A week in Paris

[luisarguelles]

Next month I'll make my second travel to Paris. Yes, I know that there are tons of info on the Net, but I

think it's always exciting to share experiences (including photographical ones!) from one of the more

magical towns in the world.

I'll go with 30 rolls of Tri-X and a 50mm and 21mm lenses. My wife will carry her F90x plus 35mm Nikkor

f/2. A Leica Mini will complete the photo set-up.

By the way, have you got some hints?. What about the issue of taking street-photo pictures?. Is it

forbidden?. What is the actual status on this?

[joseph_smith3]

As far as I know, it is OK to do it. I have sat at cafes in Paris sipping wine or coffee with my camera and have taken pictures of people and street scenes right from the table. Joe Smith

[tri-x1]

If you look like a tourist, I doubt anyone will say anything about taking pictures. We were there six weeks ago and no one ever gave us a second look. Of course I wasn't specifically on people but I shot a lot of street scenes.

[photo5]

Tri-X in Paris. Perfect! Look forward to see the results.

 

Dave

[gv]

One picture-perfect place to consider visiting is Rue de Cler on Sunday morning. The street is

crammed full of locals doing their business and if you are lucky an organ grinder will get

some people dancing... Be sure to get there in the morning, because around noon folks start

leaving and by 1pm the street will essentially be deserted.

[robert_hooper1]

There are some very ambiguous and haphazardly enforced rules regarding tripod use in

Paris. I once tried to get a permit to use a tripod, but it was such a bureaucratic hassle

that I gave up even though my wife is fluent in French. The last time I was in Paris (Spring

2006), I took some night shots outside the Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame, and Eiffel

Tower without being accosted by the police. I was asked to leave the courtyard of the

Louvre, however. I think if I had worked more quickly, I might have gotten a shot or two

off before security descended on me. I was told they were more lenient with mono pod

users, but I didn't want to chance it after being chased away once. These people seemed

to take

their job seriously. During the day, no one ever bothered me about my tripod. There are

rules but I think its a hit or miss thing when it come to enforcement.

 

Rick Steves' Paris 2007 guide book is worth having in hand while exploring Paris. The

walking tours in his book work out to be great photo walking tours. Study the map of

Paris and plan your photo excursions around the time of day when lighting is best for the

sights you plan to visit. For example, on a sunny day photograph Sacre Coeur early before

the sun gets too high or passes behind it.

 

The Paris Metro is fabulous. Learn how to use it and buy a carnet of ten tickets to save

money or the Carte Orange pass. If the Metro goes on strike, the automated train line

(dark purple #14) which passes right through the center of Paris remains running and will

put you within walking distance of many places. Also useful are the 'hop on, hop off"

private busses, L'Open Tours and Les Cars Rouges. Hop on one of these red or yellow

double decker

buses at any of the major Paris sights, pay your fee for one or two days and you have a

pretty good transportation system until the Metro strike ends.

[janvanlaethem]

Paris is a great city for photography. I don't see any problems taking pictures of people, as long as you are doing it for your own portfolio. Exhibiting your work or displaying it on the internet may be a different matter, as you would normally need the person's authorization to do so. There have been several law suits in France recently where people have sued photographers for taking their photographs, or even photographs of their property, and exhibiting those pictures in public without their consent. In practice, there is little chance you'll run into trouble, especially in a tourist location as Paris, where a tourist with a camera will go almost unnoticed. As with everything, common sense is important. Don't stick your camera into people's faces, and don't take a picture if someone is clearly objecting to their picture being taken.

 

Public buildings like the Eiffel tower, Notre Dame etc. are ok to photograph. You may also sell those pictures if you wish to. French law is very clear about this: any building that is older than 70 years can be photographed without any problem. If it is not 70 years old, you need the architect's authorization to sell any pictures. There has been a famous case where a photographer took a picture of the Eiffel tower at night and got sued by the people who installed and operate the lights that illuminate the monument at night.

 

There are several nice places where you can take great pictures. From the towers of Notre Dame you have a great look over the river Seine and the Eiffel tower. The surroundings of Notre Dame, the little park at the back of Notre Dame and the book stalls at the other side of the river. Sacré Coeur and the streets that lead up to it. From Sacré Coeur's elevated position you can take scenic pictures of the city. From the top of the Eiffel tower you have excellent views over large parts of the city, take a telelens like 200 or 300mm with you to pick out details.

 

To get around, your best bet is to take a tourist bus. The interesting points in Paris are quite far apart, so walking from one monument to the other is not always a very good option. The tourist bus is a double deck bus, the top floor has no roof. You can get a one day or two day ticket and just hop on and off the bus at the locations you like. It's been a while since I visited Paris, but I think there's a bus every 10 or 15 minutes. You can stay as long as you want at any given location and just take the next bus that comes along.

 

There is a big tourist office next to the Arc de Triomphe, at the end of the Champs Elysees. There may be others as well, you can check at your hotel.

 

June is probably the best month to visit: you probably will have good weather, it isn't as hot as the summer and it will not be too busy, as opposed to July and August.

 

Enjoy your trip.

[janvanlaethem]

In response to Robert's post about tripod use, my experience is that it is normally allowed to set up a tripod outdoors during the daytime, as long as you don't hinder pedestrians or traffic. Take a long time though setting up your tripod and framing your shot and you may get an overzealous police man inviting you to leave.

 

Use of a tripod indoors like inside churches and museums is normally not allowed, but there are usually very clear signs about this at the entrance, where you get your entry ticket. You can always ask what is allowed and what is not. A mono pod seems like a good idea, again it may or may not be allowed.

 

Using a tripod at night on the streets will normally not be allowed, as pedestrians could trip over the tripod legs in the dark. If you set one up and take your shots quickly, you can get away with it. For night shots I take a lightweigth table tripod with me and try to rest it on a wall or a bridge's railing.

[tri-x1]

Unfortunately it was raining when were were in Paris in early April. The Metro is the best way to get around except we didn't figure that out until it was time to go back to the hotel on the far side of town. We used the double decker tourist buses in London--great for shooting because you don't have to deal with windows on the top deck and you can get off and catch the next one a few minutes later. Wish we had figured that out in Paris.<div></div>

[yann1]

Don't worry too much about street pictures xcepted for the tripod issue and sticking your camera in people's face. Forget about 70 years old building, you won't be sued for shooting a house. Now my advice: Don't ever take pictures of beggars or you'll run into trouble. Have anice trip, and wake up early.

[gv]

There is a terrific double-decker bus that does a two-hour loop tip through central Paris. I

believe that you can get off-and-on wherever you choose; it is a great way to get oriented

and see a lot of Paris landmarks.

 

I personally prefer taking taxis rather than the Metro or buses. It takes time and energy to

figure out the Metro/bus lines. The Metro is faster than a cab, but then you can't see

much of Paris from the Metro... One time we were stalled at an intersection while a parade

of seemingly thousands of roller-bladers flowed through the cross-street. Yes, the meter

was running, but if we had avoided the streets by taking the Metro we may have never

seen the roller-bladers. The only time I skip using a taxi is during rush hour. Better to

hang-out at a corner cafe until the madness subsides...

 

If you have a specific destination in mind but there is a language barrier or the cab driver

doesn't know exactly where it is, give him the general location of where you are going and

then he can look-up the address in one of those gigantic Paris map books.

 

If you do use the Metro, be careful with your belongings because rip-offs are relatively

common on the Metro and in its stations. I'm not usually into ethnic profiling, but if you

look distracted you may find yourself victimized by a gypsy pick-pocket. Or two or more

gypsies will work together to distract a potential victim. They are also active in popular

tourist areas above ground. I have had a couple of interesting encounters with gypsies

looking to get something for nothing, so to speak, and if I had been less observant and

assertive I think that I would have returned home with fewer belongings than when I began

my trip!

[joseph_smith3]

If you like side trips, consider going outside of Paris to Giverny, the place of Monet's Gardens. You can take a small van as opposed to a large tour bus. Go early. The gardens are beautiful. Joe Smith

[luisarguelles]

Thanks very much for the great information. Last August I was in the Loira Valley, and then I made a one-day visit to Paris. I was there only five hours, but I managed to take some pictures:</p>

<a href="http://www.holos-photo.com/paris/menu.html">Five hours in Paris</a>

</p>It's interesting to note that tripods are allowed in NotreDam, however I never carry a tripod on holidays. I prefer to travel light and with only two small lenses. By the way, thanks very much for the advice of not taking pictures of beggers. In any case I'll try one or two with the 21mm lens.

Oh, I almost forget: is it possible to takes pictures in shows like tho ones in Mouline Rouege and similar?

[janvanlaethem]

Posted some pictures from my last visit in 2001 on

 

http://www.photo.net/photos/janvanlaethem

 

please scroll down to the last folder.

 

Luis, I've just checked your link, you have some amazing pictures from your last stay. I especially like the one of the person walking along the river, great composition and timing.

 

Jan

[bruno]

Luis,

 

if you have time, make it out of the tourist areas and go into the 12eme arrondissement. In the city center there will be too many tourists, whatever you do will be fake.

 

Here a nice photo I've taken in Place D'Aligre last year: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brunotrematore/355636656/in/set-72157600093040789/

 

Another place worth trying is Les Marais. You should visit "Maison Europeenne de la photographie" in Marais and don't miss the exhibition L'Image D'Apres running in the Cinematheque Francaise in Bercy.

 

If you want more, write me an email. Don't listen to suggestions coming from american tourists in Europe (ok, take it easy guys, just feel like being mean)... been to Paris at least 20 times... know a few insider tricks.

[luisarguelles]

Jan, thanks for your words. By the way, your pictures from the Eiffel tower show very well the

magnitude of this emblematic construction. Bruno, great picture: it seems "Rolleiflex-class"

to me!. Thanks also for the advice about trying to go out of the typical touristic places,

although at the same time those places are the best ones for being unnoticed.

[rjacksonphoto]

Luis

 

Very nice shots in the "Five Hours in Paris" gallery.