France

, , , , , , ,

Mon Habit de France

, , , , , , ,

There isn’t a day that goes by when I’m not thinking about France. I’m actively planning a strategy to spend more time here in my future. After a few days in Copenhagen, my wife and I headed to southern France for several days and finished up in Paris. The cover photo was taken in Montpellier, just steps from our apartment.

I noticed some themes in my photos as I often do when I’m photographing every day. I took several images of couples sitting at cafes, and in both of these shots below, the guys have expressions on their faces suggesting their thoughts are somewhere other than the table at which they are sitting.

I also captured some situations where someone was under observation, but may not have know it. The first image below is my favorite in the sequence.

I like to make pictures of people riding bikes, scooters and other modes of transportation, particularly when the subjects are stylishly dressed. I particularly like the first shot below given the expression, the fashion and the shoes.

Here’s an assortment of other favorites captured on this trip, and taken in the order of the cities listed: Aix-en-Provence, Paris, Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Carcassonne, Montpellier, Montpellier, Carcassonne.

I’m already counting the days to my next visit this fall.

, , , ,

Moments à Paris

, , , ,

I knew I’d be coming back to Paris, but I never expected to return so soon. It was a spur of the moment idea that gained traction when I found an airfare too cheap to ignore.

The picture above is one of my favorites from this trip. As I noticed the elements of this image coming together, I made every effort to get as close as I could in the spare seconds I had before I took this shot. I actually have a sequence of three shots. The first two images I have show her puckering up before she notices me. As I got a few feet closer, she rolled her eyes and that’s the shot I wanted. While the background is busy, I think the subject is strong enough to overcome the distraction.

The moped windshield and the retracting shield on both of their helmets seem to be bouncing the sunlight in a favorable direction since much of her face and her front neckline are illuminated. One of the mirrors on the moped might also be reflecting some light. I like everything about her posture including her symmetrically positioned hands resting on the seat of the moped.

Paris is such an easy place to capture moments of affection, and like fashion, it isn’t limited to certain age groups. I’m always looking to capture these public displays of affection because unlike anywhere else, it just seems to belong here. In the picture above, I love the dappled light on the subjects and how the folds in their shirts are so well defined by light and shadow.

This time I started noticing hair color. Normally when I see bold hair colors, the clothing seems to reinforce the hair color statement, but not this time. Actually, the last picture is the exception to what I saw.

I got an early start on a sunny morning to capture long shadows, silhouettes and soft light. I made my way over to the Canal Saint-Martin and noticed this woman who just lit her cigarette. It was the sunlight bouncing off the sidewalk and her shirt, and lighting the underside of her chin that caught my attention. Part of her face is also rim lit by the sun.

As I started my morning walk, I noticed several interesting subjects pass by me. In a way I was sleep walking since I failed to capture them in the moment. I stopped in my tracks, surveyed the scene below and waited until an interesting subject passed through my frame. The woman in the hat below showed up first and waited to catch a bus. Then the guy on the bike made his way down the hill. I like the long shadow projected on the cobblestone street, and the white gloves he happens to be wearing.

A minute later, the Vespa came around the corner. In addition to the long shadow, I like how the man’s attention has been re-directed from the cobblestone road.

It’s always interesting to notice the non-verbal communication among adults when things aren’t going well. I see this all the time and I decided to start capturing it. The first image below was actually taken in Palavas-les-Flots on the Mediterranean coast when we were visiting Montpellier. I saw this couple talking to each other when I was further away, and as I got closer, they seemed to reach an impasse, and the body language says it all. Since there were two French flags flying, in front of a clear sky, I had to leave this in color.

Here’s another out of sync moment, and the guy clearly doesn’t like what he’s hearing.

Picnics don’t always take place in the park. I stumbled upon this scene in the Latin Quarter. Who needs a patch of grass to sit on when you can stand on a cobblestone street and have a stare down contest with the family dog.

In the pictures below, a woman makes it a picnic to-go. Then, a park bench gets turned into a picnic table. And the last image reminded me of a scene we’ve seen painted before by Seurat and Renoir that takes place on the bank of a lake or river, except here the subjects are more casually dressed and there’s a high-tech stroller in the frame..

The parks are also a fabulous location to capture all kinds of behaviors and expressions.

Here are a few more shots from an afternoon stroll through Luxembourg Gardens.

They call it Pétanque, and the next trip to Paris will include a picnic on a bench at courtside to take in the atmosphere of this game. In the shot below, I like the lighting, the shadows and symmetry of the two men as it relates to their hands, the position of their feet and how each of them have their weight on their right foot. It looks like the woman is setting things straight as she points to the position of the steel boules and the small hardwood ball called a bouchan (cork), or a cochonnet (piglet) or simply le petit.

Here’s another shot taken from the gallery.

Finally, an assortment of other shots captured on the streets of Paris.

, , , , ,

Bonjour Paris

, , , , ,

I have no problem admitting I'm a Francophile.  It started after my first visit to Paris almost a decade ago, and ever since, France is like an open page that runs in the background of my life. It's been more than a year since the last time I was there - that is until this month. 

I spent the first two weeks of May in France.  My wife and I hiked from Dijon to Meursault, and of course we sampled many of the fabulous wines produced in this region known as Burgundy. After a week of hiking through vineyards and patches of forest, I was ready for the sites and sounds of my favorite city in the world, Paris.

This trip turned into a photographic lesson, and I'll address that in greater detail in another post.  In short, I made two technical changes to the way I normally shoot pictures.  I forced myself to zone focus the entire time which created new limits and new opportunities. I also set my aperture to F/11, and increased the ISO on my camera to boost my shutter speed that was set on automatic.  You will see some grain in the images below, and that's ok since this blog is about street photography, and not fine art.

Each time I return to Paris, I'm captivated by certain themes that translate into interesting images. Let's start with the cafe society.  I'm always looking at posture, and facial expressions for clues about the environmental vibe at each table.  If invited, which table would I want to join?

Love is another theme that's always in the air in Paris, and the challenge is being in the right place at the right time to capture it with a 28mm lens.  Here are a few shots taken from near and far.

Fashion is a highlight for photographers who shoot on the street.  An otherwise uninspiring setting suddenly becomes interesting when fashion enters the frame. Of course the ubiquitous scarfs are wrapped, tied and worn in so many creative ways.  On this trip, I also noticed how the older generation is just as eager to embrace the fashion world.  Not only do I like the colors and matching glasses the woman is wearing below, but she's also looking over the bridge of her glasses which is icing on the cake.

Here are a few more images to drive home the point that fashion is for everyone who wants to be a part of it.

My wife had a shopping list and one afternoon we headed to the Galeries Lafayette.  While she shopped, I walked the streets with my camera.  I noticed this sales clerk walking outside with a customer into the good light I had already discovered.  He brought a mirror and some cosmetics that he applied to the customer's face.  The following sequence picks up the story.

The Chinese tourists love this shopping center and they are both stylish and high powered shoppers.  It's more interesting to observe them outside the store where they seem to be more animated and boisterous.  They sure like to do a lot of pointing.

I took the next three pictures in Dijon.  In the first picture, I noticed some workers hauling bags of debris from a demolition project they were working on.  As the workers exited the building and approached the back of the vehicle, they would twist and turn 180 degrees, setting their load on the edge of the truck.  Someone inside the vehicle would re-postion the bags to optimize the payload.

I like the care-free look of this dog trotting down the pedestrian mall.  His owner is to the left with leash in hand.  

Finally, I like the variety of activity, modes of transportation, and the people who appear in the image below.  There's even the guy with long blonde hair positioning his body into a human comma to avoid the bicyclist on the right side of the photo.  I also like the leading lines and perspective created by the buildings.  The guy on the mono-wheel to the left of the frame entered the picture just as I released the shutter.  

These remaining images are a mash-up of random images from Paris that I find interesting.

, , , ,

France 2016

, , , ,

One of my personal goals is to travel outside the country each year and this year I managed to do that twice.  This spring, I went to Canada and spent a few days in Montreal and Quebec City, and in early fall, we returned to France.  My wife and I spent the first week touring  Normandy and we made a brief visit to the Loire Valley.  The second week was all about Paris with a limited schedule of touristy adventures. 

I was constantly on the lookout for photographic opportunities as we crisscrossed this beautiful city, and I managed to capture a few.  I also had a limited amount of time I could dedicate to street photography, and these moments only happened when I was willing to give up a few hours of sleep in the early morning hours before my wife was up.  

This first shot is from a setting I first worked on my Paris workshop last year.  While my wife stepped into a shop, I waited on the sidewalk looking for gestures between these two women, and anything else that might bring the scene to life.  It turns out that the slight breeze was the perfect little boost I needed.  The white curtain hanging on the door moved just enough to suggest a puff of wind.  

Luxembourg garden is a great place to walk and observe vignettes of French life.  The place is filled with families hanging out together, friends enjoying conversations that often include a picnic, and of course there are the lovers and the joggers and the tourists.

Initially, I wasn’t planning to take this picture, but when the woman turned her head and gave me that look, I couldn’t resist.

Luxembourg garden is also the setting for the picture below.  The facial expressions tell you everything you need to know about this photograph.  I like how the chestnut trees frame the top  of the image, and the tree trunks serve a similar function on the vertical.

What I like most about this next picture is the couple in the background and how they are framed by the wooden rectangle.  I took this in the Latin Quarter and I also like the sense of movement conveyed by these dancers including the sway in the woman's skirt.

I saw the guy below make an interesting move as he walked in front of us.  I missed that shot. Now that I was ready, I was hoping he'd repeat the move so I could capture it and voila.  

We were heading to the Picasso museum when I saw the woman in this next picture.  Unfortunately, she also saw my camera and she dropped her head forward in what I believe was an act of silent protest, and a way to sabotage a great shot.  Ok, that's a little bit judgmental on my part, but at the time it sure felt that way.

Take note of her hat, and what she has pinned to it.  Do you like her earrings, and her tie?

I was amused when I saw this man touching the map locator that in French says, "You are here."  In this case, it's the Temple metro stop. 

This final shot was taken early in the morning on our last day in Paris.  In a light misty rain, this guy was walking fast either because he was late, or because he was getting wet, or perhaps a little of both.

, , , ,

Paris Workshop

, , , ,

The first time I saw Paris, I knew I'd be coming back for more.  Paris, for me, is the most beautiful city in the world, and any idea that includes a visit to this city will always be a good idea.

It's been almost a year since my first workshop, and I feel I have reached a point where some additional instruction could improve my craft.  A few months ago I noticed Valerie Jardin was conducting a weekend workshop in Paris.  If it isn't already obvious, this was one of those good ideas, but the decision to go wasn't as impulsive as it seems. My wife and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, so why not make it special and celebrate in Paris?  And as long as we're there, maybe we could take a street photography workshop together.

Day one of our workshop was a goose bump moment.  This was my first time shooting in the streets of Paris.  It's hard to find a setting or a background in this city that is less than beautiful.  The light is also magical, and anyone with an interest in this genre can't walk these streets without thinking about the great French photographers who pioneered this art form.  It was also interesting to see this city through the eyes of our instructor who grew up in France.  

The first image was taken at the Place des Vosges, and I like that we can't see the faces of this couple.  There is symmetry as both are in step with one another, and there is symmetry from the hip up, as he is ever so slightly hunched over while she is slightly arching her back.

I almost deleted the picture above when I first viewed it.  The soft focus was initially distracting, but there was something about it that made me hold onto it.  Now I'm glad I have it.  I think the facial expressions are strong enough to overcome the technical limitations, and the soft focus adds a quality of dreaminess.  We can see their hair caught in the breeze, but what are they looking at with such intense curiosity? I also like the subtle elements of fashion as well as the imaginary diagonal line that sweeps from the lower right corner to the upper left corner of the frame.

I was at a busy intersection waiting for the light to turn green when this couple in front of me turned towards each other.  I thought they were going to kiss, but instead they gently touched foreheads and noses without speaking words.  Can you feel the love?  

There are a few things going on in the photo below.  Based on the type of bike, we know who will be first off the starting line.  Only two people have their eyes on the traffic signal, two others are staring at me and two are looking behind.  Everyone is wearing warm jackets, but the smattering of leaves on the road remind us of the season.

I was admiring some of the cheeses at this shop, and after I went in for a closer view, I looked up, and saw this trapezoid frame with two guys who look like brothers.  Cheese bros!

I noticed this woman talking on her phone and I wanted to take her picture since her dog was sitting in the chair next to her.  Just as I was closing in on the shot, she received some unwelcome news and let out a groan while raising her hand to her head.  I like the texture of the chairs and the sidewalk, and I also like how the people in the background are going about their business.  The kid's posture suggests a state of restlessness which adds a genuine layer to this slice of Parisian life .

After the Paris workshop, we headed south to Provence for a few days.  This next series of photographs was taken in Avignon.  I noticed this guy standing close to the door of a salon with his dog.  Something didn't seem right, but I later realized he was trying to catch the attention of someone inside.  As I got closer, the door opened and this woman, who was in the middle of a hairdo, stepped out the door to handoff her cell phone to the man.  I like their eye contact and their facial expressions.

I was lost for a moment in this city and trying to find my way back to one of the major streets when I caught this faire la bise moment.  I like the posture of these two guys and the contrast between casual and formal dress.

I captured the last photograph at the Palace of the Popes.  This couple was seated on a bench that happened to be situated in a place with great light.  As the guy leaned forward to rest his hands on his knee, that's the moment my shutter made a silent click.