The courtyard of the 400-year-old Hospital St. Louis, Paris

The courtyard of the 400-year-old Hospital St. Louis, Paris (© Owen Franken).

Curious about Owen Franken? View more of his work via the Franken Photo of the Week category, learn more in this profile, read a What Matters opinion column he wrote called “Life in Brownian Motion,” or visit his Web site.

Chef Pierre Gagnaire in the kitchen of his three-star Paris restaurant (© Owen Franken/photographed for the New York Times).

Chef Pierre Gagnaire in the kitchen of his three-star Paris restaurant (© Owen Franken/photographed for the New York Times).

Curious about Owen Franken? View more of his work via the Franken Photo of the Week category, learn more in this profile, read a What Matters opinion column he wrote called “Life in Brownian Motion,” or visit his Web site.

Rooster in Ibadan, Nigeria (© Owen Franken).

Rooster in Ibadan, Nigeria (© Owen Franken).

Curious about Owen Franken? View more of his work via the Franken Photo of the Week category, learn more in this profile, read a What Matters opinion column he wrote called “Life in Brownian Motion,” or visit his Web site.

New Year's Eve 2007 on the Champs Elysee. Franken's son, Tunui (far right), his girlfriend, Cecile (to his left), and his daughter (far left), Manui (© Owen Franken).

New Year's Eve 2007 on the Champs Elysee. Franken's son, Tunui (far right) with his girlfriend, Cecile, and Franken's daughter (far left), Manui (© Owen Franken).

Curious about Owen Franken? View more of his work via the Franken Photo of the Week category, learn more in this profile, read a What Matters opinion column he wrote called “Life in Brownian Motion,” or visit his Web site.

Sunbeams inside St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City (© Owen Franken).

Sunbeams inside St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City (© Owen Franken).

Curious about Owen Franken? See more of his work via the Franken Photo of the Week category, learn more in this profile, read a What Matters opinion column he wrote called “Life in Brownian Motion,” or visit his Web site. And, view his exhibition, A Photography Retrospective, through early January 2010 at the Gallery at Vivid Solutions, 2208 Martin Luther King Ave. SE, Washington, DC.

Decadent chocolate dessert at the three-star Michelin restaurant Pierre Gagnaire in Paris (© Owen Franken).

Decadent chocolate dessert at the three-star Michelin restaurant Pierre Gagnaire, Paris (© Owen Franken).

Curious about Owen Franken? See more of his work via the Franken Photo of the Week category, learn more in this profile, read a What Matters opinion column he wrote called “Life in Brownian Motion,” or visit his Web site. And, view his exhibition, A Photography Retrospective, through early January 2010 at the Gallery at Vivid Solutions, 2208 Martin Luther King Ave. SE, Washington, DC.

Waiters leaving the kitchen of Daniel Boulud's great French restaurant in New York, Daniel (© Owen Franken).

Waiters leaving the kitchen of Daniel Boulud's great French restaurant in New York, Daniel (© Owen Franken).

Curious about Owen Franken? See more of his work via the Franken Photo of the Week category, learn more in this profile, read a What Matters opinion column he wrote called “Life in Brownian Motion,” or visit his Web site. And, view his exhibition, A Photography Retrospective, through early January 2010 at the Gallery at Vivid Solutions, 2208 Martin Luther King Ave. SE, Washington, DC.

Picking saffron from the flowers in La Mancha, Spain (© Owen Franken).

Picking saffron from the flowers in La Mancha, Spain (© Owen Franken).

Curious about Owen Franken? See more of his work via the Franken Photo of the Week category, learn more in this profile, read a What Matters opinion column he wrote called “Life in Brownian Motion,” or visit his Web site. And, view his exhibition, A Photography Retrospective, through early January 2010 at the Gallery at Vivid Solutions, 2208 Martin Luther King Ave. SE, Washington, DC.

Sommelier Patrick serving champagne at the Restaurant le Grand Vefour, Paris (© Owen Franken).

Sommelier Patrick serving champagne at the Restaurant le Grand Vefour, Paris (© Owen Franken).

Curious about Owen Franken? See more of his work via the Franken Photo of the Week category, learn more in this profile, read a What Matters opinion column he wrote called “Life in Brownian Motion,” or visit his Web site. And, view his exhibition, A Photography Retrospective, through early January 2010 at the Gallery at Vivid Solutions, 2208 Martin Luther King Ave. SE, Washington, DC.

Villagers in rural Egypt (© Owen Franken).

Villagers in rural Egypt (© Owen Franken).

Curious about Owen Franken? View more of his work via the Franken Photo of the Week category, learn more in this profile, read a What Matters opinion column he wrote called “Life in Brownian Motion,” or visit his Web site.