Rue Becquerel

Ah yes, reminiscent of Brassai. To photograph a city one needs to be intimate with it, to know every street, every alley. The visitor never gets to know the city like its resident. Paris, tu n'as pas change, mon vieux, Paris, tu n'as pas change, tant mieux. (Sorry about lack of accents but this is an English keyboard.)

Christian, good name for a photographer, even better without the h. Seriously, congratulations. Is there a blue hue to it?

I must admit, at the first glance and without the aid of my much needed, always close at hand, reading glasses...I thought this was a similar shot that I took in Old Quebec on one of the stairs to Chateu Fontenac. Putting the glasses on I realize my error...It is a fine photo of similar stairs in Paris. In trying to stick with the Elves querry this week I say that the POW serves to state the heart and soul of a big city typical of the French City. Architecturally, French citys usually are based on former Medieval settlements that follow planning principals of agrarian, topographic and defensive layouts that lend themselves to these cascading street stairs. Old Quebec City is an old walled city that follows those same planning princilpals and has the similar stairs as built in the mother country. Secondly, the architectural details of the French have transcended to other French settlements of the world as well through the excellent training programs that the Architects and the Tradesmen receive in those fields. I can look at stonework, ironwork and sheetmetal work as found on the incredibly detailed roofs in both France and the Province of Quebec and hardly know the difference.

 

Now the Photograph...This photo definately speaks of the Big City but I can't say it is necessarily Paris. To me it says "French City".

Previous crits claim it looks like the Bronx New York but I would argue that the details are not at all the same. The Bronx would not have the exquisit stonework and would be show evidence of tag art that is very predominant in that area. But definately similar planning principals.

 

I like the overal tone and detail of this shot but in my opinion it would be richer if more contrast was allowed. Next time there is a fog, head out and do this one over and that would be the shot that I'd like to see. Thanks for sharing this one Christian, Brad

this is a cliche of parisian street scenery. i wouldnt even bother taking a shot like this and i live in paris. postcard-like, yes, pretty lighting, but done a million times (how does this get an originality rating above 2 i dont know). cities are places full of life, with different levels of energy, interactivity, and communication. cities are alive and dynamic. this captures nothing about the energy of paris and could have been taken any time. for those of you who romanticise paris (many amercicans) this might be cool, but cool it is not! where are the photographers who like to engage with city life, as opposed to pretty scenes and postcard imagery?

I do not think that a single photograph can truly capture the soul of a big city. A city, all the more a big city, has'nt only one character (I prefer this word to "soul", what is the soul ?). Maybe here Christian has capture the (or rather one) character of Montmartre, (this area of Paris). When visiting his portfolio, we can see numerous characters of Paris.

 

As for the requirements for a good city photo, it depends of what sort of photo one want to do. For the photos like Christian's, the less to have is a tripod when using a long exposure (for night photos). Christian does'nt say if he use filters. Personnaly, I have tried to use a blue filter by night, in order to dim the red dominant of the urban ligthtings, but since I use PhotoShop, I prefer correct the colours with it if necessary. One problem I have meet is whith overcast sky. The reflections of lightings on the clouds make a red sky which is not always of the best effect (it can have exceptions). It is preferable to choose the nights when the sky is not full of low clouds (or else, not to shot towards the sky). A very good moment is after it has rained. The reflections of the lights on the wet streets and pavements is beautifull. You can see the beautifull Christian's photo "Place du Tertre" as an excellent example of this.

Someone mentioned that there is no specific subject... I see it as the city being the subject, which means yes, it does succeed in capturing the soul of a big city. The fact that it's a night shot, and the cloudy weather, remind us that a city can take on different moods. The viewpoint is fascinating, with intimate forground and distant 'extended" scene, all being collectively "the subject". As far as how this relates to travel photography (in big cities), it's a fine example of how the city can look different, depending on where you are at, and when you are there. Don't fall into the generic tourist views (that's what postcards are for)... be creative!

Et voila... Brassaï, Cartier-Bresson... et pourquoi pas Depardon ?!!Belle atmosphere montmartroise, qui me rappelle plutot Henry Miller dans "Quiet days in Clichy" :-)

La profondeur de champ surprend, pour qui ne connait la pollution du ciel parisien. Le contraste obtenu au tirage y est sans doute pour beaucoup. Mais a la difference des vieilles photos au bromure d'argent, la, je trouve qu'il y a encore trop de grain, meme apres la numerisation.

Ca ne fait rien, elle est tres belle, puisqu'aujourd'hui, il a neigé pour la premiere fois de la saison sur Oslo...

Excellent travail. On en reclame encore !

Moderator note: Please use http://www.freetranslation.com when posting comments in other languages. Here is the translation - though not perfect - from the translation site. It will help people better understand the above..

"And voila... Brassaï, Cartier-Bresson... and why not Depardon?!! Beautiful of montmartre atmosphere, that reminds me of Henry Miller in "Calm days in Clichy" : -)

The depth of field surprises, because of the pollution of the parisian sky. Obtained contrast to the circulation there is doubtless for a lot. But has the difference of the old photos to the money bromide, the, I find that there is again too much grain, meme apres the numerisation.

Ca does not do nothing, she is beautiful tres, puisqu'aujourd'hui today puisqu' aujourd' hui, it snowed for the first time of the season on Oslo...

Excellent works. One in reclame again!

Tout compte fait, je ne comprends qu'une image aussi sublime n'ait pas plus attiré l'attention.

Just go and see this one http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=580287&size=lg , it's amazing quality !!!

Translation of first paragraph: All things considered, I understand only a picture also sublimates did not more attract the attention.

Awesome shot. No question that it's Paris, or at the very least a French (European or Canadian) city. The Bronx?? A stroll down Fordham with a baguette under my arm... Nope, don't see it. This is very French to me - the stonework, the crosswalks, the iron, the cars.

And I really like the tone/contrast. I feel like at the top of the steps is a train station and I'm sitting on the train looking out through a window and down at a Montmarte neighborhood (the caption said this was 18eme, which is Montmarte, right?) . The people just got off my "train" and are going home. As a train passenger, I am just passing through and am not intimately familiar with the surroundings, which I believe is the point of the entire shot. This isn't about perfect contrast or capturing the soul of a city - it's a moment in life and it could be in any large city.

I've spent a fair amount of time in Paris, and for me this image does not capture that city's essence. My Paris is a most organic place, a fermenting, wheezing, oozing thing, a teetering pile of innumerable histories that breathes with life and stinks of decay. Ah, so glorious! This photo speaks of a prim orderliness, an angular severity I associate with, well other places (don't want to insult anyone's country!). Anyhow, it's a well-made photograph to be sure, and the photographer can't be held responsible for what viewers may see in it...

How about this interpretation for the particular photo: The city is there, big, and varied, and old, and the people - they are just the passing shadows in its story.

I can't imagine any one photo doing that. The title "Big City" conjures up a multi-faceted metropolis with varied viewpoints, landmarks and interests. I just recently spent another day visiting/shooting in San Francisco and I can't imagine any one of those many images capturing the soul of that place. Perhaps one of the images does come across more as being "S.F." more that some of the others but it's just one of the many landmarks made famous in that intersting city. Maybe an arial shot would be the best bet. However so much needed detail would be lost on such a "map" shot that the "soul" might get lost in all the details. With S.F. as an example; how would you show all those steep streets with an arial?

 

My vote is NO. Takes more than one shot to reveal the soul of a city with all it's beauty and ugliness.

 

I just thought that perhaps Las Vegas could be an exception. It's not so varied in topography or culture. More like one huge casino with many offspring.

 

The POW here is somewhat interesting being a night shot with the "ghost" figures and other elements bathed in a light not seen by most visitors. Not much else really compelling about this nice image.

This for me is one of best photographs I have seen on Photo net.At the moment I am really into low light photography and this classic print has given me alot of inspiration.

 

Everything is spot on.The exposure,the subject matter even the person walking about.100%.

I like the photo very much... almost has a cubism look about it with all the lines, angles, and forms. Congrats on this one and the other beauties in your portfolio! :)

Beautiful, can't say what I see but it´s atmosphere. I wouldn´t add any contrast. Thank´s

Hey Christian, where can I get a 50mm normal lens for my old yashica fx3??

Beautiful. You have a great portfolio. I can see this is Paris, but it

doesn't feel exactly like Paris to me for some reason, whatever that means. I lived there for a while, so I guess I'm allowed to give an opinion on that ;-) I love the blurred people.

There is no doubt that this is a high quality, visually striking photograph. I particularly like the narrow perspective and the towering sides of the buildings. But in regards to the possibility of capturing a city one must have people not ghosts. It seems that if such a photo is possible it must include; people expressing their culture in some form, a characteristic buildings or landmarks, and some reference to activity (be it decay or rebirth). That is the short list. Does anyone have more?

I have a photo from exactly the same location, but on colour negative which seems to work less well at night time. Also this one is better framed.

Great and powerful image. It really gets you there.

Great Shot, kind of reminds me of one of my own shot.

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=777081&size=lg

I like this photo. To me its the people in the foreground that are the subject - the path they are on down the stairs, opening up to a broader path defined by teh buildings on either side and then out to the open space beyond. To me is a picture about life's journey.

 

What is the soul of Paris anyway? What is the soul of any city? Or any person? The soul, or the essense of either is not an absolute concept that can be captured and that everyone can point to and say "Ah, there it is!". Everyone has their own interpretation of the soul of a city which is defined by their experiences with it. So on one hand, yes a photo can capture the soul in terms of what is the essence of that city for that photographer and maybe others that have similar experiences - but you cannot say that you have capturedd THE soul.

Great picture!

 

Light, DOF, composition, Evereything is just great.

 

Best Regards

 

Leo Garcia / Venezuela

The Photo:

I find this photo alluring and engaging. The angle and blurred people allow me to join in the scene as if I were walking on the stairs that night. Normally a shot like this would create for me the impression that the photographer him/herself was pronounced in the scene (positioning of the camera leading to a secondary revealing of the photographer), but that does not happen for me in this particular scene. I agree contrast could be improved but not without altering the mood of the shot. I feel that the closest pair might have been on the left side of the handrail were we to be even more taken into the scence... but perhaps there would be no more room for the viewer to step down the stairs as I implied above. The dark brooding sky and the nearly perfect lighting all create more of a theater scape than a true lifescape and that, I believe, has added greatly to the overall appeal as we naturally tend to find those scence (with the contrived lighting of the theater set) appealing (that's why they create them that way). The walls that also seem to close in suggest a fake set-like architecture. The light in the center may be troublesome were it not ghosted and muted... so you (barely) get away with that. The reflection off the rocks is a shame but adds to the authenticity of the moment.

 

Soul of a City:

To be cliche, the couple should be lovers thoroughly engaged in one anothers eyes and lips. The parent/child is a good alternative but may detract from the POW theme. Alternatively, little kids in knickers (you know the cliche) would also have worked had they been running down the steps. The action, whatever it could have been, would need to be moving downwards for if the action were towards the viewer, the scene would not work nearly as well. We would not enter the photo but stand back waiting for the action to reach the top of the stairs.

 

Overall:

I really feel at peace with this photo, engaged and eager to go back to paris. Whether THE soul of Paris was captured may not be the question that is most essential, but clearly A soul of this city is here before us on film.

 

thanks so much for your photograph and opening it up for the onslaught. You should be proud of a moment well captured with lovely lighting and mood.

 

peter sherman

Yes, I think the photo succeeds in doing to show the soul of Paris. Almost everything, all aspects about this beautiful picture is said in the above discussion. What is not said and what is the final truth about the pic is, that the soul is in our own memory, in our heart. If we are not able to open our heart, we will not understand.....

I love the city, remembering the years I walked these steps, remembering all the good books written in and on Paris. So I love this picture.

Stephan Funke FRPS