Paris, March 2020: by Mark de Paola

On March 2, 2020 Mark de Paola shot two stories in Paris before returning to New York City after being away for a month in Europe. Narrowly avoiding quarantine lockdown in Milan, he decided to stay in Paris for the week before returning home. 

Mark felt the weight of the responsibility to tell the story of the time, and an immense feeling of anticipation and fear of what was to come. The Louvre and many other iconic Parisian monuments shut down for the first time since World War II, and Mark, alongside stylist Alessia Caliendo, captured images that resonated their truth in that pivotal moment in history.

With empty streets, boarded up stores, and vacant cafes, Mark, Alessia, a model, and their team ventured out to capture these images hours before a lockdown that spread across Europe and into the United States. 

The first story, a cinematic black and white drama through the rain soaked streets and in front of some of the most iconic facades of the city, and the second, an interior narrative of a young woman confined to her parisian apartment.

Created over two days, Mark's experiences leave behind a surreal body of work from Paris, March 2020.