Paris’s Glow: Liza Voloshin’s Lutetian Limestone Photo Series
Voloshin captures Paris’s golden hour as Lutetian limestone facades glow in soft sunlight.
Ratika holds a master's degree in commerce and a post-graduate diploma in communication and journalism from Mumbai University. She has 6 years of experience writing in various fields, such as finance, education, and lifestyle.
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Image: Instagram
When photographer and influencer Liza Voloshin (@globaliza) hit “post” on Instagram this week, she invited followers into a quiet moment of springtime magic in Paris. In her caption, she reminds us that “during the 19th-century redesign of Paris, Baron Haussmann chose pale Lutetian limestone for building facades because of how it catches the light.” Her new photo series pays tribute to that choice, capturing the city’s glow as daylight stretches into the evening.
The Magic Of Lutetian Limestone
Haussmann’s massive urban overhaul in the 1850s reshaped Paris into the wide-boulevarded capital we know today. He specified pale Lutetian limestone—a sedimentary rock quarried from the Paris Basin—for its reflective qualities. Under a low sun, those smooth facades catch every ray, transforming narrow streets into corridors of gold.
That stone carries its own story too. Formed some 40 million years ago, Lutetian limestone is rich in fossilized remains of marine life. Its warm tone isn’t just decorative—it’s a historical marker carved into every block, reminding us that modern Paris stands atop an ancient seabed.
Moments On Film
In a second slide, Voloshin admits she wasn’t sure her camera was working: “Just clicking and hoping, listening to the film spool.” She describes the heated stone smelling “like earth, chalk, moss,” anchoring each image in a sensory memory. When the film scans finally returned, she wrote, “it felt like time had collapsed a little. Partly because I was relieved the roll wasn’t blank.”
In one frame, a row of 19th-century buildings glows against a pale blue sky. The limestone details—cornices, columns, balconies—appear almost translucent in the late-day light. Through Voloshin’s lens, the mundane becomes cinematic.
Earlier this month, she shared a related post simply titled “Paris when it’s warm,” offering another look at golden-hour charm on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJBVH0PoMTA/
A White Beacon In The Rain
Voloshin’s series doesn’t stop at Haussmannian blocks. She points out that Sacré-Cœur, perched atop Montmartre, was built later and from travertine—a limestone rich in calcite that actually whitens when it rains. Commissioned after the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune, the basilica was meant as an act of national and spiritual atonement. Its gleaming white facade in wet weather suggests that even darkness can bring purity, rebirth, and light.
That contrast—pale Lutetian stone under sunlit streets and chalky travertine on a rainy hill—tells a larger story of resilience. Paris wears its history openly, whether in broad avenues or hilltop churches.
Worth Slowing Down For
As spring slips away, Voloshin’s photos remind us to pause. In a city known for its rapid pace, her images capture fleeting moments when stone, light and air align. She closes her caption simply: “Spring moves fast. Worth slowing down for.” And in those few frames—shot on film, shared online—we get a chance to do just that.
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