Random Thoughts 29: MSP - DTW - CDG and Back!

I haven’t written on this blog for months. But many friends have asked about my recent trip back home to France so I thought I’d write a blog post about my experience.

First, you need to know that my last flight experience prior to the August trip was on March 16th, Paris to Minneapolis via Detroit. Borders were closing and I was on one of the last commercial flights back to the US from Europe. It all happened after teaching a photography workshop in Lisbon and spending a few days with family in Normandy. Back then, flights were packed, and not a mask in sight. To make things worse, the CDC was ‘welcoming’ thousands of passengers with a temperature check in ‘shoulder to shoulder’ conditions in only a few US points of entry. It was complete chaos, who knew things would get so much worse from there…

I never had travel restrictions to go back to my country but I waited until August. It was time, I needed to see my parents who had not seen any family members for 5 months. I had left them mid-march, we talked twice/day during all those months but they are in their 80s and I worried every day.

August 16th came, I had just received my negative Covid test. France requires each passengers to show a less than 72 hours negative test before boarding. The test cost me $110…

I was a bit nervous about the trip but I knew that it couldn’t be worse than the March experience. I was ready!

I voice recorded my experience on my iphone as follows:

MSP-DTW-CDG

August 16: First time back in an airport since March 16. I was dropped off 2 hours before take off, I put my mask on and entered MSP International. Unfortunately my direct nonstop flight from Minneapolis to Paris on Delta does not exist at the moment so I am forced to do a layover in Detroit.

I checked in my luggage and went through security, super smooth and easy. The airport was far from empty but everyone had a mask on and respected social distancing. MSP was spotless and there were hand sanitizers literally every 10 feet.

Boarding was very orderly: Back of the plane first, people social distancing while waiting. Each passenger was handed a sanitizing wipe in a pouch upon boarding the aircraft.

NOTE: Because it is Delta Airlines and one of the few airlines to have their act together, every other seat was left empty. The airline is committed to assuring the safest experience to its passengers and will keep middle seats empty on every flight through the end of the year. I’ve been flying Delta exclusively for years, and I would not fly with any other airline at the moment. Read more about Delta’s standards here.

Everyone without exception was wearing a mask. A snack pack was handed to each passenger, including a water bottle and a granola bar. Beverage service followed as usual. The extra packaging (plastic, wipes…) is making me cringe but I can see the necessity for it at the moment for everyone’s safety. I really, REALLY hope that we can go back to more environmentally friendly practices soon… There is so much waste on airlines, it has to stop!

Short flight to Detroit: Quiet, uneventful. Upon landing everyone stayed seated per instructions from the Delta crew until the door of the aircraft opened. Then passengers stood up and exited the airplane row by row, while everyone else remained seated. Never seen this before! It was so efficient, maybe we can learn from this…

A short while later: I boarded the international flight. At least one seat empty between each passenger, often an entire row. I had a row to myself. The crew seemed very relaxed. I never thought I would qualify this journey as relaxing but it was a much better experience than a normal high season transatlantic. 

The rest of the flight was uneventful. Same food service as usual. Passengers barely removed their masks during the meals. It seems like everyone, myself included, put it back one between each bite.

Upon arrival, deplaning was quick and efficient. The crew collected a health form that they asked each passenger to fill out during the flight. A couple of other forms were also handed out to be filled out and given to French passport control.

Once again I was asked to show my negative Covid test and proceeded to luggage and to the car rental agency. The only stressful part of the trip was waiting for the keys at Europcar. With few rental agencies still open, there was a line. Each car is sanitized before the driver gets the keys. The process takes an extra 20-30 minutes. All good, but by that time I’m ready to get to my final destination and I still have a 3 hour drive on little to no sleep.

Finally, keys in hand, I can hit to road to Normandy!

CDG - DTW - MSP

The return flight was equally easy and safe, with even fewer passengers. I had a much longer layover in Detroit. Extra passport check, even with Global Entry. Same CDC temp check plus a new questions “Did you take any fever reducing drugs before landing?”. At that point I’m thinking that a negative Covid test as required by my country feels a bit more reliable… No mention of quarantine by the CDC, I learned that this measure was dropped during the summer. About wearing a mask for 17 hours non-stop from the moment I stepped into CDG until I walked out of MSP : not a problem. There is no one next to you to talk to anyway and I can see this being standard procedure at least through 2021 or longer. Fine with me!

Parting words

Would I travel tomorrow again? YES absolutely, but only with responsible airlines.

Would I go to a bar or attend a wedding in the next few months? NO.

I hope this read was helpful!

A few iphone pics of my journey:

Checking luggage in Minneapolis

Minneapolis to Detroit flight

Arrived in Detroit. Short walk to my international flight

Detroit to Paris CDG flight

Arrival at CDG

Luggage area at CDG

Luggage area at CDG

Return to the US. Passport control at Paris CDG

One of the less traditional sanitizing stations at CDG

At CDG Term 2. Waiting to board my flight to Detroit

Mandatory selfie during the return flight

Passport control, CDC check and customs in Detroit

In Detroit. Waiting for my flight to MSP

Random Thoughts 28: A D A P T A B I L I T Y

It took me a few days to be able to share my thoughts here. After my return from France, exactly 11 days ago, I was feeling angry and isolated. Not isolated from the quarantine I am under, but from the disconnect from my family and country. Everyone is well and safe, both in France and in the US. Video calls are a wonderful thing! Being an expat, this new situation represents a challenge I could have never prepared for. As human beings, no one, could have prepared for this. The most amazing thing is that we have an incredible power of adaptability and a new normal is starting to take place, for a few weeks or months…

My emotions over the past few days went from fear, to anger. Today, finally, I feel peace. I have a sense of purpose again. A D A P T A B I L I T Y is my new favorite word. I can’t teach on the streets of my favorite cities for the next few months? It sucks, but I can do it virtually and help others escape for an hour or two in the process. I am writing, day dreaming and planning the next adventures.

This is an unprecedented experience, for all of us. It’s not going to be pleasant for anyone. But it’s temporary. And there are a lot of worse things than staying home for a few weeks. Most of us are in very privileged situation: We have a home to stay in. Think about that…

#STAYHOME my friends.

Valérie

Random Thoughts 27: Narrative Photography

I’ve always been bothered by the term ‘Street Photography’. I don’t particularly like being referred to as a ‘street photographer’.

I am a photographer.

If I have to put an adjective in front of it, I’ve always favored ‘Documentary’ to ‘Street’. Today it occurred to me that the proper term should be ‘Narrative’.

As described in Wikipedia:

Narrative photography is the idea that photographs can be used to tell a story.

Whether my photographs are taken on the streets or at the beach, whether they include people or not, as long as they trigger the imagination of the viewer they qualify as ‘Narrative Photographs’.

That was my random thought of the day!

Valérie

Random Thoughts 26: Editing The Narrative

As another year is drawing to an end, it is only natural to reflect on the past 12 months. I caught myself doing just that earlier this week. Hundreds of amazing things happened in my life this year, and yet, I started to dwell on the few negatives that, at the time, seemed to ruin everything.

These negatives things were not life threatening, so why did I allow them to take such proportions? How does the mind get so clouded with emotions that it prevents us from seeing things clearly.

In reality, it’s not the events themselves that hurt, it’s the way we react to them. A simple shift in mindset should fix the problem, shouldn’t it? Easier said than done, I know…

So… My goal for 2020 is to work harder at ‘editing the narrative’, not sweat the small stuff and enjoy the amazing gift of waking up every morning with a purpose!

Is this something you can relate to?

Random Thoughts 25: In The Moment

Living in the moment, also known as mindfulness, may come easy to some people but I’m definitely not one of them… I’ve been working at it, not always with great success. But when I do achieve it in every day life, I realize how healthy of a mental state it actually is. After all, all we have is the present moment. So why is it so hard to focus on just that?

Then, I realized that I am not completely hopeless in the discipline of mindfulness because there is one big aspect of my life where mindfulness comes 100% naturally: When I’m behind the camera! It’s simply what I’ve always referred to as being ‘in the zone’. When I am in that state of bliss, I can honestly say that I have the ability to forget anything that may be poisoning my thoughts otherwise. And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing! If busyness prevents you from enjoying the benefits of mindfulness, find your ‘thing’, whatever it is…

Now I need to keep practicing mindfulness even when I’m not with my camera. Challenge accepted!

To be continued…

Valérie

Random Thoughts 24: Feed Your Creative Soul

Many of us make a living with our photography. I used to shoot commercially, now I have the luxury of only shooting for me. Although I make living teaching the art of visual storytelling in cities around the world, I still need to feed my artist soul when I am not focussing on teaching others. It’s even more important if you are working for clients and need to compromise between your vision and theirs on the job every day.

Working on personal projects is key to your growth as an artist. It is also important to choose subjects or themes you are passionate about. Setting limitations to build your skills is also an added bonus.

I always have ongoing series in the works. Some have found their ways into books, others are just a way to do my daily visual push-ups.

I also like to work on shorter projects. And that is exactly what I did last winter with The Artist And The Space and I loved every minute of it. I set out to do this project with little or no post processing involved, a way to add a little spice to the challenge.

This winter I am starting a similar project called Musicians At Play. I already have several musicians lined up. I will visit them during their practice time, in their personal space. The goal is the same as last year: no posing, no staging, all available light and in-camera goodness. I am basically approaching this series as I do street photography, with the exception that the subject is aware of my presence.

I am excited to make the time for this new project in the coming weeks because it feeds my soul and keeps the creative juices flowing.

How do you feed your creative soul?

Random Thoughts 23: Slowing Down. Can I do It?

I LOVE what I do SO MUCH, that I never feel like I need a day off.

But it’s been a very busy year... I travelled to Europe at least once every month, I taught 12 group photo workshops and some private ones, I’m still hosting my photography podcast Hit The Streets (just released episode 149). I taught 8 online classes and did a number of private critique sessions and portfolio reviews and, last but not least: I published 3 books!

I finished my last workshop of the year just last week, in New York City. It was awesome. Sharing my passion and vision with others always makes me so happy. Now I am taking a break from traveling for a few weeks in order to prepare for the 2020 photo adventures, kicking off the year in January with a Paris workshop. I scheduled some book signing events in December as well as several recordings for the podcast. I was about to sign a new book contract with a publisher before the end of the year and decided against it. It will have to wait until 2020. It was a hard decision but the last thing I need right now is the extra pressure of a deadline.

I am super excited to start shooting a new personal photography project with musicians. Something light and fun, a way to feed my artist soul during the long Minnesota winter.

So basically I am trying to do something I never do: To slow down for a few weeks… Can I do it?

We will see how that goes…

Random Thoughts 22: Intent is the Key to Growth

It’s been waaaay too long since I’ve written some random thoughts. The crazy thing is that I have something to share on a daily basis but not enough time to put it in writing. After an extremely busy year, I am now taking a short break from traveling and I am determined to write more on this blog.

Today, as I was jotting some notes about my teaching philosophy for an upcoming recording of my podcast , I decided to share some thoughts with you here as well!

Recently, I received an email from a listener who mentioned that she heard me say several times that I am not in favor of the ‘spray and pray’ approach in photography. She went on to say that others tell you to shoot, shoot, shoot in order to get a successful frame. My response was that no matter what level you are in photography, shooting 1,000+ frames in a day is not going to teach you anything other than frustration. Yes, you need to go out with your camera as often as you can, just like a tennis player needs to practice often to get better. But it’s not about photographing everything that moves (just like the tennis player should not practice to the point of exhaustion every day either). It’s about quality, not quantity.

My job as an instructor is not to make you feel good because you got one lucky shot out of 1,000. My job is to teach you how to put more intent in your work so that you grow as a visual artist.

The ‘spray and pray’ approach will only give you a false sense of success and that is not what I want for my students. By teaching them to put more intent in their work, they learn to become discerning photographers. They have more merit in the work they produce because they don’t rely on the ‘lucky shot’.

More on this topic in an upcoming episode of Hit The Streets!

Cheers!

Valérie

Random Thoughts 21: Pro vs. Amateur

I always cringe when I hear people say: “I’m not a professional, I just photograph for fun.” It always feels that they are trying to downplay the quality of their work. As if being a professional means that the quality of the work is necessarily better… Many amateurs are far better than many pros!

Let’s face it: The ability to make a living with your art is not a measure of your talent as an artist, it is a measure of your talent as an entrepreneur.

And this, my friends, was my random thought for today!

Valérie :)

Random Thoughts 20: A Photographer's Winter Musings

February is drawing to an end up here in Minnesota, which also means that the first snow fell about 5 months ago and there is at least one more month of it (possibly two). True, I do have the advantage of traveling quite a bit, but it wasn’t always so. For many years I lived through months of snow and cold without the luxury of escaping it. How did I feel about winter then? As surprising as it may sound, it seemed easier then. Maybe you get ‘used to your misery’ when you don’t know anything better. Maybe, as I am getting older, my patience for discomfort is getting shorter. I only have 3 weeks between trips at the most, but winter this year has been particularly brutal.

As a photographer, it’s so important not to let the weather get in the way of your creativity. Even at extreme temperatures, when the camera will stop working in about as many seconds as it will take you to get frostbites, you still need to do your daily ‘visual push-ups’.

As you know, I’ve been working on The Artist & The Space, that it’s been a life saver this winter when I’m not traveling to teach workshops (more about that on this post). But I can’t possibly photograph an artist everyday! So I take my camera everywhere else I go: Coffee shops, restaurants, museums, friends’ houses, etc. I’m not going to make my finest work on those days, but I am practicing seeing, and I am learning and growing.

And I can tell you one thing: Spring is so much sweeter when you dig out from under months of snow. You never take the sound of water running or a bird chirping for granted again. And it’s a beautiful feeling!

Note: Haha! Looking back at February last year, and I wrote this post. I guess it’s the month for reflection ;)

Random Thoughts 19: The Power of Limitations

I’ve talked and written a lot about the power of limitations over the years. From personal experience, as a photographer, I can definitely say that embracing limitations has had a big impact in my growth as a visual storyteller. Whether the limitations reside in the focal length, choice of color vs. B&W, the ambient light or the image format, I believe that they force the artist to slow down and become much more deliberate. Making successful photographs with such limitations also enhances the satisfaction of the artist. The greater the merit, the more gratifying is the experience.

Three months into a new personal project titled The Artist & The Space, I once again experience the benefits of limitations. Nothing is staged or posed, I simply record the artist at work. This project is shot in horizontal format at 35mm with the Fujifilm X-Pro2 in Jpeg Acros film simulation using ambient light and minimal post processing, if any. The point of the exercise is to spend time playing with my camera, not in the digital darkroom.

The project started as a way to get me out with my camera more often during the long Minnesota winter months, between travels and workshops. Surprisingly, the project has already received quite a lot of attention internationally. Maybe there is another lesson to be learned here… When you follow your heart and your vision, your passion will reflect in the work and in your attitude towards it.

Visit this gallery to see more of the on-going project.

Please share your own experience below! Thanks for visiting :)

Random Thoughts 18: Emotional Metadata

I was the guest on the Creative Live ‘We Are Photographers’ podcast with host Kenna Klosterman today (the episode will be released in a few weeks). At one point during the conversation Kenna asked me what I look for on the streets. I explained that it mostly depends on my mood. I don’t have a plan, I let the street surprise me and I follow my heart. Some days I follow the light and use its power to make dramatic compositions, other days I am more in tune with emotions, expressions and gestures. I also mentioned to her that, as I am currently going through several years of B&W photographs of Paris for an upcoming book, each photograph brings me back to the emotion I was feeling when I pressed the shutter that day. During the conversation I spontaneously called it ‘Emotional Metadata’.

I had never thought of the term before, but it definitely fits what I intended to say. So I made my own definition for this term which may or may not have been used before.

Emotional Metadata: The power of the photograph to bring you back to the same feeling you had when you pressed the shutter.

Does that make sense to you?

Valérie

Random Thoughts 17: Update on Inbox Zero, Minfulness and 'Phoneless-ness'

It’s about time I revisit some posts I did several months ago and give you an update on how long those ‘good resolutions’ lasted for me.

Inbox Zero

I took several steps immediately after spending 3 days emptying my inbox back in March 2017. I’m happy to say that I’m doing okay overall. Here are the main steps I took:

1. Never close an email without answering it. Delete it immediately.

Yikes… I became a bit obsessed with this step and I accidentally deleted some important emails from my phone. Gmail on the phone can really mess things up as the full email history is ‘hidden’ behind the latest email and deleting one will delete all of them. I learned that the hard way… Ugh!

2. Archive important messages in folders immediately instead of keeping them in the inbox to do it later.

I have so many folders now, I may need folders for my folders…

You can read the Inbox Zero post here

Mindfulness

Woah! That was a tough one to grasp. I’m full speed, all the time. I tried meditation but even then I find myself multitasking. My brain is always on overdrive, I’m wired that way. I gave up on the meditation practice. I am who I am and I like it that way.

Anther way to practice mindfulness is to laugh. That I can do! I’ll stick with laughing instead of meditating. Gotta choose your battles, right? My original post about Mindfulness here

Phoneless-ness

Okay, that post made a few of you laugh but mostly you identified yourself with it. It was a tough one and it continues to be a challenge to ‘let go’. I’ve made some big improvements though. I removed FB from my phone (I only have my FB page app to post but I cannot look at FB from my phone anymore) surprisingly, that was super easy and I never missed it. I prefer Instagram anyway, ha!

With the exception of phone calls, SMS and WhatApp I have no notification on my phone. I used to have FB Messaging and email notifications but I removed them. Best decision ever!

The real test will probably be next week when I spend a few days in Havana without much Internet access. Yes, I’m a bit worried about it but I’m also looking forward to it. It’s ‘me time’ with my camera. No teaching, to schedule, no agenda. Just photography fun and a break from the internet as a bonus! Read the Phone-less post here

And… How are YOU doing?

Random Thoughts 16: About Authenticity in Photography

Most people who know me personally would probably tell you that I am a very real and authentic person. This aspect of my personality most certainly reflects in my work as well. This may be the reason why I am so drawn to capturing life on the streets. I capture life as it happens, without staging or directing, without adding or removing anything in post processing. To me this is exactly why documentary or ‘street’ photography is so pure, exciting and difficult.

If you create beautiful photographs on the streets by staging or directing your subjects, you are simply robbing yourself of the satisfaction and merit of photographing real life as it happens. You may say “No one knows or no one cares” and that may be true. But aren’t you the first person you need to be true to? Wouldn’t you feel like you’re cheating or being deceitful if you staged a shot to make it look candid?

Call me a purist if you will. I believe that moments in life are fleeting for a reason: You cannot replicate true emotions, nor should you want to. And even if you missed the shot, know that at least you saw the moment and that is so much more that most people can say. I much prefer missing the moment, than try to replicate it. That would be too easy and it would take the fun and challenge out of this beautiful craft.

Cheers!

Valérie.

Random Thoughts 15: Saying Goodbye

There are moments in your life that truly suck all the energy out of you. I just experienced such an event two days ago and my heart is broken.

When I woke up on Thursday, August 2, it became evident that it was time to say goodbye to my dear little Smart and help her die peacefully. Smart was a 12 year old Jack Russell terrier. One of the biggest loves of my life. My dog, one that resembled the most my personality.

Unfortunately, Smart suffered many health issues in her too short life. We never let her down and she gave us that same love, and more, every step of the way. The past few months, we knew that this was certainly going to be her final year. I tried to get prepared for the inevitable but that's an impossible thing to do. Nothing can possibly prepare you to say goodbye to one of the closest friends you'll ever have, one who gives you unconditional love and is with you 24/7. 

I've always had dogs, family dogs and then my own. I have always been well aware that the biggest proof of love you can give to your pet is to be able to help them die when they are in pain  at the end of their life. Smart's health deteriorated over the period of a few months but it accelerated very rapidly over a period of just 4 or 5 days. Nothing could be done to stop it.

Since Smart wasn't fond of car rides or visits to the vet. I found a vet service that administer euthanasia in your home. It was the best solution for my crazy hyper girl. She needed to feel safe until the end, in my arms, and that's exactly how it happened. She first received a strong sedative and fell asleep deeply, almost like a deliverance. She was so stubborn and strong headed, she would have never given up on her own. We had to free her from the pain. She slept for a while in my arms. I kissed a gentle face repeatedly. The veterinarian told me to take my time and let her know when I was ready for the IV. It was time to say a final goodbye. Once the IV in place, her tired heart stopped within a few seconds. I couldn't let go. I held her and kissed her. I could feel her move in my arms, I wanted to feel her move in my arms. I asked the vet repeatedly to check for heart beat with the stethoscope. She kindly complied, several times. I'm sure she is used to this type of reaction from people in the same situation. She didn't rush me. Smart was wrapped in her favorite blanket, the red one with the pink and white hearts. I kissed her one last time and wrapped her in her blanket for the last time. I had just lost my best friend...

How can such a small dog leave such a big emptiness in a house? It's awful. I don't even want to leave the house because the feeling of coming back without Smartie wagging her tail with joy and demanding a treat or two is so painful. I know the sheer pain and feeling of loss will ease with time and make place to fond memories of this little dog with the split face and the big heart. But right now I just want to cry. I would do anything to go back a few years and cherish more moments with her. A dog's life is too short. They have so much love to give and we have so much to learn from them. Smart may no longer be by my feet in my office everyday or in my room at night, but she will be in my heart forever. She is one of the best things that ever happened to me.

Je t'aime Smartie...         

Random Thoughts 11: About Winter

If you want to hear how much winter sucks, you can stop reading. I am in a very positive mood this morning and I am determined to find at least a few positive thoughts about living in frigid temperatures for several months every year. So here it goes:

• You really, and I mean REALLY appreciate the small victories such as reaching the freezing point for a day or two in the middle of January.
• Nothing quite compares to the 'morning after' when you wake up to a fresh blanket of snow. Blue hour is truly blue and soon gives place to a million of sparkles as the sun comes up. 
• Shoveling snow, if done properly, is really good exercise and works muscles you don't even know you had.
• The drip-drip-drip of the snow melting from the roof in the spring is music to my ears.
• The first precipitation in a liquid form makes you want to dance with joy.
• Witnessing the first green shoots of the crocuses under the snow is like finding a treasure.
• The call of the chickadees answering each other in their mating call is even sweeter than my favorite Ed Sheeran song.
• And so many other little things that most take for granted: Seeing the blacktop of my driveway after months of packed snow and ice, being able to actually stop at stop signs, not having to worry about your fresh food freezing instantly in your cart between the grocery store and the car...

Okay, it sounds like most of the positives I could find actually happen when winter finally gives way to spring in April, or May... But warmer temperatures are finally right around the corner in Minnesota. Today already, at -18C/0F and sunny, it's starting to feel a little bit like spring ;) 

How was that for a positive outlook on winter?

Random Thoughts 10: A Blank Page

I love new beginnings! Whether it's a new day, a new week, or a new year, it's always a good time to start a new chapter. I don't care much for 'new year's resolutions' in general. But they keep the fitness industry happy for a few weeks every January, so that's a good thing ;)

Whatever the 'new' is for you, why not make a small step towards your dream this year? It doesn't have to be a giant leap. Maybe one simple step in the direction you want to change one thing in your life will be enough to propel you in a new direction. I made many really big changes in my life in recent years. I decided to live my dream and I made it happen. Luck had nothing to do with it, hard work and determination did!

Living your dream is the most difficult task you will ever take on. Let's face it, if it was easy, everyone would do it. It may not be big, but no matter what it is, you owe it to yourself to give it a go. There is no 'back to square one' when your game is over. 

Cheers to a beautiful New Year! May you surround yourself with people who love, support and empower you in your wildest dreams.  

Valérie Jardin

P.S. In the same train of thoughts, you may enjoy listening my latest podcast episode on Hit The Streets here.