James Elliot Bailey - LA Photographer

 The city of Paris has always called to me. Though I've only ever lived in the western lands of The United States, I've always felt something pulling me to this romantic embodiment half a world away. A capital comprised of deliberate architecture that overflows with the living history of a captivating people and their culture. To see it with my own eyes and to walk aimlessly through the labyrinth of its streets, this has been an ever-present daydream.

 In June of 2017, the notion of taking my first visit to France became heavy on my mind, and making this trip a reality became my most focused goal. I undertook the following few weeks to sort through the logistics, and figure out how to do so within my means. I decided that if I were to take on this pursuit, I would live as a Parisian for the months of July and August. It was exciting to think of exploring this foreign setting for myself, with my only prior conceptions based on the imagery framed by other individuals' intent - perceived through popular works of film, photography, and literature. My aim was to understand this city I've only known a curated version of, and to see how different my expectations would be from the place I'd constructed in my mind.
 These photographs were not taken for any other person, or for any other reason, aside from the fact that I wanted to take them. Something photographers tend to forget is that it's okay to shoot without outside influence. These were the scenes that I found beautiful or interesting or odd — or offered any composition of a view before me that would otherwise be ineffable. They are an insight into what I believe travel can (and should) be. Not the act of merely visiting an unknown city for a couple days and getting a mere taste, but to inhabit it as fully as you can, with the aim of obtaining even a small idea of what it would be like to spend the rest of your days there.
 I feel this could be a beautiful goal for our society — for each of us to have a more accessible ability for cultural exchange. To visit far off places and wholly experience them, and then return with new knowledge gained, and use it to better understand and love wherever we choose to call home.

 If you are to look at these photographs, I hope you'll take the time to view them in their entirety and on the biggest screen you have. This series is the result of two months of my life and the actions I took to turn an aspiration into an adventure.