Recently I was directed to the website of the Prague Daily Monitor and, specifically, their Photo Galleries segment. I was impressed with the quality of the work on display and, most particularly, the work of a Prague-based Canadian Photographer, Paul Pacey. I liked Paul's impressionistic style so much I looked him up on facebook – as one does – and be-friended him. I then sent him a note telling him I absolutely had to meet with him to talk about his work and life as a foreign photographer in Prague.

And so it was that last week we had the chance to spend an hour together just round the corner from Paul's studio in the centre of town. I discovered that Paul is the same age as me but has been a professional photographer for most of his career and, after a successful first life as a fashion photographer in Canada he decided that he was becoming exactly the kind of photographer he hated, so he upped sticks to Prague to reinvent himself.

I was particularly interested in Paul's idea that he come here and would, metaphorically, go back to photography school. Learning everything again from scratch. This reminded me of the idea that Picasso took to late in his life when he started to paint in an increasingly child-like way. I was specifically thinking of Picasso's famous quote that; "at 15 I painted like Velazquez, and it took me 80 years to learn to paint like a child". Whilst Paul's Prague Impressions are far away from being child-like – the craft in them is evident on any viewing – I love the way they are so very far away from the kind of fashion work that he did in his past. It was a delight to meet Paul; he was engaging, enthusiastic and really is living the dream. Like most of us he came to Prague by design but stayed by accident and I hope that, so long as he is here, we can meet up regularly and talk about photography, art and life as a snapper in a foreign city.  

Tags: http://paulpacey.com/, Impressionism, Paul Pacey, Picasso, Prague, Prague Daily Monitor