The tombs in the Montmartre Cemetery are filled with small altars and still life presentations. Many of them are like this photograph. A composition of Mary and Jesus, celebrating the Catholic roots of the French people.

Other tombs may have more familial arrangements with photographs and favorite objects. Some include flowers, while others have greco statuary.

I am fascinated by the play of light, color, and objects within these tombs. While most people will look at the outside structure and the name upon the plot, the real interest lies within.

I believe this was shot on a Nikon N90 with Agfa Scala 200 on a 35-80 zoom lens.

Paris is a wonderful place to be at night. The night takes on a blueish tint against the yellow lamps. There’s a peacefulness in the small streets and liveliness in the city center. It’s a place that inspires one to walk an extra 2 or 3 blocks just to avoid entering the bus, metro, or apartment.

This photograph was inspired by an image by Henri Cartier-Bresson. The object in the Seine is actually a television floating by the solo person.

I believe this was shot on t-max 400 with a Nikon N70 and probably a 28mm lens.

I had a photography teacher, Bob Barry, that tought us not only to look at composition from left to right and top to bottom but also foreground to background. This simple idea has become a mantra for me.

Most people walk by the tombs of cemetiere Montmartre and look at the doors, the inscriptions, and textures. I’m constantly looking inside the cracks, windows, and distances between them to find the hidden relationships between the foreground and background.

This photograph is shot through a small window on the tomb door. You can see the light streaming through one window on the left, contrasting it with the window on the right.

I believe this was shot with either Tmax 100 or Scala with a Nikon n80 and 24mm lens.

I love the Paris Metro. I will gladly trade a 30 minute metro commute for a similar time spent on California freeways. I love the speed, efficiency, and the silent bond between passengers going to work, dinner, a museum, or nowhere in particular. I love trying new stops, routes, and routines.

I also carry a camera or cellphone and shoot metro life almost daily.

This photo was shot around 1999. I believe I was using Velvia and the camera was hand-held, supported by a railing. There’s a nice mixture of daylight, tungsten, and fluorescent lighting.

This cafe is in the Marais, near Place des Vosges. Paris is a great city to photograph at night and in the early morning. I didn’t have a tripod with me this night, so I used a small bag of rice to steady the camera on a street pole.

This image was shot on a Sony digital camera.

It’s been about 14 years since Jim and I made our first trip to Paris together. We fell in love with the city and it became our home away from home. Our annual trips fueled a desire to move to Paris.

Now I’m working in the City of Lights and they burn much brighter when Jim is able to make the trip over.

I originally shot this image on slide film. It had candles in the foreground and the crucifix in the background. I created this image while playing with the idea of Polaroid type 55 being a canvas instead of just a negative.

I love the native framing element of Polaroid film. Combine that with the unique surface textures, range of values, and the ability to manipulate and I’m a happy camper. I’ve since used this technique of projecting slides onto Polaroid film to create other images.

I created a second negative to modify by hand. I’m not one for Photoshop tricks as I need to get my hands dirty. I attacked this second negative with paint, sharp objects, xerox transfers and more.

The globe-like head on Christ has always intrigued me. In the original image, you can see that it is a plaque behind his head. However, this is obscured in the Polaroid version.

I’ve shot these tombs many times. They stand under a bridge overpass and only catch the light for a short period of time each day. I probably shot this in early summer.

This photo was taken with a lensbaby and t-max 100 with a Nikon n80.

The Louvres is filled with Greek and Roman busts. Their realism is amazing and I often find myself feeling as if they are alive and watching us.

I shot this with a lens baby on my Nikon n90 on tmax 400. I need to rescan this negative to remove the annoying hair.

This cast iron crucifix sits on a tomb in Cemitiere Montmartre in Paris. I’ve shot this tomb many times, the inky black figure stands out from the engraved marble tombstone.

I believe this was shot with tmax 100, probably with my micro-nikkor 55mm lens on a Nikon n80.