A Photography Guide to Paris

INTRODUCTION

I've created this guide here to really help you get the best out of your camera whether you have a point and shoot or an SLR. You don't necessarily have to have an expensive camera to take good photos as long as you understand some of the basics and a bit about composition. That's not to say that a point and shoot offers the same experience as something more advanced, it doesn't as the high-end have more options giving you more creativity, but even with ordinary digital cameras there is generally a limited range of things you can do to help you take better pictures.

If you're going to Paris and want to take good photos do your research. I can't stress this enough. I would do this regardless of the photography as it's always good to learn a bit about the history and culture of a place you will visit. General guides to places are readily available in most good high street bookstores and online. The Berlitz Paris pocket guide the Paris popoutmap are excellent handy resources.

The more days you spend in Paris will obviously be advantageous but if you’re not there for long you can still take rewarding pictures though you will have to be selective. For both though, the essence to a good shot is in the planning. If you have time scout the place out where you’d really like to take some good shots. You will get a feel for what kind of shots you wish to take and also know something about the travel and geography, i.e. the time it takes to actually get there from where you are staying as well as time walking around the area. If you don’t have time to do that don’t worry just try and prepare by reading a few things about the place and making a few notes. Don't overplan though! On the other hand you can have a flexible plan giving you a window of time to wander round an area rather than rushing around. Sometimes getting 'lost' in an area isn't such a bad thing as you can often find some beautiful buildings and scenes not printed in the guidebooks. Always be prepared though for the unexpected in photography as spontaneous moments can often be the most delightful.



THINGS TO BEAR IN MIND

Some of these things are straightforward but you can easily get caught out. Make a mental note of these, especially if you have an SLR:

Weather – Don’t leave it to chance. Check the forecasts and make sure you’re prepared for it. You can still take good shots in the rain but think about getting a rain shield for your camera and a back that won’t get saturated. If you’re planning sunrise and sunset shots jot down the times of these and scout out suitable locations

Maps – Know your location. Work out where the areas are you wish to walk around and if so visit beforehand. If not don’t worry.

Travel – where are the bus and railways stations etc. Know where you’re going and how long it will take you to travel.

Clean your lenses and filters – Do this as often as possible. Specks of dust get on lenses and the sensors from time to time and you don’t want your shots ruined or time wasted in post-processing removing splodges.

Tripod – Get something sturdy especially for long exposures. Don’t be fooled by cheap tripods in a camera store as they won’t serve you in the long term and you’ll just end up spending more money. A remote release is also advisable.

Memory cards – invest in large size ones. A 32gb card can be picked up on ebay for a snip of the cost you would pay at large camera stores. You could go all day taking RAW and JPEG photos and still have plenty of room. If you have a laptop transfer them over when you get back to your hotel room so you’re card is fresh for the next day. Always have a spare card though just in case something goes wrong.

Batteries – Where possible pack a spare battery but make sure both of them are fully charged. Long exposures drain battery life so be prepared.



WHERE, WHEN AND HOW TO TAKE PHOTOS IN PARIS

The Eiffel Tower

Arguably the most famous structure in Paris is the Eiffel Tower and as such it is a major tourist magnet. If you've never been to Paris it's well worth visiting but to go up it be prepared for a very long wait as the queues are enormous. You might also get hungry whilst you're in the area and you will pay a high price for food and drink so go prepared if you want to avoid this. As I said, Paris is a tourist magnet, people are literally everywhere and it's very difficult to get the shots you want. If you want to avoid tourists filling up your shots, be prepared to get up very early in the morning or otherwise wait for those fleeting moments when there are not many people around though you will be lucky. The Eiffel Tower is such a vast structure that it's difficult to get it all in shot if you're close by unless you're looking at taking shots of interesting architectural elements. If you want to get it all in-camera while close by then you need to have a wide angle lens. Personally I think The Eiffel Tower looks great from a distance as you get more perspective. I took a few photos from the Sacre Coeur where it looked very classy over the rooftops. At nighttime though the Eiffel Tower is an absolute spectacle. More about that in the ‘Paris at Night’ section below.


Montmartre and the Moulin Rouge

The Montmartre area of Paris is absolutely delightful and has a very bohemian feel to it. As you may well know it has a great artistic tradition where many of the world’s most famous artists lived and worked such as Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet amongst others. Walk up the steps to the Sacre Coeur but go early as the place is heavy with tourists. The views over Paris are unforgettable. It’s a great place to enjoy the atmosphere and afterwards go for some food and drink.

On the other side of the church tucked away in a side street in the Lapin Agile which is an old cabaret place that really keeps the spirit of old France alive with many of the songs played there dating back hundreds of years. Externally it is a wonderful building, a bit of rural France in the middle of the city. A must see!

The Moulin Rouge with its famous red windmill is an iconic venue that attracts thousands of visitors each year to see its cabaret acts. At night it comes alive with its red neon lights and people waiting in long queues to get in. This is a great time to take photos. Take a tripod and just wait for the right moment. Be patient as the roads are busy and there are always people around. Long exposures can be good but don’t necessarily do the windmill sails justice so it’s better to wait.
 

Notre Dame area

I mentioned earlier about maybe adopting a flexible plan. Around Notre Dame and the Latin Quartier is a great place to do this as it’s better just to wander around and soak up the atmosphere and just see what happens. You will find cafes, bars and restaurants that look very appealing both to take photos of and when you’d finished to relax for a while. If you’re lucky someone will walk by and start playing a French accordion. Things happen spontaneously around here. For Notre Dame try and get pictures here at night or with the Seine and bridges in view. There is some amazing gothic carving on the cathedral so be sure to pack a telephoto lens. Take note, flash is not permitted inside but photography is allowed. Make sure you take photos of its beautiful rose windows.
 

Paris by Night

Paris is a dream by night. You will really enjoy it. I recommend starting your photography around the Place de la Concorde near the entrance to the Jardin des Tuileries. Do it just before sunset as you will enjoy what photographers term ‘the golden hour’ when day becomes night and you witness the gradual changing colour of the sky. From here you can see right up the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe standing at the top. When the street lights snap on and there’s still definition in the sky this is a great time for taking photos. Long exposures are good now and you can get some really nice light trails from passing cars. I used a neutral density filter which really brought the colours out, kept everything razor sharp and stopped too much light getting in and ruining the shots.

You will also see the Eiffel Tower again which will become spectacularly illuminated with shimmering white lights before turning golden. This was where we headed to afterwards. A long but enjoyable walk stopping by the bridges on the Seine taking more light trail shots with the tower in the background. Near the Eiffel Tower at the bottom of the Parc du Champ de Mars you can get some stunning shots. Go for a low ISO setting on your SLR but over a long exposure and use a tripod. These will turn out really well.

As I mentioned earlier, Paris is always busy with tourists but at night you can turn this to your advantage. Using a tripod and going for longer exposures you can create some wonderful ghost-like effects of movement whilst retaining the sharpness of background objects.

I didn’t quite get the night shots I wanted of the Arc de Triomphe but by that time, 12.45am, we were a bit under pressure due to getting the last metro back to where we were staying, which we missed anyway and had to walk back so be warned the metro system doesn’t run all night.

 

ENJOY YOUR TIME IN PARIS

Whether you’re in Paris for a weekend or a week I hope I’ve given you some good advice on how to get the best out of your camera. It’s not always possible to take every photo we would like but experiencing Paris is not just about the photography and this beautiful city will definitely be looking forward to your return visit.

Capture the spirit of Paris in your pictures and have a wonderful time.

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Photography Blog

As the website has been re-designed more content will be added soon. Watch this space.

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