Photographing Paris | Sivan Askayo

While I’m exploring San Francisco, a city I’ve longed to capture on camera for years, Sivan Askayo – an Israeli photographer based in New York- stops by to share how it took photographing Paris for her to fall in love with the capital. Thanks, Sivan!

Lately, I find myself daydreaming about Paris. I have this wish to go and live there for few months and photograph the city. I am a true believer that in order to know a place and experience it for all its good and bad, it’s necessary to live there. Trust me, I’m speaking from my own experience as an expat in Manhattan for the last 10 years. I guess ‘once an expat, always an expat’ and you automatically know what to do.

I have been to Paris five times. First when I was sixteen. That was also the first time I had a French kiss!

The second time was when I was 24 and on a short business trip to Saatchi and Saatchi. I still remember seeing the Arc de Triomphe from Maurice Levi’s office – incredible.

My third time was with my mom last year. It was her first visit in almost twenty years and we had an amazing time.

My forth time was for a French guy. I’m still not sure if language really is a barrier. My fifth time was two months ago and now I am daydreaming about my sixth.

But let’s put my daydreams aside for a second and go back to reality, as I have a little confession to make: I’ve always liked Paris, really. But only on my third or fourth visit did the city start to grow on me unril I ended up loving it. The reason? Because I finally photographed it.

It’s no coincidence Paris is nicknamed the ‘City of Light’. While it was the first city in Europe to use gas lamps on the Champs-Elysées, I think it’s really a nod to the photographers who visit. It is one of the most photogenic cities I know and the lighting possibilities it has to offer are endless. This is why I keep coming back.

A few more examples of what motivates me to return….