Just a bit before the entire world was quarantined, I met the lovely Eugenia who was on her habitual solo trip to Paris. We “met” in a photography group and decided to swap some headshots while she was here. So glad I said oui, because I’m all about meeting a fellow Francophile. Indeed, her Instagram bio reads, “hopeless Francophile.” That’s something I can get on board with.

The day we met was cloudy, cold, and a little bit heavy. Perhaps a foreshadowing of what was to come. But, we made the most of the lack of sun and strolled around one of my favorite gardens in Paris, the Parc de Bagatelle. I’ve written about this park before: Built in an astonishingly short amount of time on a bet between Marie Antoinette and her brother-in-law. The rose gardens are what people come for, but the English-style park also offers magnolias, cherry blossoms, and…peacocks.

Merci for a lovely afternoon, Eugenia! I hope you love these Paris portraits. And for all you folks in Minnesota, go enjoy her beautiful, romantic work.