Paris Metro Through My Camera**+

This is the Paris Metro as seen through my camera; the exact scene

being a 'people mover' or horizontal conveyor belt between adjacent

stations in one part of the famous and famously quiet and efficient

underground. While eclipsed by the amazing Moscow Metro, the Paris

metro is one of the world's most efficient, and, with rubber tires on

its 'wagons', one of the quietest. Your ratings and critiques are

invited and most welcome. (If you rate harshly or very critically,

please submit a helpful and constructive comment/Please share your

superior knowledge to help improve my photography) Thanks! Enjoy!

John

Ahhh Gare Montparnasse...what a station. I used to like riding the ultra fast people mover, over and over again, with my 7 year old. The "helpers" at the entrance to it thought us odd though.

 

Only thing I could say is that it would be nice to see the left side a bit lighter.

 

Alexis

 

www.alexisneel.com

Alexis, a very helpful comment, and one I'm delighted to receive.

 

You are right about the Metro at Gare Montparnasse, and the people mover there, but they no longer have attendants at the end, but instead have television screens or some such overhead at the ends and speakers (if memory serves me well, as I was not paying much attention to details).

 

This sat unnoticed for a month and almost a half on my hard drive and several photographers I was speaking with noticed it and said 'that is a *fabulous* photo' after I resurrected it, and somehow I must agree with them that it speaks for a sort of anomie -- for the common man going about his common business somewhere, somehow in the greater, mechanized world.

 

About lightening the left, I'll probably work on it with my new laptop which has unreliable color/brightness, and I'm in an Internet cafe which has the world's worst monitors so everything looks like cafe au lait (including this photo which does not serve it well at all).

 

I'm delighted you recall the place.

 

(Would you look at my next upload and see if you can identify the belltower in it and identify it for me? It's next to the Seine, I believe on the River Gauche, but I caught it passing on Rive Droite from a passing taxi -- a desaturated -- view of a belfry and birds -- a true 'grab shot'.)

 

Thanks for the nice comment.

 

John (Crosley)

Sure...send me the link when its uploaded. If its in your folders already, I missed it.

 

Alexis

I don't know how to 'link', and I'm not where I have such information readily available to me (Internet cafe), but it's in my Early B&W Folder - includes recent work, or some such words.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

John

Is it this one:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=4023145

Yes, that's the one, sorry for not posting a link. I'm interested as I think that's a landmark and excuseless for not knowing which one (taxi ride and all that.)

 

John (Crosley)

Well, I don't recognise it but I'll ask the wife...she's Parisian.

 

Give me a day or so.

 

Alexis

When I get upload capability, I have a version of this with the contrast somewhat enhanced that shows somewhat better and which I like even more than this -- it shows very well.

 

(And thanks Alexis for your efforts).

 

John

The former version of this appeared a little murky, edited on Internet cafes, so the final version has been 'contrast enhanced' somewhat, for clarity and to make it more visually in line with reality, and bringing more balance to the left. Thanks critiquer(s) for pointing out the demerits of the previous version.

 

I need all the help I can get and accept it willingly when well made comments and advice are spot on.

 

You may need to clear your browser cache if you previously have viewed this image to see the changes.

 

John

I really like this perspective John. Those opposing panels on both sides of the photo seem to hold nicely the composition together while at the same time add to the great feeling of depth. This shot reminds me that people nowadays live in such a mechanized world, ending up themselves during most of the time acting as mere machines, following the routine day after day and living uncomfortably comfortable. Best regards, Alex