The Jardin des Plantes was already in full sun at 7:30am when Madeleine and I showed up for an adventure in the roserie…the rose garden! It was a…wild experience…to say the least! Madeleine came in MY DREAM COLOUR PALETTE! It was so fun to explore and experiment, and the light was beautiful. She’s also a lovely soul in general, smiley and filled with laughter! Joyful, I tell ya! Things got interesting as we competed for space in the garden with another ambitious gal who came in a flowing summer gown, equipped with a tripod for some self portraits. And even more interesting as a runner stoped at the roserie to literally put his nose in some flowers. If you want to see a weird side of Paris…the Jardin des Plantes at 7:30am will give it to you!

The garden is located in the 5th arrondissement, and we proceeded to wander through, winding our way to a market square called Place Maubert. We were doing the classic springtime activity: peony (pivoine) hunting! I love this little market…and there are stacks on stacks of not only peonies, but flowers in general. However, the flowers were not blooming…so we ended up buying a delightful bunch from a florist around the corner, going with pink for an experiment in monochrome. We stopped, of course, for café, and for an adorable wall. That’s one of my favourite things about wandering Paris for portraits…you never know what you’ll find!

It was a beautiful morning, and I’m so happy Madeleine was down for pretty much anything! She’s so cheery and kind…and what makes me love her more is that she, too, loves and collects vintage cameras! A rare soul…but magnifique! We’re also both from the sunny state of California…and ended up in Paris!