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And now we’re back home, back on the eastern standard time, back to the small wonder of Delaware. I miss Paris already. I miss the convenience of being able to walk down the street and grab a crepe. I miss the fashion that you couldn't see anywhere else. I miss being surrounded by art and artists. I miss hanging out with a great group of people everyday, and never running out of things to do. I am forever grateful for this experience, it’s truly one I won't forget. Thank you for making this trip great!

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Documentary Photography

I focused on flea market tables in Paris and Amsterdam. I found it interesting what people found valuable enough to sell, and what others found interesting enough to buy. From close up they remind me of I-spy games.

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Fashion Photography

Instead of fashion shows and finished products I decided to focus on the in the process part of fashion. PAA has an amazing program and the studio in which they work is also beautiful, these photos are just some of the things I saw while up there.

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Food Photography

For this project I chose to focus on bakery windows and displays. I work in a bakery in Newark, where we’re lucky if we put a poster on the window, we don't focus as much on our window displays as the French do. I found it interesting to look at and I might even encourage my bakery to add some.

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While I did wake up sick this morning, and the bus ride was no help for that, I had an amazing time at Champagne. I really understand why you make it a point to visit on every trip. Getting out of the city was nice for a change, and it was even better seeing the countryside covered in snow, something I do miss from Delaware. Although I’m still not entirely sure I understand the whole process, despite being told it twice, I sure am grateful that champagne becomes what it is down in those mold filled cellars because it is delicious. 

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We really turned out for the opera, and it appears we were the only ones. Its a bit awkward when you are in an expensive dress and heels and everyone around you is in jeans and tee shirts, but nonetheless we looked good. We sat up in the nosebleeds for the first act, and boy oh boy are those seats uncomfortable. My favorite part of the first act was definitely when Abel just showed up with a giant sack of fake blood and them popped it, Mathea and I were cracking up the entire time. For the second act we all got relocated down to the orchestra section, much better seats. However the plot of the opera really lost me at this point, I blinked once and suddenly the whole stage was filled with children. 

While I might not have understood the opera it sure was a one in a lifetime experience and I had a great time getting dolled up with everyone, and an even better time walking home in the snow in heels. 

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Ij Hallen flea market in Amsterdam NL

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Away in Amsterdam. 

Staying on the boat was a one in a lifetime experience, and I’m super glad we splurged for it. It was much better than staying at a hotel, or a regular apartment airbnb. I feel like it gave us a more authentic experience. 

I wish we had planned more. I wish I had done research. I wish I was more prepared. We had a very relaxed weekend away in Amsterdam, which don't get me wrong, was amazing. But I left thinking we could have done more, used our time more wisely, and really made the most of our time there. I often feel like I have to be the one to plan things, and figure out how we get there, and what we are doing. We only really had one activity planned, and it was great, but we spent most of our time wandering around in the cold and the rain trying to figure out what to do and where to go, which to me feels like a waste. I often have to be the one to plan things with my friends at home, which isn't the biggest deal when its a day trip into NYC, but when its every day for a month it gets tiring. 

I feel conflicted because I know that if I figure it all out then things will get done, and I will get to do the things I want, but it would be really nice to not have any responsibility for a little bit. 

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markets and colors

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Fashion week came and went in a flash. For our first show I was incredibly nervous, the thought of being responsible for dressing a model, being the reason they could potentially not walk in the show if I messed up, and being surrounded by high fashion individuals who knew they were better than me, was very frightening. After getting over my nerves from the first show, the rest became easier. While it was very interesting to see all of the clothes, and being that up close, I wish we were able to watch one or two more shows instead of dressing more. One thing I really didn't enjoy was the Rick Owens showroom, while I don't want to get into it here, I will say that that experience put me off from fashion, and working with industries and designers, I went into our last show, arguably the best collection we saw, with the negative mindset from the day before. The whole experience was rough, but it sure was discovery learning. 

Fashion week was an incredible sight to see, and I'm glad I got to be part of such an amazing experience, it will definitely be something I’ll brag about for years to come.

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When better to visit a cemetery than on a cold and rainy afternoon? The cemeteries in France are some of the most impressive I've ever seen, not that I spend a lot of my time in cemeteries. I can't even begin to count how many people are buried there, especially since each mausoleum is supposed to hold multiple people. This particular century is in Montmartre, it’s the final resting place of Degas, and the inventor of the saxophone, Adolf Sax. It also happens to be home to a few dozen stay cats, who we stopped to say hi to. 

The cemetery is also near Moulin Rouge. For me, this was a must see. Even though we didn't see a show, and only walked past the building, I still loved every second of it. Not only is it an awesome piece of history, as being one of the biggest nightclubs in Paris at the turn of the century, but the film by Baz Luhrmann has to be mentioned, simply because it is one of my favorites. While this was a freezing day, and seemingly uneventful, the activities we did were really fun, in a low key way. I feel like we often do so much so quickly that I don't get time to just appreciate everything, but today, taking it slow, I really had the time to soak it all in. We spent the whole day up on Montmartre, just taking our time, hanging out. 

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A visit to Versailles.

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After a quick stop for coffee, the yellow vest protesters made they're way down our street. We chose not to leave because as far as we could tell they were peaceful. It’s was incredibly interesting to see the range of people marching, from the elderly to children, everyone was out marching for what they believed in. In a country that was born on revolution, seeing it happen in real time is very exciting. I did a bit of research and as it turns out, the yellow vests have recently been recognized as a political party, and will gain spot in parent, also many of the larger political parties in France have accepted higher up leaders from the movement on to their own ballots. While many will be upset that the protests “ruined” their weekend, they miss out on realizing that they are watching history change right before their eyes. 

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This photo is from the exhibit at the Henri Cartier- Bresson foundation, and it resonated with me a lot. The little girl, showing interest in art, in a museum setting, on her own (from what we can see in the frame). It makes my heart soar.

I know I've mentioned this before but I love museums. I want to work in museum education, creating programs to get museum visitors more involved in what they're seeing. I want to make people as excited about museums as I am. Being here, and being surrounded by so many museums, and seeing so much art that I wouldn't get the chance to back home is really making this experience incredible. Theres a certain serenity that appears when you're standing in front of an amazing work of art or artifact and you hear all of the people around you also in amazement. Im a huge nerd for museums, but what place better to be than Paris? 

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The Pompidou was amazing. So much art, and I could see and appreciate all of it! I've spent the last few days wondering if its worth it to go back to the Louvre, its cheaper than most museums in the United States, and has so much more to offer, but is it worth a whole other day I could spend somewhere else? I would like to plan out the rest of my time here so I know just what I'm doing, and what I'm missing out on. We are already halfway through the trip. Two weeks down, only two to go. So far I feel fulfilled with my time here, I think that's the first time I've ever said that about any experience I’ve ever had. 

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Very big shoutout to this beautiful girl who let me photograph her today in between our photoshoots. I’ve never worked with photographing people before so this was a very fun experience, and one I hope to do more. Each day I'm here I wish I had a real camera instead of just my phone, but only to photograph the city, I don't hav much use for a true camera at home, but maybe if I had one I would start to use one. This class has so far been a great experience to learn about an art form I knew nothing about

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Theres a first time for everything, and one of those things is crying in Paris. Today we went to the Louvre. a dream come true for me. However dreams and reality are very different. There are two major works that I would give anything to see in the Louvre, David’s Oath of the Horatii, and Ingres’s Grande Odalisque. Both of these paintings are in room 702, which happens to be the only room in the entire Denon wing that is being renovated, closed completely. A major disappointment, but I wasn't going to let that ruin the rest of my museum experience. There was still a whole wing of French art to see. 

Unfortunately, that entire wing, as well as the entrance to the third wing, are closed on Mondays, and inaccessible without leaving, and reentering the building, which we could not do, because we lacked physical tickets. 

One of the things I came all this way to see, which I will likely never get the chance to see again, is inaccessible. It was so frustrating and incredibly disappointing, The entire night before our trip I looked into what rooms all my favorite works were in, I spent hours locating them all only to be told I couldn't see them. I got my hope up, and it was subsequently crushed all within maybe 2 hours in this massive museum. I did shed a few tears in the bathroom.