Paris by Night

Kandra James

Nov 16, 20182 min read

The most visited city in the world.

There is something to be said about the mystique of Paris, France. While there are many, many fabulous locations to visit, Paris remains that city which so many sojourn. I am one of those persons.

I remember being a child who would look at maps for hours. I was always curious about other places, other things happening in those places and what were the people like in these places. My first cognizant awareness of Paris, France was in the third grade when I saw two movies which even today, remain my all-time favorites. Both were Audrey Hepburn movies: "Sabrina", 1954 and "Charade", 1963.

Notice the LV Steamer next to her on the floor, 1963.

The storylines were intriguing. However, I also remember being fixated with the clothes. Many of the clothes were Givenchy, which is quintessential Parisian.

I will never forget the scene from Charade when she returns from a skiing weekend in the Swiss Alps to find her apartment is empty and, all she has left is the Louis Vuitton luggage (again, quintessential Parisian) that she has with her. That scene marked the catalyst of my curiosity with fashion from more than just a perspective of wanting to wear it. This began my life long curiosity with vintage (although at nine years old, I don’t think that I knew it was called vintage). But more importantly, I was captivated by the buildings in the background. Those buildings were Paris.

Parisian architecture is distinct. Every time that I have been to the city, I return home with hundreds, sometimes thousands of pictures and, 50% of theme are of the buildings. The Haussmann style Parisian design was specifically intended to do just what it does: define a city as somewhere unlike any other city in the world that serves up a mystical, magnetic, indescribable sensation of wonder, curiosity and lux.

Or, at least it does for me.

My favorite time to walk through the city is at night. There are fewer tourists and I can get unobstructed vantage points of images. Because the “City of Lights” is so very well-lit at night, my images tend to come out well, allowing me to practice my night photography skills. The well-lit streets also make me feel safe walking aimlessly. I also think the pick-pockets have gone inside due to the lack of tourists. This heightens my sense of security (or at least that is what I tell myself).