Paris | 2013
When a wide-eyed young woman emerged from the Metro in a slightly dodgy part of Paris’ 9th, burdened by a giant backpack and an obvious sense of trepidation my eye was caught by her beauty, but my heart was touched by her vulnerability.
Dragueurs seemed to circle in a pattern mimicking the wind-swirled trash that similarly cluttered the walkways as she desperately re-checked her phone, oblivious to any specific threat but mindful of being out of her element. I put down my lens but maintained a protective eye as she scanned the unfamiliar environs for a familiar face and finally found her local friend, instantly transforming the atmosphere from angst to joy. Such is the tempestuous power of Paris.