In July 1983 as a young student of photography, armed with my portfolio and trusty old  leica M2, I travelled to Arles in the south of France for the Rencontres d’ Arles photographie festival.

While travelling through Provence I also visited the ancient city of Aix-en-Provence, situated on the Rhone. My travelling companions and I decided to have a picnic on the river and discovered a family of Romanian gypsies doing the same.We shared food and played with the children in this idyllic of settings, and when it was time to rest from the searing heat the women sat quietly under the famous bridge, while the men slept in the cars. Despite having communication difficulties and a broken old Weston light meter that I had previously dropped in Arles Roman Amphitheatre, I managed to capture this beautiful, romantic scene. This image will remain with me forever and I wanted to share it with you today.

As a street photographer I live for those fleeting moments on the street – especially in a city like Paris that is so vibrant and full of style. I just love the cool way this woman was wrapped in her scarf with her jauntily worn trilby hat and boyfriend jacket with baggy harem pants – as she briefly passed me, by les Beaux-Arts de Paris on Salle Melpomeneo.