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

Hotel du Progrès (Paris, 1987)
This photograph was taken near Montmartre in the Barbès quarter of Paris' 18th arrondissement. The 18th, several years ago, was referred to as "Le quartier chic, le quartier choc." As it has become increasingly gentrified, the neighborhood is now probably more chic than shock. The Hôtel du Progrès was located near the Rue Marcadet, where one could find têtes de mouton lined up in the open stall windows of the halal butcher shops. Walking along the street, I was made hungry by the rich fragrance of couscous in the afternoon air. Although the humor in the photograph is not very subtle, it was a "must take".

"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.