Saturday
Jul272013
A Paris Neighborhood Close-Up: Place des Abbesses
07.27.2013 
Welcome to Paris Play's first slideshow post.
While I was traveling last week, tracing my mother's ancestral roots in Norway (more on that to come), Richard was in a five-day photography workshop presented here in Paris by Magnum Photos and its legendary photographer Patrick Zachmann.
One fruit of Richard's labors, a six-minute-and-thirty-second slide show, which you can watch by clicking the link below.
In Richard's words:
Patrick Zachmann’s assignment for me: to discover one small piece of Paris for four days, with one camera (Nikon D7000) and one lens (10-24 zoom).
I chose Place des Abbesses, in a working‐class but gentrifying neighborhood on the slope of Montmartre, with its own chaos‐causing tourist attraction, the Je t'aime wall; its resident homeless population; a slew of buskers; and its cafés and shops to service all.
Please click to enjoy our Place des Abbesses slideshow.
Reader Comments (15)
Gorgeous, humorous (loved the man that seems to have a pole up his butt, and the graffiti man that says "Bouh!"), engaging — and to have that much busy, joyful, puzzling humanity at your fingertips.....wow. I understand why you made this move: that, over your fantabulous beach view, good as it was.
Do miss having you around the corner, though.........
richard...an incredible job of photographing life in a village of paris. i feel i lived it with you. many many mercis for the journey.
Anna:
Many thanks. The man with the pole was a hard-working barkeep at seven a.m., doing the heavy lifting. He could have been saying "bouh!" too.
Paris' neighborhoods are all enchanting and all different. And these photos are all in only one block. The photo possibilities are endless.
Much love,
Kaaren and Richard
JT:
We are honored by your praise. Someday we'll come and watch you for four days in your houseboat community, and do another essay.
Much love,
Kaaren and Richard
Great portrayal of a neighborhood. I loved the wall of languages and the people who so strongly evinced their cultural background.
Merci, Varya,
That je t'aime wall really makes people happy.
Love,
Kaaren and Richard
Beautiful photos of life in a neighborhood.
Great work Richard.
I am touched in particular with choice of black and white, which seems to add a dimension that speaks to the soul.
I love the Love wall and the handstand, reminds me of the kid inside. I enjoyed the show, thanks for sharing.
Thank you, sister Ann!
Love,
Kaaren and Richard
Mike, thank you.
I so prefer black and white to color. I find color distracts from what's really going on in the image. One's eye is drawn to primary colors, and large blocks (or even small) of color, and away from what the photographer wants you to see. There are times when color works, but in the main, I'm on the side of B&W enthusiasts.
Many hugs,
Richard (and Kaaren)
Thank you, Richard. Well done.
I particularly love the one of the bottle.
Love ya,
Bruce Moody
Thank you, Bruce.
It's being filled at a Wallace fountain, one of many erected from 1872 as a gift to Parisians from the British Francophile and Paris resident Richard Wallace.
In the wake of the Franco-Prussian war, and the Paris Commune, water prices were skyrocketing, so Parisians were turning instead to wine, which was cheaper. Wallace, a teetotaler, was aghast, so he designed these cast iron "temperance fountains," commissioned an architect to refine the model, and had them erected all over Paris, with the city's permission.
There are four different models, but the version with four caryatids, done in a soft green to blend in with the parks, is the most famous.
Many still stand today, serving the needs of the thirsty, but particularly of poor and homeless people.
À votre santé,
Richard and Kaaren
I was enthralled. Is Richard selling any prints of his photographs?
The young homeless, Roma looking woman smiling into the lens stirred my imagination - as though I was Gabriel arriving to announce that she is with child - A Hail Mary if ever I saw one.
Thank you, Jackson.
She was a sweetie. And was paid for her modeling. We often pay folks who can use the money. And she was delighted to receive a print two days later.
As for buying photos, look in your e-mail box soon. We're going to do a PDF photography chapbook of eight of these pictures. We'll send the notice this week. People can pay $5 to Paypal, and we'll send a link to download a high resolution PDF of the photos that people can print out on any paper they choose, thus own copies of the photo.
Much love,
Kaaren and Richard
K & R,
Your love of humanity and our diversity is precious. That love comes through in these photos. And, when I thought your photography couldn't get any better, these photos are more artful than ever.
Thank you.
Love,
Marguerite