The Moulin Rouge
A long exposure taken at the Moulin Rouge in Paris…
Such a great spot for night photography! We were in Paris and sorta near this part of town one evening, and I just had to pop over here and get some long exposures of the spinning wheel at the Moulin Rouge. It’s a colorful part of the city and one worth exploring. Then again, the whole city is just amazing. In other words, if you are planning a trip here, be sure you make it a long one! ;-)
Night at Moulin Rouge
A long exposure from the Moulin Rouge in Paris, France…..such a gorgeous city and a gorgeous location for photography!
Ah, lovely Paris at night! So gorgeous there!
I love Paris as much as the next person does - maybe more. I have so many photos from there and even the bad ones are beautiful in some way...that's just Paris. It's all gorgeous. One night while there on my last visit I headed over to the Moulin Rouge. I was hoping to get a long exposure of it because I know the windmill blades turn, so I thought if I could get it right it would be a nice big blur...and it worked great!
Morning at Notre Dame
One morning in Paris I was up and out shooting really early. I started at Notre Dame and although the sunrise wasn’t interesting, it was great to have this icon to myself!
Two versions of the same photo - which do you like better?
I often edit the same photo a couple of different ways. It's a great creative exercise and one that stretches my imagination a bit. It causes me to think differently and forces me to experiment with filters and ideas that may not occur to me naturally. Plus it's fun.
So in today's photo I did just that, taking this morning shot from Notre Dame in Paris and editing it a couple of different ways. In this case the differences are mostly about color tones but many times I will do much broader experiments to see what else I can come up with. Give it a try if you don't do this regularly. You just might discover a cool new technique for yourself!
An evening in Paris
A lovely night scene in Paris...
The last time we were in Paris was a while ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. The city just embeds itself in my psyche and doesn't let go. I love it there. While there are so many landmarks to visit and photograph, I get an equal amount of enjoyment from wandering the streets and shooting the little, overlooked scenes.
Today's photo is a perfect example of that. I had been shooting Les Deux Magots, which is a famous cafe where Hemingway and others hung out back in the day. Afterwards I just strolled around that area for a few minutes and saw this scene, which just begged me to stop and shoot. There's just something romantic and ethereal about nights in Paris. The architecture, the little plazas, and even the lamp posts just all draw me in.
Winter evening in Paris
The streets of Paris on a cold winter night...
A quick snap from a winter night on the streets of Paris!
I absolutely love Paris, and I love street scenes, so when I can get both in one shot I am a pretty happy guy! This was one winter evening when we were visiting Paris and out shopping and generally just enjoying the amazingness that is Paris. As is often the case, my wife and daughter were in a store somewhere and I was prowling the street outside, firing away. I'll take that trade any day!
This is a 3 exposure HDR created in Aurora HDR and then I took the image into Luminar to add some filters and make general color adjustments.
Le Consulat
Le Consulat in Paris, during twilight...
A nice little scene in Paris!
Prior to our last trip to Paris, I had written out a list of places I wanted to photograph, and noted where they are in the city. Atop that list was Le Consulat, this little cafe in Montmartre. I have seen plenty of pics of this place over the years, and was glad to finally get there one evening. As you can see the area wasn't too crowded, so I was easily able to get my shots without having to wait too long!
Up early in Paris
Before sunrise in Paris, when all the tourists are asleep...
Do you get up and shoot sunrise when you travel? I do, and it's usually amazing.
I would say that sunrise is my favorite time to shoot, especially when I travel. Most of the tourists are still asleep, so normally crowded spots are empty, like this one. This is the path along the River Seine in Paris, in front of Notre Dame. At 6am it looks like this - empty. I'm willing to sacrifice sleep to get things like this to myself!
Twilight along the Seine
Evening in Paris and I was walking along the River Seine taking photos...
Paris at night is spectacular!
Actually, Paris is spectacular any time of day. But at night it really has a glow about it. I captured this shot of the Conciergerie with a passing boat one evening near Notre Dame. We had been out and about, and I was firing away happily. I saw the boat coming so I set up to capture it as it passed. Now and then I actually plan ahead - at least by a few seconds!
Moulin Rouge at night
A long exposure of the Moulin Rouge in Paris, taken after dark one evening...
This place is magical after dark!
I love neon signs when they are all lit up at night - I just find it gorgeous. On our last trip to Paris, I made sure to get over here to the Moulin Rouge one evening so I could capture it. On our previous trip, I ended up here during the day which is definitely not as exciting.
So I arrived after dark and set up on a little pedestrian island sort of in the street, trying to keep people from standing in front of my camera while I took this long exposure. Generally they were considerate, which is great, and I was able to capture exactly what I wanted.
Yes, that windmill thing atop the Moulin Rouge does turn, and that was my goal - to capture a long exposure so it would blur out and look like it is spinning pretty fast. Done!
Notre Dame, textured
That lovely cathedral in Paris, all done up with a texture...
Do you ever use textures on your photos? I've been having some fun with them.
Up until about a year ago, I rarely ever used textures on my photos. I'm not sure why, but I didn't really care for them back then. But now I love them and have been collecting quite a few of my own textures.
So when I was editing this shot, I thought it might look good with a texture on it. I had already processing a few shots of this scene without a texture, so I figured why not? Even though it was an overcast morning, the texture and my edits afterward give it a nice golden, almost vintage look. I'm rather fond of it!
Part of the reason I use textures now is that with Luminar, it's just so easy to add them. If you want to learn about using Luminar, this is the page for you!
Gallerie Vivienne
Gallerie Vivienne, a beautiful little spot in Paris...
A quaint little scene in Paris...
I love this little spot in Paris, having walked by and photographed it on a couple of trips now. It's a short walk from the Louvre, just past the Palais Royale. I'm not really sure how I came across it in the first place. I think I was wandering with my wife and daughter when we happened upon it. It was love at first sight! ;-)
Arc de Triomphe
A sunset shot of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and some thoughts on shooting famous spots in a city...
A landmark in Paris - and a must see spot!
I know some photographers only want to shoot things that are "original". That is, they may avoid the common subjects in a city they visit because those things have been shot before, and literally millions of times. While I completely understand that line of thinking, I don't agree with it.
I like to go shoot the "famous" stuff, even though everyone else does too. I just like the stuff - it's famous for a reason. Usually it's beautiful, interesting or some combination of both. I see nothing wrong with capturing something that is well known. It's great to view these things.
So when I travel, I make sure and stop by and see as much of the well-known stuff as I can. To be clear, I also seek other the lesser-known spots, but I definitely don't avoid the big famous ones. I'm happy to be there and I want to return with photographs of it. It's fun right?
La Station Rambuteau
A nice little cafe that I walked by every day when I was last in Paris...
A little cafe on the sidewalks of Paris...
When we were in Paris, I walked by this cafe every single day. It was near our rented apartment and we basically had to pass it en route to everything we were interested in seeing. I never stopped there, but I sure took quite a few pics of it!
I have a thing for French cafes, and European street scenes, so you can imagine how much fun I had walking around in Paris. These things are EVERYWHERE, and I did my best to shoot them all. But, I won't turn this in a French cafe photo blog any time soon. You might get bored with it! ;-)
Vintage Notre Dame
A vintage approach to Notre Dame in Paris...
Sometimes I just have to go a little old school on a photo!
If you have been here before, you know I love my colors. Big, bold colors are just lovely to me. So it's not often that I delve into Analog Efex Pro by Google/Nik Software, but when I do I am always glad that I did.
The vintage/film/analog looks you can get from this program are pretty awesome, and well since the software is free, you might as well get it, right? It does allow you some fun options when deciding to go for a slightly different look.
Yes, I still love all my Macphun goodies, esp Luminar and Aurora HDR, but sometimes I need to switch it up to get a very different look. I never use any of the other Google/Nik stuff anymore, just Analog Efex Pro. It's kind of got a special place in my heart.
Anyway, I was shooting sunrise at Notre Dame in Paris and the sunrise was well past by the time I took this one. I loved the scene though and the fact that it was a very different view of Notre Dame than you usually see. So I opted to treat it a bit differently in post, and here you go!
A street scene in Montmartre
The beauty of a simple street scene in the #Montmartre section of #Paris, taken during blue hour...
Paris is just so beautiful. Literally, every street is photo worthy!
I love wandering in Paris. I find all of it beautiful. It really is an incredible city. On our last trip there we spent one evening in Montmartre. I was chasing a few shots, which I got, and in between them we just wandered. It was spectacular. The blue hour was gorgeous and the temperature was just right.
I actually find wandering in a city to be one of my favorite pastimes. There is always something interesting to photograph, and it helps you get a better sense of the place that you would otherwise. I try and get out for these random walks on every trip. I captured today's image that evening in Montmartre as we were making our way out of there. It was hard to leave, not just because of the beauty but because I kept stopping about every 20 feet for another shot! :-)