Being a photographer in the Paris area
Sometimes it’s trying to live here, as the Paris region is so busy. I live in a nice suburb, west of Paris. I chose this area first of all because I wanted a house, and secondly because of its proximity by motorway to Paris and to La Défense, where my full time job is based. I know it’s quite a dream place for a photographer. We’ll come to that later. Being west of Paris, it’s easy to get to to Normandy and see the ocean, and even do some surfing.
When we look at it that way, it seems idyllic for a photographer to be here. Indeed, if you are a passionate street photographer, come on !!! You can go to Paris, spend time in Montmartre and capture typical French moments. You love architecture photography? You can take pictures of the fabulous Paris La Défense business district. You want to see the ocean, visit little villages loaded with historic moments or follow in the footsteps of famous historic people (Claude Monet, Van Gogh, Emile Zola, …)? Your days will be spent getting out and enjoying photography.
Well that’s far from reality… unfortunately.
It can be so frustrating living in this area in comparison with other cities in France, such as Montpellier (which has particular significance for me)… Indeed, it’s so busy in the Paris area, or “l’Ile de France” as we call it. It’s crowded with people, and cars, therefore traffic jams. Don’t think that you can head off to Normandy on a Friday evening after your day at work… The roads will be jammed, and even worse it’s likely there’s a traffic accident. You can say goodbye to your nice evening in Deauville.
So, you might decide to go to Paris, to the Champs Elysée, if there are no demonstrations that is. Before the pandemic, the “Gilets Jaunes”, for instance, occupied this famous avenue every weekend, causing trouble, destroying beautiful sites … turning it into a war zone. In fact, I went to take pictures of the aftermath one weekend. I’ll write a blog about this and share my pictures in the near future.
So it’s not easy… But, I should stop complaining (sorry, being French, complaining’s in my genes!)
It’s true that Paris … is Paris. Such a beautiful city. Normandy’s loaded with history… What you need, however, is time. Time to plan your weekends, to take traffic into account and try to get round it. When you have a van like me it’s a great advantage for day trips: you can have lunch in the van, you can go for a nice hike, discover scenic spots and perhaps even find a pitch for the night.
So why not follow me on Instagram? You’ll be notified when my next blog is posted. I’ll document my outdoor photography and take you with me on my journey.
Until next time, stay safe…
does my Leica M10P have a soul?
It has become my favorite object but that in itself doesn’t mean that it has a soul. No I think the reason it does have a soul is because it translates what I see in a fabulous moment. A moment is a period of time and time in photography is very important. It is an essential part of the process of making a photograp. This fabulous moment is unique because although it may look like another, each photo is different. The aperture, the exposure and the ISO are different, the posture of the person will be different. If you’re taking a landscape, the light will be different. So you are seizing a moment which is unique. I am not a tech guy but I can clearly see a difference between a picture taken with my Nikon or Fujifilm and one takenwith my Leica. Is it because there’s no autofocus on the Leica M ? Maybe. Leica is a legendary brand. So many famous photographers have used Leica cameras. Is it because the bokeh that I have with my Leica Summilux 35mn is incomparable with other brands?
These shots taken with my Leica will better translate the message that I am trying to convey.
What can I do for you?
Sisterhood
These frozen moments are immortal now, and each time I look at them I can see ... the emotion of the person in the frame. Yes, that’s it! If the Leica has a soul, it is because it captures in a moment, in a fraction of time, the emotion surrounding a person or a tree or even an object. And because you are behind the camera, you are also in control of the impact that you want your photograph to have on the people looking at it. My Leica is an integral part of my life. It sits on my bedside table and when I eat , it is never too far from me. It has its designated place in my daily bag. When I leave my place in the morning it is with me, to ensure that I won’t miss a moment, an emotion.
The colours are particular too. Let’s talk about the colour. It is a blueish kind of color. The contrast are subtlety and if you open your aperture were wide you will have, what I have read somewhere else, “the Leica look".
I suppose this magic touch comes from the high quality sensor (full frame) and the quality of the Leica summilux 35mn lens:he best combo in my opinion. I have a Voigtlander 50 mn 1.2 lens. Although it is a good quality lens, it does not have the premium of a Leica lens (and the price it is not the same). I recognize that I have to test it more and ideally compare it to a Leica 50 mn lens. Leica could you lend me one for the test?
A Leica gives you a certain feeling. You get inspiration when you compose your images you are enjoying the process of taking photos.
My Leica does not have a name yet but this won’t be the case for long.