Paris

The golden city is undoubtedly one of the most photogenic capitals in the world. It has an impressive array of beautiful public buildings and photographic opportunities that could fill any album, and there have many who have done this much better than I could ever.  I tend to see Paris more in black and white than I do in colour for some reason, perhaps it come from those old films of Piaf or Montand or the books I have of Henri Cartier Bresson or Robert Doisneau.  I have never been entirely satisfied with anything I have taken in colour.

Tour Eiffel 2011

I visited Paris with my children, aged 15 and 18, for a few days and hoped to drag them around the more obvious sites and generally spend time with them over the holidays.  I was also in Paris in March of 2010 when the temperature was below zero and the conditions for photography were significantly more challenging.  This time though, in August, we benefitted from warm sunny days, with the odd shower, and lovely light, particularly in the mornings.  I decided, as a discipline, and to lighten the load, to take the Fuji X100 which has a fixed 35mm lens.

Staying up near the Trocadero we were perfectly placed for the Eiffel Tower, a landmark I have struggled with forever apart from shots taken from miles away.  I didn't fare much better this time either because on the day we were there the sky had a thin layer of cloud and was pretty well bland.  As ever the snake like lines of people made the place feel completely overcrowded as they waited their turn to make the trip to the top.  I decided to try a shot as seen here as well as a number of other uninspiring shots.

Notre Dame

Next down to Notre Dame where again the entire population of europe had descended. Again with too many people I concentrated on the cathedral and the surrounding areas and worked quickly before complete boredom set in with the kids.  Generally when at such a tourist attraction I tend to look in the opposite direction from people around me to see if I can catch something unexpected.  Given that this was Paris in August at around mid day the traffic was as expected, busy, however, as we crossed Pont Archeveche at the back of Notre Dame, a peaceful scene opened up before me as other photographers took their shots of the flying buttresses and the river boats. At the junction a lone boy on a bike approached and there was absolutely no traffic near him.  I managed a couple of shots as he passed before the norm returned of loud horns and frustrated drivers.

A major attraction of Paris, or indeed many major European cities, is the ability to sit and eat al fresco.  Eating in restaurants with pavement tables in Edinburgh is really only or the hardy or those with mountain gear.  The hustle and bustle of Paris, be it visitors or locals, means that there are a number of photographic opportunities for the discrete or even the bold.  The X100 is a rangefinder and makes taking candid shots quite easy and certainly less intrusive that a SLR.  The camera can be set up for black and white with various filter choices although I prefer working from the RAW image and converting to black and white in Photoshop. It has a silent option on the shutter so a picture can be taken before anyone realises it.  Here my daughter was attracted by something nearby and the shot was taken before she knew it or had time to put her hand up in front of her face, as is her want.

So a couple of days in Paris and more images than I could reasonably put up on this blog.  I enjoyed the discipline of a camera with a fixed lens.  The X100 is a fantastic camera with its retro styling and its state of the art technology.  It is also a pleasing weight and feels sturdy enough to take the jostling and bumping of a bag or in the metro.  I am also very pleased with the quality of the images taken, both in RAW and in fine Jpeg.  Most shots don't need much Photoshopping at all.

Palace Challiot

I still think Paris in monochrome is best although others will no doubt disagree.  It has its fair share of photo opportunities and with care and attention I think you can find something that is a bit different.  With the current recession and the value of the Euro it is horrendously expensive and I am afraid the number of trinket sellers have increased five fold in only a year as have the  Eastern Europeans looking for you to sign some petition.  There is a sense of someone always looking and as I found out on the metro someone attempting to dip into your pocket - he got more of a shock than I when I caught his fingers attempting to get into my empty back pocket - he must have been learning.

One thing is for sure, all this aside, Paris only being a short hop across into Europe opens up photographic opportunities that I will continue to plunder.  Next time I think I will develop a theme and take images only associated with that theme.  The problem I seem to have is akin to a child in a sweetie shop, there are generally too many to choose.  So next time more discipline is needed!