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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Michael Foust is used to the long hours of work during Paris Fashion Week.

He finds himself constantly in between shows. And rest doesn’t come easy.

Yet a few weeks ago, he found himself covering Parish Fashion Week from his home in Albuquerque.

He couldn’t travel back to Paris due to travel restrictions.

“I miss the craziness that surrounds it,” he says. “I have time to take a break and write reviews instead of taking photographs.”

Putting on fashion shows has changed with COVID-safe guidelines, including masks for participants. (Courtesy of Michael Foust Photography)

Foust began as an amateur photographer about 10 years ago while he was a student at the University of New Mexico.

He worked with professors Meggan Gould and Jim Stone at UNM.

Michael Foust

He left Albuquerque to continue school in Paris. This is where he fell in love with studio and commercial fashion photography.

“I got some lucky breaks,” he says. “I got an internship with a designer in Paris. I got my first show about three years ago at the Ritz in Paris. I landed up in the photography pit. I’ve stayed there since.”

He’s worked his way up to shooting shows from designers Vivienne Westwood and Paco Rabanne.

“Being in that atmosphere is mind-blowing,” he says. “You’re in the photo pit and it sounds like gunfire. Each designer is presenting their creation and these are pieces of art. It’s amazing to be involved in this.”

Michael Foust backstage at a fashion show in Paris.

While the landscape has changed for the time being, Foust knows he will be back in Paris and other locales to photograph fashion weeks.

“I do miss being with the friends that I’ve made,” he says. “The pandemic has given me an opportunity to focus on my writing. It’s been fun to be front and center of these amazing events.”