Decisive Reflex: Photostories
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Muslim bride Fatme Kichukova had her makeup applied in Ribnovo, Bulgaria, Sunday. The remote village has kept the tradition alive, despite decades...
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Why I don’t like taking public transportation
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Eiffel (AKA Where I’d rather be every day)
At 31 years old, I’m so lucky to still be able to show up, unannounced, at my grandmother’s house for a spontaneous meatloaf sandwich. Her tuna melts are also out of this world.
Cities. They are where I go to relax. Or, rather, they are where I go to be rejuvenated. Any city will do, really. New York. London. Paris. San Francisco.
OK.
Maybe not any city. Boise, Idaho probably wouldn’t do it for me. Cleveland either. But there is something about standing in the shadow of that one landmark, or sitting in the quiet back alley cafe remembering what it is like to simply be. That is where I want to spend my life. If you know how to get there I could really use some directions.
About the photo: Taken with Polaroid 600 film on a Polaroid Sun 660 instant camera in April of 2008, I consistently return to this triptych as one of my most favorite photo projects. I love to travel, and these three shots together embody everything I love about going out into the world and exploring. Photographing the Eiffel Tower is totally cliche, right? Sure, and if your breath isn’t taken away the first time you see it then I submit that you aren’t really alive. Meanwhile, if you think the French look at Americans with disdain, imagine how they looked at all 6’5” 250 lbs. of me with my clunky instant camera kneeling, measuring, waiting for the right moment. Now, every time I look at this collage I am immediately brought back to my time in Paris. I imagine I’ll see it again sooner rather than later.
