An Englishman in Paris is very much how I felt when I first arrived, I was left high and dry after being scammed by a fake apartment when first moving to Paris and losing most of my money on this non-existent apartment near the Eiffel tower in the westside of the city. I was also mugged and beat the shit out of after walking home pissed up one night. Paris is hard but its worth it. This was just bad luck and the rest of my time in Paris was pretty rad as I hope is reflected in the way I framed it with my film camera.
The surf scene was surprisingly good and I got in with a few rad skaters and surfers that called the city home, they showed me the ways things worked and how not to get taken for a ride. We skated everyday after work and used to drink tinnies in the street and roll out as a crew bombing hills with beers in hand on route to the bars. Through this and the group Surfers from Paris I managed to surf at least 2-3 times a month, escaping the confinements of the city to explore the coast and all the potential set ups it had to offer and its different cultural aspects.
This gallery is how I saw the place through a black and white filter with its unique tones of culture, architecture and baron pine covered beaches. Enjoy.
Luke Simmonds now lives in Cornwall, UK.
You can follow Luke’s work on Instagram: @albatrash_