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!
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!
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!
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!
The only one out shooting
An early wakeup one morning in France gave me the opportunity to photography Notre Dame without another soul around...and it was perfect!
Early morning is the best time for travel photography.
I absolutely love to get up early and go shoot. Everything is quiet and still and you can enjoy a place without all the distraction and noise of crowds. It's just the perfect time of day for me, photography-wise.
When I travel, I always try to get up at least once so I can get out and shoot sunrise. I tend to be a morning person anyway, so it's pretty easy to do, although I will admit it can be hard to drag yourself out of bed at times. But, it is always worth it.
On our Paris trip at the end of last year, I got up really early one morning and walked over to Notre Dame. Literally, I was the only one there. I had this major tourist attraction to myself. I wandered all around and shot it from lots of different angles. It was great.
On your next trip, try doing this and see how it goes. You might need a little caffeine later, but you will be happy with the shots you get!
A good morning in Paris
A lovely pre-dawn shot of Notre Dame in Paris, that most beautiful of cities...
Isn't every morning a good one to be in Paris? ;-)
I absolutely adore Paris. It's beautiful, photogenic, walkable and the food and people are just great. There, I said it. The French people are NICE. Honestly, in the US there are always comments about the French being rude, but over several trips to Paris I have yet to experience that. I think people just need something to complain about.
Anyhoo, the city is fabulous and while we were there, I headed out early one morning to get started. I had several shots in mind and the only way to really get it done was before most people got up. So, sunrise it is!
I walked to Notre Dame from our rented apartment and was quite happy to have a little haze in the air. I like that stuff, because I think it adds a little drama and interest to a scene. While the sunrise itself was somewhat non-existent, it was still wonderful to be up and out shooting in the pre-dawn hours. It feels like you have the entire city to yourself, and that is a great feeling.
Notre Dame in monochrome
A pair of old photos from a couple of years ago, while I was wandering around Notre Dame in the rain.
These are a couple of older shots from Paris that I converted to monochrome using the magic of Luminar by Macphun. Check out my Luminar tutorial here. It's an incredible product and I am spending all my time in it these days. Let me know if you have any questions!
Notre Dame morning
Notre Dame in Paris is always crowded, so my solution was to get up and shoot it at sunrise. Turns out I had it all to myself!
There's just something about the early morning hours!
I have as much trouble as anyone else getting up in the morning, but it's always worth it when I am up and out shooting. On my travels, I try to do at least one or two sunrise shoots. All the famous landmarks are just so crowded during the daytime and around sunset. You often can't get a decent shot of them. So my solution has always been to get up early and do it.
Usually, it works out pretty well.
One morning on our recent trip to Paris, I got up early and made the 15 minute walk over here. I have seen and shot Notre Dame several times in my life, but never really loved the shots. There were just taken at the wrong time of day. So, sunrise was my answer.
Luckily, it was a misty, foggy sort of morning and the whole experience was just amazing. I had it to myself, and was able to shoot it from the front, the side and the back. I walked away with many images that I truly love - today's photo being one of them.
Christmas with Quasimodo
Ah, the beauty of Notre Dame in Paris! And even prettier with a huge Christmas tree out front! Click on through and have a look - there are 7 photos for you to enjoy today my friends!
Notre Dame is always beautiful, but takes it up a level at Christmas!
On my first night in Paris recently, I wandered from my apartment in the Latin Quarter over towards Notre Dame, partly because I wanted to see it, and partly to get along the Seine River where you can find so much great stuff to shoot.
When I arrived, they were in the process of putting up a Christmas tree, and I knew I had to return to capture that. As the saying goes, you don't see THAT everyday.
So on a couple of different nights during that week, I found myself back here at Notre Dame, staring up at that amazing facade and trying to spot Quasimodo in one of the bell towers (no luck on that one). But despite missing out on seeing the Hunchback himself, I did manage to grab a few photos of the cathedral.
I've seen Notre Dame several times in my life, and I'm very thankful for that. But I must say that seeing it with a huge Christmas tree out front, and standing there while the bells ring, is truly magnificent.
(click any photo to embiggen)
Golden hour at Notre Dame
When I was planning the trip to Paris, I knew that Notre Dame was one of the places I wanted to photograph. You pretty much have to, right? Along with the Eiffel Tower, it’s a type of proof that you actually went there.
And though I love to shoot the “smaller things” in famous cities, I make time to shoot the “big things” too. This one definitely qualifies...and it’s well worth seeing. We also took the tour to the top, which involved climbing a massive amount of stairs - my legs are still tired. :-) But when you get up top, the view is pretty impressive.
Anyways, I obviously didn’t shoot this one from the top. I got lucky with some good light that evening, and nice clouds which happened to be in the right place when I was in the right place. After shooting around the front of Notre Dame (which in addition to being incredibly crowded also had a huge set of bleachers there) I went looking for a more interesting view (and what would prove to be a prettier picture).
It took a little back and forth, but ultimately I made my way down to the River Seine and found a nice spot, just out of everyone’s way. With the strong golden light coming from behind me (that’s my shadow along the path, if you haven’t noticed) and illuminating the face of the cathedral, it was just a matter of firing brackets one after another and experimenting with slightly different compositions.
In other words, I have a million more of these to share some day. :-)