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traveling to paris


david_myers2

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Whilst seconding the thought on walking shoes it is also the case that Paris has a very useful public transport network. You can buy a weekly tourist ticket very economically and use it on the metro, bus and even some useful specialist transport like the Montmartrobus. As long as you avoid the obvious issues (such as try not to change metro lines at Chatelet (the biggest hub) since the walking distances between the lines is huge) the transport system will get you about anywhere inside the Peripherique fairly easily, and while walking round Paris can be fun, it has its share of monotony too.

 

Places to shoot? I don't know quite where to start- so if you could just tell us what sort of things you might want to photograph it would help.

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If you are fortunate enough to have nice weather (which I realize is not very probable in November), head to any park. Also, I would second the advice about walking shoes and night photography. Go and enjoy yourself, the photo opportunities will present themselves naturally. Just always keep a camera with you!
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I've gone in mid-summer or at the end of summer, even as late as September and its ALWAYS been as hot as all heck. What time of year is the best?

 

Last time it was so hot and I was so burned out I fell asleep on one of the bunches in the Tullieries and snored really loud.

 

Would be nice to go when its cooler so I could wear one of my slick London tweeds or my dark blue sports coat. Please advise. Thanks

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I can't imagine wanting for places to shoot in Paris. Even if you just make your way between the major tourist spots: Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc d'Triumph, etc, you'll encounter many sights along the way.

 

If the weather turns nasty and you want to head indoors, Google "Paris passages"...there's one just north of the Palais Royal.

 

I was there in late April / early May a couple of years ago, and the weather was perfect. Although I'd have to recommend late October / early November for Paul's dark blue sports coat!

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I recommend "Europe Through the Back Door" by Rick Steves to anyone even thinking about going to Europe (or anywhere really). This is read-before-you-go travel book that will pay for itself in tips, ideas and philosophy - more of a how-to travel than what to see or where to eat. Buy it or get it from the library today and read it while you finish preparing to leave. I'd also recommend his Paris city guide for all of the nuts and bolts on sights, hotels, etc.
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David, november is usually "le mois de la photo" (month of photography) in Paris. Don't miss Paris-Photo (http://www.parisphoto.fr/), big crowd, but a lot of things to see. Many other exhibitions (Salgado in the bibliotheque nationale, Bill Brandt in the Fondation Carier Bresson, Rio Branco in the MEP, many others...). The museum of photography is now in the "Jeu de Paume". The first thing to do arriving in Paris is to by "l'officiel", a cheap magazine where you can find everything that is going on.

 

Where to go? everywhere, just walk! don't be afraid of riots: the most dangerous thing in Paris is the carbondioxyde in the traffic jams!

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"Now that would be an interesting thing to document. Not the tourist hotspots. Or even the tourist hotspots, only with panning."

 

Come on, Eugene, nobody sane of his mind would ever go there. A friend of mine, who is French lives in Paris, once missed her bus stop and stepped down in the suburbs portraited by La Haine.

 

She was lucky that somebody offered to "escort" her through that suburb, because it wasn't safe at all.

 

Now, ok being a professional anarchist, but understand that some of us already have stressing jobs and maybe being a tourist from time to time is needed to relax a little bit.

 

I think that a documentary on suburbs would be great, but these project take months or years.

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"Come on, Bruno, this is a photography forum, not a tourism forum, isn't it?"

 

Yeah, but there are some excellent street shots of Paris which don't necessarily involve social unrest, war, poverty and such things... this is a photography forum, not a politics forum :)

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