Summer seems like a distant memory, yet the magical, starry nights and warm breezes are never forgotten. The adventurous trips and moonlight dinners replay in the back of the weary traveler’s mind to satisfy the internal thirst. Reminiscing about study abroad experiences, in particular, can strike up many feelings. Paris is the destination of interest. Senior and photojournalism major Cat Lau spent a certain amount of summer days roaming the Parisian streets and spending nights along the Siene River. The City of Lights offered the senior more than just colorful, petite macaroons. During her study aboard program, Cat managed a full-time internship, writing for the guidebook Paris by the Nostromauts, which involved researching restaurants and patisseries, visiting and re-photographing monuments, and submitting reviews. The real treat was her meeting and engaging with a variety of streetwalkers, scoring a front and center viewing spot at Paris Fashion Week all made possible through her once in a lifetime job with Humans of Paris – the pièce de résistance. She was living the dream.
Being a devoted follower of the blog Humans of New York or HONY, Cat wanted to expand her photography skills and explore the world of Paris through a different lens, so to speak. Her first trip to Paris concentrated mostly on language and culture immersion. This past summer, Cat got to live an even more exciting life because she did the things she had planned to accomplish the second time abroad. “I knew what I wanted to do,” Cat said. “I wanted to visit more restaurants, spend time with friends, and meet new people.” She desired to focus on her interests and wanted to do more with photojournalism. The chance to be a part of the Humans movement became a reality through the powers of social media. The young photographer said she reached out to the Humans of Paris (HOP) or Portraits à Paris founder Eytan Levi, 19, on Facebook, messaging him about helping out with the project. “I included my resume, video clips (butv10’s “The Hungry Terrier”), my blog links, photos,” Cat explained. To her surprise, Levi responded and in a blink of an eye, Cat was conversing and joking with HOP founder on Skype. Both immediately “clicked.” This fortunate interaction set a positive tone for the entire adventure.
Sitting at a high top at Pavement Coffeehouse, dressed in burnt orange pants, a striped top, and caramel-colored loafers, while gracefully holding an espresso in hand, Cat was in the European mindset and anxious to share her story.
“How do I even begin this?”
The experienced traveler set the scene of her first Humans of Paris project. “I had one week to settle in,” Cat confessed. “I met with the founder for the first time at a fashion gallery.” Since the Skype chat, the first face-to-face engagement was a true “cinematic moment.” Following the meet and greet, the first HOP teaching lesson took effect.
“Eytan (HOP founder) instructed me to take a picture of the first person I saw [in the gallery]. It was intimidating, but I had researched and planned questions so that I was prepared if I was ever put in this situation.” The favored conversation opener for Cat was whether people found love in Paris. “That’s the go-to question when you think of Paris, right?!”
With each encounter the photographer would ask questions in French and then transition to English depending if the participant was bilingual. Although having a year of French in her back pocket, Cat wished she knew more. “I could have asked more interesting questions,” she said. “Maybe people could have expressed themselves more in their native tongue.” The conversation is half of the whole picture. Finding an intriguing subject is the first major step. As a photographer, “The visual is what gets your attention,” Cat added.
Once Cat began to feel comfortable interviewing people, her mentor, Eytan, trusted her with the job and “let me fly with it.” Cat shot and edited photos and the HOP leaders would post to Facebook. The Humans of Paris gig happened to work out with the BU senior’s full-time internship because the internship required Cat to venture out into the city to locate good-looking restaurants, museums, and art galleries. “I do not like sitting and doing nothing. I need to go out and explore,” Cat said. “While walking in the city, I kept an eye open for potential posts for Humans of Paris and found a lot of interesting people. Eating, photographing, and engaging with interesting people became the student’s daily routine. Her favorite place for research was in Le Marais district, which Cat describes as “the Soho area of Paris.” In total, Cat encountered and captured about 30 people.
“If you have a camera, you are always looking for something to capture. It is nice to look at something rather than taking pictures. As a journalist, I would want to put my camera away before approaching somebody. It is intimidating to ask a stranger for a picture.”
Cat enjoyed setting aside the camera and seeing the city through her eyes. Capturing the moment for her keepsake. “I am so happy in Paris because I feel like there is so much beauty around me.” The chic coed visited Le Bon Marche, also known as her favorite shopping space. “Once you walk in the plaza, you sense charm and respect. There’s a history.”
After a long day of seeing the world of Paris through people’s eyes and her own, “I’d go to a patisserie, grab a bottle of wine, and go back to my apartment and stay in,” Cat said. “It’s Paris. It’s what you can do! If you were tired, things could be a lot worse if you were anywhere else. If I am stressed out anywhere, I would be stressed out in Paris and I would be happy.”
Cat and her HOP mentor took more stunning photographs together at Paris Fashion Week, which showcased summer couture and prêt-à-porter or “ready-to-wear.” The BU photojournalist had the chance to attend eight shows. “Everything is so beautiful when you do things in Paris,” she said.
Photographers had the best view in the house by standing and shooting straight down the runways. “I had a full front picture,” Cat exclaimed.
She pauses for a second and reflects on the past as if it were the present: “How did I get here?”
Cat shared that all the photographers were men and they all used long, big, expensive cameras. “Thank God, I am small enough and was able to squeeze in and get under cameras,” the senior claimed.
Her favorite designers included Danish artist Henrik Vibskov. His show was outdoors and the stage was designed around a water fountain set. “There was a ballet company as entertainment. The dancers performed and played in the water,” Cat described. “I was wearing heels and I had to squat, so I was unable to stand and couldn’t sit,” Cat mentioned. “I could feel my feet going. I couldn’t stumble. It’s Fashion Week! I had to stand and smile while taking the pain.”
On the lines of showing attitude, Cat and her French friend cued a “Fashion Face” every time they entered a show. “Everyone has one face, including the models and photographers. We decided to get into character, but thinking this is ridiculous.”
In Paris, the dress code is not written but assumed. “People dress traditionally, which adds to the atmosphere,” Cat recalls. “So classic and a lot of black. I know it’s a stereotype, but you are safe with black if you go out and do anything.” Cat and her photography friend would stay in the fashion vicinity to take pictures for Humans of Paris. “Fashion Week, the best place to go for visual,” Cat said. “A lot of people dress up all crazy to make the photos.”
Having seen the true side of the fashion scene, Cat leaked information. “Fashion shows are glamorous and not so glamorous. Photographers are yelling at models. On the television programs, all you hear is the good music and the yelling is muted. Photographers tell models to stop walking for the camera shot. There is no filter. To me, there is a contrast between raw photographers and show attendees when it comes to observing the models.”
As part of the exploration, Cat took advantage of her time in Paris by making memories with friends. “I was invited to parties by other friends. Eventually at the end, I can comfortably say that I have friends in Paris,” Cat said. “French parties are all about the conversations that you have and getting close to people. I was the intruder. I had no connections to people, but everyone was so welcoming. With good wine, any party is good.”
The best party was Bastille Day. “It was out on the roof. From the apartment of my French-Lebanese friend, you can see the Eiffel Tower, which is good enough,” Cat said. “I was thinking we shouldn’t be up there [the roof]. Once the light show started, all the worry went away. The Eiffel Tower started to sparkle. Seeing the Tower and being surround by great people. It’s the best.”
The BU senior became so attached to Paris that she hosted her own goodbye party. “Last summer was the first time I fell in love with Paris,” Cat said. “This summer confirmed it.”
It’s not what you know, but it’s who you know. Cat formed a special relationship with Humans of Paris founder Eytan Levi. The two have made plans to visit each other in Boston. “It’s really strange how you can connect with somebody. Things can just fly.”
After graduation, Cat plans to return to Paris and attend “the best” French school of culinary arts, Ferrandi.
“I really feel so happy and alive when I’m in Paris. It was a dream for me. I miss it so much,” Cat said, as she sipped the last drop of her espresso.
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To see Cat Lau’s summer photos and Fat Cat Eats blog, visit: http://catlau.com/
To learn more about the Paris guidebook, click: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/paris-by-nostromauts-1st-2nd/id843341982?mt=11
To watch Cat in action on “The Hungry Terrier,” go here: http://www.butv10.com/shows/the-hungry-terrier/