The Streets of Paris through the Lens of My Camera
Article and Photos by Laura Mittelman
My best days in Paris were when I explored the city through the lens of my camera, as my Digital Photography course this fall fostered my love for street photography. At first, when my professor explained that I would have to take pictures of people throughout the city without asking, I was incredibly nervous, as I am a naturally shy individual. As a result, I was uncomfortable with my camera. I always wanted to capture images that encapsulated an in-the-moment emotion or interaction between individuals; however, I did not know how to accomplish this without my subjects noticing me. I would get flustered when attempting to capture a moment, and adjust my camera’s focus and shutter speed imperfectly, which resulted in lower-quality images. Often, I was approached by individuals asking why I was taking their photos and questioning me with a discerning facial expression. However, after some time, being rejected by individuals who preferred not to have their photos taken became fuel for my craft and motivated me to continue seeking the perfect subjects and compositions.
My camera lens helped me to discover my more personal and unconventional love for Paris. I felt that walking the city tirelessly for street photography illuminated an undiscovered character of still life that is often invisible within the animation and movement of city life.
When initially brainstorming my final project, I knew that I wanted to focus on street photography, but I was unsure how to make the project my own: how I was going to take a unique approach to capture authentically animated moments in the streets of Paris. After visiting the Vivian Maier exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg this fall, I was inspired by her profound ability to depict unscripted human emotion and interaction. I wanted to achieve a similar emotion-provoking set of images for my project, yet, as I dove deeper into my photographic practice, I discovered my particular intrigue with individual emotions. I mostly enjoyed capturing an individual’s portrait from the fly-on-the-wall perspective, illuminating my subject’s spontaneous facial expressions. With this project, I strived to capture fractions of seconds that communicate specific emotions and allow the viewer to feel exactly what the subjects in my photos are feeling. As the photographer, I was also curious about capturing the relationship between my subjects and myself through an image that reveals their connection with me through their facial expression, eye contact, and body language.
In addition to street portraiture, I continued to be inspired by Vivian Maier’s photography and also strove to capture interpersonal encounters of moments that are pure and evoke emotion. Overall, my final project aimed to create a comprehensive study of human emotion and interaction, both with me and with each other.