An Intimate View into Versailles

What surprised me about visiting the Château de Versailles was the openness.  Windows and doors welcomed in the warm September air and it wasn't at all as closed off as many American monuments would be. This is even more amazing after you realize how much restoration all of the buildings have seen over the years.  Robert Polidori chronicled much of it with his camera in the 1980's including many rooms not open to visitors.  The photos are hauntingly beautiful so much so that you can almost picture Marie-Anotinette lounging in her bed.  The resulting book, Parcours Museologique Revisite, has been out for a few years but I just learned of it this week.  It's definitely worth a look, as is Versailles itself.

Photos by Robert Polidori

Magnificent Met Museum

In order to start photographing my book, I first had to upgrade my camera.  After appealing to the powers that be at Canon for a discount, to no avail, I plunked down a boatload of money for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II.  As I joked on Twitter, learning to use this camera was like trying to drive a Ferrari after only having ridden a Vespa.  I decided that a great place to practice and escape the heat would be The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The Greek and Roman Galleries are my absolute favorite places to visit and were my first stop.  I was inspired to shoot in black and white by the hauntingly beautiful photos of statues in Florence and The Louvre by Christopher Draghi. What always strikes me is how alive the statues still look to this day.  I really had the feeling that some of them were going to all of the sudden start speaking to me.  These galleries are really magical and magnificent but with help from Bill Blass, see last photo, I would expect nothing less.

   

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic