See Paris through the eyes of Dennis Wile, one of the region's most celebrated photographers...

Statues -- Man and Boy (Paris, 1985)
I was drawn to photograph this scene in the Tuileries Gardens when I noticed the similarity of the young boy's frozen stance to that of the garden's centerpiece statue. This scene was particularly compelling against the lush curtain of chestnut trees in the background.

"During the last forty years, I have led parallel lives as a street photographer and a portraitist. Though I am known primarily for my portraits, I began my photographic work in the avenues and neighborhoods in and around Marseilles. From these beginnings in the south of France, and alongside my portrait work, I have continued to photograph the street in many places throughout the world.

The art of photography is my passion, and the means by which I create my vision of the world. Each art form possesses specific qualities from which its inherent charm derives. Photography's charm resides in its near perfect rendering of particular moments, creating the illusion of stopping time--in effect achieving the impossible. The spell that a photograph casts on us comes from the feeling that, by some magic, the limits of the possible have been exceeded. It is this spell that captivates me.