Photoshoot at Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand

When my friend Alex said that he wanted to experiment with some new photography equipment in Paris, I was ready to come along.

Alex typically likes shooting urban architecture with clean lines and geometric patterns, so it’s clear why Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand would be an ideal backdrop.

As we moved around the library and the bridge nearby, we caught up on what we’re up to, our lives in the city, and reminisced about our time at Salve Regina University and thought of our friends across the pond.

He sent me the edited photos yesterday and said that I could do whatever I want with them.

Naturally, immortalizing a selection of my favorites on the blog made sense.

When it comes to having my photos taken, I have a tendency to be very self-critical. Why? It’s not out of low self-esteem or anything. It’s just that I am particular about the way I want to look in photos. “Editorial weight” is what I usually look for. I’m not a professional model—it’s hard to configure your body the right direction, turn your face the right angle, and emit the right energy to get the proper image.

But that afternoon, the wind was so strong. My hair had reached its second or third day on dry shampoo. I thought about how I needed to buy new black boots, but there was nothing I could really do about that.

I just ran with it.