Paris belongs in this collection. One of the most photographed cities on earth for good reason — the Seine, the architecture, the light, and the seasons all come together in a way that consistently produces compelling images. Founded over 2,000 years ago by a Celtic tribe called the Parisii on an island in the Seine, it has grown into a metropolitan area of over 12 million people while somehow keeping its identity intact at street level. The bones of the original city are still readable if you know where to look.

Spring brings the Luxembourg Gardens and Tuileries into full bloom, cherry trees line the walkways, and migratory birds move through the Bois de Boulogne on flyways that predate the city by millennia. Autumn turns the chestnut-lined boulevards gold by October, as reliable as any natural phenomenon. The Seine floods in winter and the rooftops hold snow in a way that transforms the entire skyline. The Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Palace of Versailles — these are genuine landmarks worth documenting across seasons and conditions. The light in Paris runs softer and lower than most cities at this latitude, which matters for photography. Every season produces different material. It earns a permanent place in the expedition record.