Young local artist showcases her Paris photography
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers THROUGH THE LENS- Hidden Hills resident Madison Chase, 17, a senior at Campbell Hall, displays her photographs at the Hidden Hills Community Center. The photos were part of a Parsons Paris Design School project shooting a children's circus in Paris, France.

The photographs are haunting- strangely charming shots of young performers in a Parisian family circus. They show children doing a variety of activities, from hula hooping to back bending, while smiling eerily into the camera as they perform their tricks.

The photographer may have traveled to the far ends of the globe to accomplish her art, but Madison Chase says taking pictures is still only a hobby.

At only 17, the Calabasas resident looks forward to her senior year of high school and choosing a college.

"It's something I love to do," Madison said. "There's a sense of magic to it, how you can shoot a roll of film in the morning and you can have full, beautiful images a couple hours later."

"And there's a bit of a science to it, so I like that."

Despite her talent in the arts, Madison is planning on pursuing a career as a plastic surgeon.

"I've always watched all those TV shows, seen them do open-heart surgery on the Discovery Channel," Madison said. "I'd like to go to college somewhere where there's a strong medical program and visual arts program, so I can major in one and minor in the other."

Madison credits her father, a commercial television director, and her mother, an interior designer, as the people who inspired her to take up the arts. After enrolling in a photography class freshman year, Madison moved quickly to an advanced class because of her talent.

"They moved me up right away," Madison said. "I was the only freshman in a senior class, and I'd never done it before. It was kind of just luck I got into it."

Madison has lived in Calabasas since her family moved from Toronto when she was a baby. After her sophomore year at Campbell Hall private school in North Hollywood, Madison wanted to spend a part of her summer focusing on her art.

Last summer, she went to Brooklyn to study at the Pratt Institute. After looking for a program abroad for this summer, Paris stood out. She'd visited twice before when she was young, but Madison, who's fluent in French, wanted to "experience the lifestyle" as a young adult.

Madison spent four weeks at the Parsons Paris design school.

"It was great," Madison said.

"It wasn't too hot, and we took the metro every morning- it was so different. We got fruit from the fruit stands every morning. We ate French food all the time, went to museums and did some sight- seeing."

Madison spent eight hours a day, five days a week in her photography class of 14 students.

They stayed in dorms at the University of Paris and took field trips often.

Her exhibit showcases a selection of shots from a tiny family circus.

"Our professor mentioned the circus as a great opportunity if you wanted to stay late after class," Madison said. "Most people said no; they just wanted to go home. We went to this small park in the middle of Paris. There was just a little circus tent, but there were maybe 100 4-year-olds watching.

"I was only there like an hour," Madison added. "I shot 35 rolls in Paris. I fell in love with the three rolls I shot (at the circus)."

One performer, a 7-year-old girl with big curly hair and a bigger smile, was a particularly popular subject.

"Everyone can take a picture of the Eiffel tower," Madison said. "(The photos) are not obviously France, but it wasn't an opportunity I would have gotten anywhere else."