Exploring a Love of Photography in Paris
17th November 23
This academic term, our Sixth Form photography classes went to Paris on a three day trip. There, they explored and developed their techniques all while enjoying the scenery and opportunities that Paris offered.
“After waking at 5am and hopping on the Euro Star, we arrived at Gare du Nord. After dropping off our luggage, we went to the Museum of European Photography and saw an exhibition by Dutch photographer Vivianne Sasson. Next, we went to Paris Photo which was very enjoyable – slightly tiring but worth it because we ended the night with a well-deserved dinner and watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle.
On Saturday morning, we walked along the canal to the photography bookstore Artazart, where some of us bought books. After, we made our way to the Père Lachaise Cemetery. I enjoyed this a lot as the sun came out for the first time on our trip and the cemetery was a very peaceful and beautiful place to be in and to walk around.
One of the highlights was meeting photographer Todd Hido on a book signing barge. We were all very excited to get his signature and Cliff was very pleased to get a book signed by him! After the book signing, we walked to the Latin quarter – Saint Germain des Pres – where some of us bought some souvenirs or crepes. Next, we went back to the hostel where we got freshened up for dinner in a beautiful small French restaurant. We finished the night with getting our tripods out and did a long exposure night time workshop along the canal.
In the morning of Sunday before we returned home, we went to the flea market, Porte des Vanves, where we spent the rest of our euros.
Overall, it’s safe to say everyone on the trip had an amazing time and still wish we were there now. Cliff, Clara and Julian were the perfect teachers to have with us, they managed to balance both organisation and fun and it resulted in us all (including the teachers) having a lot of fun and being very productive with our photography work.”
