Archive for the ‘Paris’ Category
“You’re going to Paris again?” The annoyance is palpable when friends ask that — and it’s a fair question. There are so many beautiful places in the world, so many interesting cities besides Paris. “Don’t you get bored, seeing the same stuff?” I’m always tempted to reply: This quote came to mind last month in […]
Filed under: On being creative, Paris, Photography, Psychology | 82 Comments
Tags: Marcel Proust, Paris, Paris photography, Photography lesson, Place des Vosges, Seeing through new eyes
An adventure in recorded sound
It all started with an old record. Jalal Aro wanted to hear it, but couldn’t — not without the right machine. The quest to find that machine sparked a love affair that has bloomed into a business, and one of Paris’ most fascinating private museums. I visited Jalal recently with my friend Des, author of […]
Filed under: Paris, Technology, Travel | 39 Comments
Tags: grammophone, Jalal Aro, Montmartre museum, Paris museums, Phono Galerie, Phono Museum Paris, Phono Museum Rochechouart, Phonogalerie rue Lallier, Phonomuseum, recorded sounds, recording history, recording technology
Nature’s stained-glass windows
I’m settled in from Esteban’s and my almost-three-week-long vacation — and finally I’m catching up on my backlog of blog-reading. Among the many wonderful posts was Sóla’s ode to her love affair with flowers. “I’d love to hear about your favourites,” she wrote at the end of her post. My mind immediately went back a […]
Filed under: Paris, Photography, Travel | 77 Comments
Tags: Flower photography, Jardin des Plantes, Paris, poppies, Sóla photography
It’s been almost six months since Esteban’s and my big trip, but we’ve been so busy that I haven’t dug any further into my photos than the 16 I posted last October. But two things happened last week that inspired me to drag out the ol’ hard drive: 1. I saw this wonderful piece at […]
Filed under: How to ..., On being creative, Paris, Photography, Travel | 135 Comments
Tags: better photos, Paris, Paris photography, portraiture, street photography, travel photography, Venice
You only get one shot at it
I was corresponding the other day with Joe at Seldom Seen Photography about the view from the top of Notre Dame cathedral (check out the last image of his beautiful post). It’s long been my favorite perch from which to survey — and photograph — Paris. But during my visit last September I was dismayed […]
Filed under: Paris, Photography, Travel | 32 Comments
Tags: gargoyles, Notre Dame, Notre Dame Cathedral, Notre Dame towers, Paris photography
Remember that day I walked 25.9 miles (41km)? Here’s one-third of the story. I first heard of the Petite Ceinture a couple of years ago through MessyNessy Chic, where one photo in particular captured my imagination. Could this really exist in the heart of Paris? Photo via MessyNessy Chic During my next trip I vowed […]
Filed under: Friends and family, History, Paris, Photography, Travel | 29 Comments
Tags: Fitbit, Gilles Thomas, Paris, Paris abandoned railway, Paris Little Beltway, Petite Ceinture, urban exploration, urbex
Portrait … or poverty porn?
One of my goals when I travel is to get beneath the touristy veneer of a city and actually interact with its people. It’s not always about photography — although I’ve gotten much more comfortable with being an awful street photographer. Rather, it’s about forging a human connection. And, as a tourist, some of the […]
Filed under: Ethics, Paris, Photography, Travel | 69 Comments
Tags: beggars, Paris photography, photography ethics, poverty, Roma, street photography, the Roma in Paris
To Paris’ helpers, with love
When I heard about the attacks in Paris last night, my first thought was my friends. They come from all walks of life: journalists, musicians, authors, photographers. One is a tour guide, a yoga teacher; another is my underground muse. A couple are unemployed — and a couple more are retired. In spite of their […]
Filed under: Friends and family, Paris, Psychology | 34 Comments
Tags: #porteouverte, Eiffel Tower, Fred Rogers, November 13, Paris, Paris attacks, Paris terrorism
Four weeks in 16 shots
If I’ve been quiet these past few weeks, it’s not been out of laziness. Quite the opposite, in fact: In September I covered more than 12,000 miles, recorded 43 pages of travel notes, and shot 30,092 photos. That last figure is no mistake or exaggeration. I counted. In time Esteban and I will treasure revisiting […]
Filed under: Paris, Photography, Travel | 32 Comments
Tags: Burano, Chartres, Chartres en Lumières, Malcolm Miller Chartres, Mont St. Michel, Oraculo Project, Paris, Paris photography, Rouen, Rouen old town, Soundlandscapes, Venice, Verona
This is not so much a book review, as it is a plea to the publisher of Les Catacombes – Histoire du Paris souterrain to issue the title in English. But before I say a word about this extraordinary little volume (or why you should buy it and just Google Translate it) I must first […]
Filed under: Paris, Writing | 10 Comments
Tags: carrières de Paris, catacombes de Paris, cataphiles, Gilles Thomas, histoire souterraine, Paris catacombs, Paris quarries, paris underground
Honoring the man who saved Paris
This post is dedicated to my friend Gilles Thomas, for his tireless devotion to preserving the work — and honoring the memory — of Charles-Axel Guillaumot. Suppose you’ve been hired to oversee a vast and vital railroad network. Now imagine that, on the very first day of your new job, one of the trains on […]
Filed under: History, On this day in history, Paris, Travel | 11 Comments
Tags: Carrière Cochin, catacombes de Paris, cataphiles, Charles-Axel Guillaumot, Cochin quarry, Gilles Thomas, Graham Robb, La sauveur de Paris, Paris catacombs, rue d'Enfer
“Have you read How Paris Became Paris?” my new blog-friend Nomad Woman asked recently. I had indeed — and I loved Joan DeJean’s approach of (re)telling the city’s history through architectural and technological innovations. I especially appreciated DeJean’s characterization of Henry IV (1554 – 1610) as a visionary. I had never before regarded his urban […]
Filed under: History, Paris, Photography | 20 Comments
Tags: Henri IV, Henry IV, Musée Carnavalet, Paris history, Place Dauphine, Place des Vosges, Pont Neuf, Square de Vert Galant, Vedettes du Pont Neuf, Victor Hugo
Roaming through Roman Paris
I’m always happy to offer Paris travel tips (check out a first-timer’s guide to Paris, a walking/photography tour, and my list of 10 small museums.) But I was truly intrigued when a blogfriend asked me recently about sightseeing in Roman Paris. Here are my top picks — and a quick history lesson to give them […]
Filed under: History, Paris, Travel | 15 Comments
Tags: Arènes de Lutèce, Cluny Museum, Crypte Archeologique, Lutetia, Lutetia Parisiorum, Musée Cluny, Roman Paris
It’s funny how conversations and events sometimes conspire to get you off your [creative] butt. First it was the ongoing discussion with a photographer friend who encouraged me to “digitally darkroom” some of my old photos. Then on Saturday I had the pleasure of seeing Peter Turnley’s gorgeous new book, French Kiss – A Love […]
Filed under: On being creative, Paris, Photography, Travel | 50 Comments
Tags: Paris, Paris in black and white, Paris Love letter, Paris photography, paris street photography, Paris travel, Peter Turnley
Is retouching … cheating?
I’ve had a running conversation with my photographer friend Craig for some weeks about processing digital images. For whatever reason, I’d come to think that “real” photographers produce great images straight out of the camera, and that retouching them in Photoshop is cheating. But Craig took a different view. And through his gentle persistence — […]
Filed under: On being creative, Paris, Photography | 28 Comments
Tags: digital image processing, Paris, Paris black and white, Paris photography, retouching images
A love letter … to love
My husband has been inconsolable since he learned that a dear friend’s 14-year-old daughter died in a car accident last Thursday. I’ve tried talking with him, holding his hand, just sitting quietly next to him … but his sadness is overwhelming. I understand why: No matter the circumstances, the death of a child always seems […]
Filed under: Friends and family, Paris, Photography, Psychology, Travel | 6 Comments
Tags: love, meaning of life, Valentine's Day
Au bord de la Seine
I was walking along the Seine on my last night in Paris when I heard the soft strumming of a guitar and laughter coming from the quay below. I paused for a moment to listen, and it was only then that I noticed the people and the soft lights across the river. Everything around me […]
Filed under: Paris, Photography, Travel | 8 Comments
Tags: Paris photography, photos of Paris, Seine, Seine river at night
Walking in the footsteps of WWI
One of the highlights of my trip to Paris in December of 2013 was a visit to the Catacombs with my friend Des, author of the extraordinary Soundlandscapes blog. I was happy to share with him what I’d learned about the Catacombs’ history, and even happier to give credit to Gilles Thomas, who arguably knows […]
Filed under: History, Paris, Psychology, Travel | 14 Comments
Tags: Aisne, Braye Quarries, Carrières de Braye, Charles Leo Boucher, Chemin des Dames, Corporal Earle Madeley, Gilles Chauwin, Gilles Thomas, Laon, World War i
“The Palace of Versailles helped us understand the French Revolution,” I wrote in 2006, after Esteban and I took a day-trip out of Paris to see the (in)famous home of Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette. “After a couple of hours we, too, felt like donning pitchforks.” Here’s the digital-album page I made shortly […]
Filed under: History, On this day in history, Paris | 14 Comments
Tags: Bastille Day, Bastille Day 2014, French independence, French Revolution
I’m an AWFUL street photographer
I don’t often post re-runs on HBlog, but this one serves and important purpose. (Check back tomorrow and all will be revealed.) With apologies to my friends — and faithful readers — who may have seen this post a couple of years ago: Every so often, my friends at work and I are asked to […]
Filed under: On being creative, Paris, Photography, Psychology, Travel | 14 Comments
Tags: Cartier-Bresson decisive moment, decisive moment, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Paris photography, street photographer, street photography
