig so first, I map out my approach and craft as much of the story as possible first and then I head out, away from the words, to see how best to incorporate photo.

What are you working on right now? I have a food writing project that will begin in July and last about 8 weeks (can’t share yet!) but the mental wheels are turning for some other stories as well- stories that will hopefully require a strong image to go with it!

Window or Aisle? Aisle ! I need to have the space to stretch out my leg and make sure I have quick access to the restroom !

Lost in Cheeseland, Travel, Window or Aisle, Paris

Lost in Cheeseland, Travel, Window or Aisle, Paris

Lost in Cheeseland, Travel, Window or Aisle, Paris

Lost in Cheeseland, Travel, Window or Aisle, Paris

Window or Aisle?

Window or Aisle: Carla Coulson

July 4, 2012

Travel, Italy, Window or Aisle, Carla Coulson

I’ve been following ‘Carla Loves Photography’ website for almost a month now. It was after Carla herself commented on one of my previous guest blogs for ‘Lost in Cheeseland’ (another great blog I am following) and I got intrigued. I just love how people connect with other inspiring and creative people through their blogs, thoughts and photos. It has been the THEME of my life recently. Seriously!

Carla’s website and facebook page are filled with inspiration. If you sign up for it, I can only guarantee some beautiful images and inspiring quotes on a daily basis. Oh, and of course, Carla’s Photography as well. She is an Ausie who lives in Paris and is married to an italian man. Sounds confusing? Not really when it has to do with such a creative and inspiring woman like her. I haven’t met Carla yet (and I say ‘yet’ because I really want to meet her) but something tells me she is very charismatic and energetic woman. She has been shooting Travel and Fashion stories for magazines such as Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue Entertaining and Traveling and more. When she is not traveling with her husband to Italy (one of her favorite destinations) she is shooting women in Paris. She has a series called ‘Midnight in Paris’ in which she offers a private shoot at night in Paris and another one ‘Paris Muse’, a private shoot in a chic hotel in Paris, including a hair and a make up artist which are part of Carla’s team. If I had known about it earlier, I would have booked a Paris Muse session myself, when I’ve celebrated my Birthday in Paris last month. (note to self for next time)

So without further ado, I’m really excited to have Carla as a guest blogger and sharing some of her travel images taken in her husband’s home town, Terlizzi in Puglia in the south of Italy, and share the little snaps of daily life in this untouristy town..

Thanks Carla!

Where are you from? I am from Sydney Australia although I grew up in the country of New South Wales and returned to the city as an adult.

Where did you photography? I studied photography in Florence Italy and loved it. I have since done further courses and workshops in Australia.

What made you want to learn it? It was the one thing I truly loved when I decided to leave my career behind. I felt as though photography was an accessible art and I didn’t realise at the time that it would be a great way to express my emotions. It taught me that what’s inside a photographer, comes out in their pictures.

If you weren’t a photographer what would you do? I think I would like to work in a garden. I am fascinated by nature and spend far too little time in natural surroundings (living in Paris) and now when I have the chance to get out of town I really feel the difference, it’s so soothing, beautiful, restorative and you can really feel the impact on your body and mind.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Inspiration comes from everything and anything, nature, old films, history, the seasons, a person, my mood, I think we just need to open our eyes and our hearts and inspiration is everywhere.

What do you mostly love shooting? I love shooting people and the little details of daily life. I have always had an obsession with washing, Madonnas and crinkly faces!! I never tire of the beauty of Italy.

How do you usually approach a new project?  Sometimes I put a lot of research into it and others I just jump in and start shooting and see where it takes me.

What are you working on right now? I am usually working on different projects at a time, so right now I am finishing the images for a book and I have started shooting portraits at night in Paris. I have always loved Europe at night, in particular Paris and there is something about being photographed at night that makes us look like we are in a movie. I recently started doing night portraits and to my surprise everybody wants one!

Window or Aisle? Aisle always! After travelling backwards and forwards from Europe to Australia I have realised that the window seat is like a prison and you only get to see the world for about 10 mins during take-off and 10 mins when you land. I love the freedom of the aisle.

Carla Coulson, Travel, Photography, Paris, Window or Aisle

Carla Coulson, Travel, Photography, Paris, Window or Aisle

Carla Coulson, Travel, Photography, Paris, Window or Aisle

Carla Coulson, Travel, Photography, Paris, Window or Aisle

Carla Coulson, Travel, Photography, Paris, Window or Aisle

Carla Coulson, Travel, Photography, Paris, Window or Aisle

Carla Coulson, Travel, Photography, Paris, Window or Aisle

Carla Coulson, Travel, Photography, Paris, Window or Aisle

Window or Aisle?

Window or Aisle: Tracy Zhang

June 27, 2012

Travel, Window or Aisle, Tracy Zhang

I often wonder what do people think about me when they see the title ‘Travel Photographer’ next to my name. People tend to think I’ve been running this jetset kind of life (sometimes it is true), living on suitcases (sometimes it takes me more than a week to unpack, just because I’m so busy with other things) or working for National Geographic (not yet). I must admit I had the same thoughts when I saw these two words next to Tracy Zhang‘s name.

Tracy commented on one of my posts few weeks ago, when I was featured in Dabble Magazine, and I got curious about her. I checked out her beautiful website and was so impressed by the number of places she has visited and shot. Some of them are on my ‘to-go’ list as well; Shanghai or Cuba to name a few. The more I looked into her website and blog, the more I got curious. And then I realized she is only 21! What a great portfolio for such a young age. I can’t even start to imagine where she few years from now! I can only say ‘World, Hold On!’ and see what Tracy has to offer.

Tracy is currently Traveling in North Europe. I managed to get hold of her to share some of her information and photographs while she was sitting in a cozy coffee-bar in Copenhagen on the canal. (Yes, can be the life of a Travel photographer). I’m really excited to feature Tracy today and I hope you enjoy same as I did.

Thanks Tracy!

Where are you from? I was born in Beijing China and lived there for 11 years before moving to Vancouver Canada with my parents. Sometimes I tell people I’m from Vancouver and other times I say I’m from Beijing. I have a Canadian passport but my roots are in Asia. Both places are unique and beautiful in their own right, and I consider both home.

Where did you study photography? I didn’t study photography in college or university. When I was in high school, I took a film photography course because I needed an Arts credit to graduate and I had heard that the teacher who taught the class gave very little homework. But that course was the pivotal point for me. Through it, I learned to develop my own negatives and positives, and became really interested in photography. I have been completely self-taught since.

What made you want to learn it?  At the time, the film photography course at my school was the last one  my high school ever taught, everything shifted to digital photography the year after. I took the course on a whim because I thought it would be an easy class, but I became hooked on photography because I loved being in the dark room. I used to spend hours in there, hunched over the enlarger and standing over the chemical trays. I was fascinated by the way the photographs would appear, almost out of nowhere, on the photo paper.

If you weren’t a photographer what would you do? I’ve always wanted to work in advertising and make creative and memorable ads, the kind they play in the Super Bowl and gets people talking. Well, I might still have time to change careers!

Where do you get your inspiration from? The places I travel to inspire me. Every destination is different, with its own mix of culture, food, and people. I try to open up all my senses to really soak up the essence of every place and incorporate that into my photographs.

How do you usually approach a new project?  My projects are usually location-based; I start with my own emotions and thoughts toward the place. This usually happens at my hotel room or in a local coffee shop. I need solitude for this. I think about how I feel about my destination, usually writing a few words down to remind myself. These words then become the central theme of that project and my starting point.

What are you working on right now? Prior to this year, I was still shooting portraits and fashion. Since I transitioned into travel photography exclusively only earlier this year, I’m working on getting more of my travel photography work seen, which involves traveling a lot and then finding time in between to edit my work and get it out to editors. I just spent a month traveling through China and I’m making my way through Scandinavia right now. I’ll be working on getting more work from these trips out to publications in the coming months.

Window or Aisle? Window, always. You never know what might be out there.

Travel, Photography, Tracy Zhang

Travel, Photography, Tracy Zhang

Travel, Photography, Tracy Zhang

Travel, Photography, Tracy Zhang

Travel, Photography, Tracy Zhang

Travel, Photography, Tracy Zhang

Travel, Photography, Tracy Zhang

Travel, Photography, Tracy Zhang

Window or Aisle?

Window or Aisle: Juliette Charvet

June 12, 2012

window or Aisle, Travel, Portraits

I know Juliette for over a year now.

We first met in a Food Photography’s weekend class at ICP. I think we both had the same camera (Nikon D90) and we worked together on some assignments. Since then we made it as a habit to meet each other once in a while, ALWAYS  in a Le Pain Quotidien somewhere in the city (I think we almost covered all the branches in NY) and catch up about our recent or up-coming travels plans or the photography projects we both have in line. (yes, these images of mine were taken by Juliette during one of our Summer Session over a drink in the Lower East Side)

I think it was because of Juliette that I got the courage to travel by myself to Vietnam, as Juliette used to live in Hanoi few years ago. And maybe she got the idea to visit Tokyo because of my recent trip there. In any case, I find Juliette a vibrant photographer who is passionate about travel as much as I do. For my column Window or Aisle, Juliette chose to focus on Black and White portraits; ‘I thought it would add a B&W touch to your blog -haha!- and also thought it would be nice to show that travel photography is also about portraits and how you can travel even in your own neighborhood’ she wrote me, and I couldn’t agree more.

As I write these words I happen to be in Paris, waiting for Juliette’s first exhibit to kick in. The exhibit ‘NY Figures’ will be showing on June 14 till July 28 in Le Village Royal. If you happen to be in Paris on that time, don’t miss Juliette’s exhibition.

Thanks Juliette!

Where are you from? I am a French photographer. I grew up in France and I now live in New York.

Where did you study photography ? Like a lot of photographers I guess, I learned the fundamentals of photography from my father. I studied journalism and in 2001, I traveled to Beirut and perfected my skills at the news agency AFP’s photo service. This is where I learned how to shoot digital. Since I moved to New York, more than 7 years ago, I have been involved with the International Center of Photography, first as a student and now as a Teachers’ Assistant.

What made you want to learn it? I have always wanted to catch and frame certain moments, faces, looks and situations. It’s when I traveled to the US for the first time as a teenager, that I first realized that photography could allow me to take a step back and a certain distance with reality. By taking a picture I could literally “freeze” my surroundings.

If you weren’t a photographer, what would you do? I would be a wine maker and oenologist, maybe in the South of France or in Italy. I LOVE wine!

Where do you get your inspiration from? I get my inspiration from the places I travel to. Different people, atmospheres, lights, streets, landscapes, architecture, that make each place unique. That’s what I try to capture.

How do you usually approach a new project?   For me, the usual approach is to look at my environment with wonderment and to let me get “surprised” by a subject, a situation, an idea. Then I start working from there.

What are you working on right now? I am completing a series called ‘Faces of the Lower East Side’. It’s a series of portraits I started to shoot last summer in my neighborhood, the lower east side of manhattan. I have been leaving in this neighborhood  for 7 years and have been witnessing the recent evolution of the neighborhood. Gentrification is slowly forcing out low-income families of all ethnic backgrounds. One day I realized that the deli down my building was closed and that I won’t see the Pakistani owner and his nice face any more. That is when I decided to start this series, in order to document my neighbors, the people who live on my block, in my street, who are the faces of the Lower East Side. Taking these pictures make me travel in my own neighborhood. It is a journey through places and time: people from Cuba, Porto Rico, Jewish people, Chinese, young hipsters…

Window or Aisle?  Window definitely! I want to see what is going on down under. But you don’t want to seat next to me as I will constantly go back and forth, I can not seat still in a plane! I am too impatient and cannot wait to arrive to the next place.

window or aisle, Travel, Juliette Charvet

Window or Aisle?

Window or Aisle: Margarida Girao

June 6, 2012

Travel, Bahamas, Nassua

I don’t remember exactly how did my contact with Margarida start or who friended who on facebook, but one day I found myself staring at her website and my jaw almost reached the floor. It took me less than five minutes to email her and tell her how much I love her work, and how much I hope that one day we would collaborate together. Her ability to create such colorful, crazy and creative collages (all start with C) is really admirable, and only after few email exchanges and sharing some thoughts and ideas, I came to realize that her personality is very aligned with her work; colorful, creative and crazy in a good way. So of course I kept nagging Margarida to collaborate and use some of my photography as a background to her illustrations and I’m glad she finally did. I asked her to answer some of my questions while she is touring South America for few months now. (and I’m actually in Lisbon when this post is due)

Where are you from? I’m from Portugal.  I was raise in Sertã, a small country village. I finished High-School in Coimbra, which is known as a University city and I graduated in Aveiro, the Venice of Portugal. For the last few years I’ve been living in Lisbon, and now I’m traveling through South America.

Where did you study graphic design? I didn’t study graphic design, or any type of design. I always wanted to be a journalist and an artist. While I was doing the exams to enter the University, I realized I made the wrong decision in High School and instead of Latin, I should have studied something else. I had to say Good Bye to Journalism, and welcome New Communication Technologies. Computers, Digital Communication and Project Management instead. And I liked it.

What made you want to learn it? When I was a teenager, I though I could be an artist without studying and I wanted to have a second job. (I couldn’t have 10 jobs = 10 universities at the same time.)  So I made the choice of saving the world through writing articles as journalist. And by the way, in Sertã, where I was studying, there wasn’t Art as a subject in school, so I didn’t really have much choice.

If you weren’t a graphic designer/illustrator what would you do? Definitely not a journalist. I know that the previous mistake I did, actually turned out for good; As Communication is a multi-discipline world, and that’s what I do, even in illustrations: I communicate. So basically I do what I want to do,  and if I want to do another thing I will do it.

where do you get your inspiration from? Magazines, nature, books, music and music, and emotions.

How do you usually approach a new project?  Usually while I am listening to music. My body and emotions react to some melodies and sounds, and I get new ideas I can do more research on. I know it might sound weird but the ‘problem’ is that my brain never stops, and I get many ideas, mainly while listening to music.

What are you working on right now? I’m traveling so I am learning a lot of new things. I have a folder in my desk with new ideas to study and work on. All are illustrations’ ideas, but I want to put them on paper and some digital platforms. I have an exhibition in Lisbon these days, in which I try to build a visual identity of Lisbon through the garbage found in the streets of the neighborhoods. I think it might be an on going project that I will continue in other cities I will live in. It is not an easy process; It requires picking up trash from the streets and containers and cataloging the trash by neighborhoods, shooting each element separately and then all together.  Afterwards I create art pieces with the garbage, which gives a new meanings to it, and finally relating each piece with the photos taken.

I also want to continue with advertising and with magazines, and I want to work with animation and TV production, and maybe getting back to school. And of course, seven month of traveling! I want to use my travel experiences as a theme of my Art.

Window or Aisle? When I fly I prefer only aisle, but when I’m taking the bus, than I prefer window.

Travel, The Bahamas

Travel, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Travel, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Window or Aisle?

Window or aisle: Peter Zullo

May 30, 2012

Window or Aisle? is a new column on my Travel blog, in which I feature some of my colleagues and people I meet either on-line or off-line. People with whom I have at least one thing in common: The love of Traveling.

With some of them I was working in the past or collaborated on some projects, some I met through my travels and we were just shooting the breeze and shooting what was around us. With some, I know I would love to collaborate somehow somewhere in the near future.

My first guest is a good friend of mine, Peter Zullo, a photographer from Bologna, Italy. I first met Peter in a photography class we both took at ICP during the winter semester. As quiet and shy Peter was at first, his pictures really blew me away. Especially his on going project Bologna Specular Reflections which spread out to other cities in Italy and New York as well. I met Peter again when I traveled to Florence last October and we shot together in Venice. I was looking for Laundry shots and Peter was looking for Reflections (yep, that’s me in the picture above)

I’m really happy to introduce you to Peter’s work and have him answer some of my questions. Thanks Peter!

Where are you from? I’m italian. I live in Bologna.

Where did you study photography? I have studied photography for the last fifteen years and have attended courses and seminars with professional photographer both in Spazio Labò (Bologna) and in ICP (NYC).

What made you want to learn it?  I was very disappointed by the pictures I took during my first trip in the West of the USA. So I decided I should improve my skill. Since then, I continued studying and taking pictures of people and places while traveling.

If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be? A teacher

Where do you get your inspiration from? Famous photographers (like Steve McCurry), Italian photographers I met (like Giulio Di Meo www.giuliodimeo.it) and talented colleagues. But I think my greatest inspiration are people. I’m a great observer and  I try to shoot people and the places around them.

How do you usually approach a new project? I try to keep my mind open. Usually the result is really different from the first idea. My “Specular Reflections” series should have been a project about all kindS of reflections. After a few weeks of shoots I realized I could do something more specific and unusual.

What are you working on right now? I’m working on a couple of projects of social photography in Bologna. And I’m ready for my next trip: Berlin

Window or Aisle seat?  I can’t sleep on airplane flights. I spend my time organizing my pictures and admiring the landscape. The world seen from an airplane is so quiet and amazing. No doubt. Window.

Window or Aisle?

Paris for the Advanced Users

May 23, 2011

paris, travel, france

My first visit to Paris was actually a mad chase after all the touristic attractions and the ‘must-see’, ‘must-go’, ‘must-do’ places: I saw the Tour Eiffel sparkling at night, walked along the Champs-Élysées, all the way to Arc de Triomphe , climbed the steep streets of the Montmartre and sighed when I saw the beauty of the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. I paid a visit to the old cemetery of Montparnasse and looked for Jean Paul Sartre and Samuel Beckett’s graves. I Photographed the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, along with hundreds of people, searched for the old synagogue in Le Marais and drank coffee in the famous Café de Flore in  Boulevard Saint-Germain. I visited Centre Pompidou and for shopping I went to Gallery Lafayette. If this was not enough, I also French kissed while looking over the Notre Dame.

All of this happened twelve years ago, when I visited Paris by myself for the first time and indulged myself in the touristic Parisian days and night. I was a student on summer break. What did I know….

Arc de Triumph, Paris, France, Travel

But my second and third visits to Paris were completely different. I was already a ‘well-travelled’ person who is more curious about how the locals live than how the tourists spend their days and I did so many other things. I called these visit ‘Paris for the Advanced Users’. Paris for the Advanced Users is for those who had already been to Paris at least once — and for those who prefer discovering a city while taking the side streets and not following the touristic path.

If you are an advance user, or want to be one, here are few places worth checking.

La Butte aux Cailles: A small Parisian neighborhood, located on the hills of the 13th Arrondissement. The neighborhood was originally a fenced village outside Paris that was annexed to the city in 1860. It is characterized by mostly small, low-rise buildings in an Art Nouveau style, similar to the traditional buildings in northern France and Russia.

Some of the buildings have small courtyards, which are open to the public during daylight hours and locked after dark. The uniqueness of this neighborhood is characterized by its narrow streets and cobblestone roads around small squares, which once served as a central meeting place in the village. In Place Paul Verlaine you can find an active and natural spring water source; you can even drink from it and it also serves as a natural source of water to the other fountains in the neighborhood’s courtyards. The neighborhood that once was inhabited by working-class people, has now become extremely popular among young artists, and it attracts wealthy residents who appreciate the charm and the artistic non-metropolitan atmosphere of the place. If you are not looking for touristic attractions, then this is the place for you.

You should visit the neighborhood in the afternoon, walk around the galleries and the courtyards and end your evening at a local restaurant bustling with Parisians of all ages, and where waiters don’t know a word of English.

Directions: Get off the Metro line 6 at Corvisart and go up the Rue des Cinq Diamants until getting to the heart of the neighborhood at Rue de la Butte aux Cailles.

BNF: Bibliothèque Nationale de France: The National Library of France is located in Tolbiac area in the 13th Arrondissement as well. It is considered the largest and most important library in France. The original location was in Rue de Richelie in the 2nd Arrondissement from 1720 until it was moved to the current site, (also called the Francois Mitterrand site) in 1996. Mitterrand gave the library a legal status of public institution in 1988 and turned it into one of the most important and advanced libraries in the world.

The site consists of four towers; Tower School, Tower Court, Wind Tower and Tower Time, and its architecture resembles a book holder and — when seen from above — it resembles an open book. The quantity of the books is immense; 10 million documents and writings, spread over an area of over 420 miles of bookshelves. Visiting the library is both an architectural and intellectual experience. It is worth paying the fee to get into the reading rooms and see the interior of the building. The site is even more spectacular and impressive in the evening, when the buildings are lit up.

Directions: Get off the Metro line 14 at Bibliotheque Fr . Mitterrand.

Place de la Nation: A square, situated on the border between the 11th and the 12 Arrondissements, has a great monument of Marion, one of the national symbols of the French Republic, as she stands on the globe in a carriage drawn by lions. The monument, which symbolizes the triumph of the Republic, was established to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The adjacent streets will lead you to a colorful area with walls covered in frequently changing graffiti.

Directions: Get off the Metro line 6 at Nation.

Place de la Nation, Graffiti, Paris, France, Travel

Place de la Nation, Graffiti, Paris, France, Travel

Place de la Nation, Graffiti, Paris, France, Travel

Place de la Nation, Graffiti, Paris, France, Travel

Ecole Nationale supérieure des Beaux Arts: The National Superior School of Art, also called ‘The Bazar of Paris’, is considered one of the world’s most prestigious schools for art. It is located on rue Bonaparte, in the middle of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district, which is filled with art galleries, furniture stores and interior design studios. There is no better place for the school to be located; if the students ever need an inspiration, they can always cross the Seine and head straight to the Louvre.

The school was established in 1648 and includes a complex of four buildings around a courtyard patio dotted with sculptures. Although the school entrance is reserved for students and faculty members only, you can get an organized tour with a guide from the school on Mondays. It is a great and fascinating way to absorb art that’s a little bit different than going to a museum.

Directions: Get off the Metro line 12 at Rue du Bac and continue until you get to Rue de L’ Universite. Turn right until you reach the intersection of Rue Bonaparte. Entrance is at number 14.

Paris, France, Travel,

Canal Saint Martin: Canal Saint Martin is a combination of the old Paris and the new one. There are many little cafe’s along the canal next to small boutiques and local galleries. In sunny days you can find the local Parisians rolling up their sleeves or pants and getting a sun tan on the sidewalks while having lunch outdoors. The canal was carved out between 1822 and 1825 at the request of Napoleon the first, to provide the people of Paris with drinking water. With time, this canal has become one of the most romantic spots in the city, with planted banks and narrow foot bridges that might remind you how Paris used to be. Don’t miss Pâtisserie de l’Eglise Demoncy, an old pâtisserie opened in 1887, which served few Parisians generations with chocolates, Éclairs and tartlets.

Directions: Get off the Metro line 5, 9, 11 at Republique or 4, 5, 7 at Gare de Lest. 

Canal st Martin, Paris, France, Travel

Canal st Martin, Paris, France, Travel

Canal st Martin, Paris, France, Travel

More places worth visiting:

Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation: A must for those who love photography. Apart from Cartier-Bresson’s exhibit, there are three different changing exhibits throughout the year.

Museum Nissim de Komondo: One of the most luxurious private houses of the early 20th century, it belonged to a Parisian banker who was an avid collector of furniture and artifacts from the 19th century.

Cite Internationale Universitaire: Residence of foreign students, who come to study in Paris, from over 140 countries. Sometimes the dorms are more interesting than the class halls.

Window or Aisle?

Back to Tel Aviv for a Minute

May 20, 2011

One shot of espresso and the rest is extra foam. 4 times a day. sliced lebanese vegetable salad, Neve Tzedek, Dalal cafe, Suzanna for lunch. Rotschild Boulevard, Montifiori Boutique hotel, Breakfast club, Pomelo. Salty cookies of Abadi. Beta cafe, The Carmel Market, Lulu cafe in Basel street on a Friday afternoon. The outdoor half Olympic pool at the Tel Aviv university. Little black dress, Abu Gosh’s humus, Jaffa flea market. A note and a prayer at the Wailing wall. Black high heels shoes of Shoemaker. Florentine, Alenby 99. Braserie, Leonardo hotel, cafe-cafe, c-cafe, Siatra sea and sun. The corner cafe in Masrik square. Tea with mint, tea without mint, Meyumana dance show, printing big sized prints for my gallery show ‘Next Stop Manhattan’. Breakfast at the seaport, Dinner at the seaport. Vanilia ice cream in Yehuda Maccabi street. A show in the Kamery theater, Mom’s dinners on a Friday night. Dad’s cooking on Saturday’s lunches. Noya’s Moroccan Fish, Body lotion of Laline, 3 books for the price of 1. One master card to pay for it all.and be back to Tel Aviv, even just for a minute…Priceless.

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Tel Aviv, Israel, Summer, travel, polaroids

Window or Aisle?

Six Days in Paris

May 20, 2011

Visiting Serge Gainsbourg at Montparnasse old cemetery, eating baguette and French cheese on a bench in Jardin du Luxembourg, the Pantheon, Odeon, The Sorbonne. Chocolate Nutella, Picard frozen food, Diptyque perfume at 34 Bulevard Saint Germain. Running along the seine river, waking up to the sound of bells of the Notre Dame, standing in a long line to get into the Notre Dame. White blue stripped shirt, Taking the Metro instead of the Subway, Climbing to the Montmartre in a late afternoon and watching the sun goes down. Chocolate bliss at Un Dimanche a Paris, Chocolats rive gauche and at Maison Larnicol. Manet exhibit at Musees d’Orsay, Claude Monet village at Giverny, cafe de Flore at St Germain des Pres, getting lost in the little streets of St. Germain des Pres. Eiffel Tower after midnight. Patisserie, Brasserie, standing in line on a Sunday morning outside the local Boulangerie. The mythological store Laduree. Rue de Rivoli, Jardin des Tuileries, designing stores such as Colette and Merci. La Defense. Beautiful boutiques at Rue St. Honore, Lunch at Printemps rooftop, Macarons at Hugo and Victor, Maison de Victor Hugo, Gallery Lafayette shoe searching. Walking around Musee de Louvre, Jewish restaurant at Le Marais. Pink doors at Fauchon, Butter cake in Poilane bakery. Getting the last pair of Pretty Ballerina shoes, getting chocolate ice cream at Ile de la Cite, buying so many soaps of Le Petit Marseillais, Watching the new Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris” while being in Paris and doing all the above with a charming French Photographer….Priceless!

Window or Aisle?

A picture is worth a 1000 words

May 16, 2011

Travel, Buenos Aires, Argentina, San Telmo

“The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is the difference between living fully and just existing”

San Telmo Market, Buenos Aires, February 2011

Another image from San Telmo Market on a Sunday, where all Street performers are out in the streets promoting themselves or promoting a show. I was visiting San Telmo that morning with two other friends. At a certain point we decided to split for an hour or two and everyone went to her own direction. I was walking around the side streets of this crowded -buzzing area on a Sunday when I saw this timeless character who was promoting a Tango show while he was playing the main character. I must admit that at first I wasn’t really that curious to photograph him, as I thought to myself I would see more of his kinds along the street. But there was something in his gesture and humble eyes and maybe a slight of a begging look, that made me take a picture. When he realized I was about to take his picture, he stood straight and still and looked directly to my camera, as he was already ‘trained’ to be photographed. Only when I got back to my hotel and edited the photos, I realized how powerful and engaging his image was. So engaging that it got me a cover on one of the travel magazines in Israel.