Big Ben Tower with buildings of House of Parliament, London England, UK
With a name like Big Ben I figure the image needs to be equally big and bold…
This shot was from across the River Thames with a long lens – 280mm to be exact.
One of the most photogenic cities in the world – Paris! Add the flavors, colors and feel of autumn, and you have a photographers dream.
For the months of September and October, 2012, I will be joining Better Paris Photos in guiding photographers through this beautiful city. We have a full range of photo-tour options including classic and iconic scenes as well as images and locations that are known only to locals.
Come join me for a photo tour that fits your interests and experience. Not only will your images improve, but you will also come away inspired, with a fresh desire to continue your artistic journey.
Twilight over Cathedral Notre Dame and River Seine, Paris France
Fountain of River Commerce and Navigation (1840), Place de la Concorde, Paris, France
Setting sunlight on Musee du Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries, Paris France
Stained Glass windows in the upper chapel, Sainte Chapelle Church, Paris France
Arc de Triomphe framed by the entry gates to Parc Monceau, Paris France
Window display of Laduree Bakery, Patisserie, and Tea Shop, Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Paris France
Early morning below Basilique du Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, Paris France
Equestrian statue of King Louis XIV at the entrance to Musee du Louvre, Paris France
Setting sunlight glows on the facade of Cathedral Notre Dame, Paris France
Shops and tourists along Rue Saint-Severin in the Latin Quarter, Paris France
Cafe tables and chairs waiting for customers in Place du Tertre, Montmartre, Paris France
Statue in Jardin des Tuileries with Musee du Louvre beyond, Paris France
Evening at the Palais Royal, Paris France
View over Paris from the top of Arc de Triomphe, Paris France
Twilight at Arch de Triomphe, Paris France
Eiffel Tower with Ecole Militaire beyond at twilight, Paris France
Twilight over Cathedral Notre Dame and River Seine, Paris France
Interior of the lower chapel, Sainte Chapelle, Paris France
Setting sun illuminates the Eiffel Tower and the buildings of Paris for a brief moment under heavy clouds, France
Evening at the Metro stop Saint Michel in the Latin Quarter, Paris France
Maarten de Vos - "The Virgin" Chapel in Cathedral Notre Dame, Paris France
Palais du Louvre at twilight, Paris France
Carousel below the Eiffel Tower at twilight, Paris France
Lone pine tree growing out of solid rock in the Calanques near Cassis, Provence France
One very effective way to make your photographs bolder and stronger is to Keep It Simple. We’ve all heard this advice from all sorts of sources relating to all sorts of life’s situations. But it often applies – and particularly when it comes to photography.
One of my favorite photos from a recent visit to the coastal areas of Provence France is this one. It’s just a simple pine tree. There are very few elements to this photo and because of that it has strength and appeal – at least to me.
This is an area in the Bouches-du-Rhone near Cassis. The rocky wall formations and watery inlets are called the Calanques. It’s a very impressive area. I’ve seen and made hundreds of photos here – most of them fairly dramatic. It’s not hard to capture dramatic photos in this environment. But it was the very un-dramatic shot here that stood out for me.
Why? Because of it’s simplicity we get a chance to see the calm beauty of the area, the determination of this little tree growing out of solid rock, the amazing colors of the Mediterranean – all of this without the distractions of too many objects in the image.
Never leave anything in the frame that doesn’t deserve to be there. If there’s a distracting object, try to move and adjust your composition so it can be left out. Your images will be stronger and bolder because of it.
Wrought Iron cross at Place de Saint Vincent, Les Baux de-Provence, France
Canon 5d MkII EF 17-40 at 22mm f16 ISO 100 25 sec.
Just when you think you have it all figured out… Sometimes it just goes wrong.
I was planning a twilight shoot across the valley from this wonderful medieval town – Les Baux de-Provence. I had mapped it, studied the angles and new the exact moment of sunset and twilight. I arrived at the trail head with plenty of time to make the 1 1/2 mile hike to my chosen spot. Everything seemed perfect.
Oops – it turns out that the trail I was hiking on wasn’t the one I was supposed to be hiking on. After wandering around for about 45 minutes I decided I needed to make something out of the evening so I gave up on the hike and headed directly into town.
I walked past the touristy restaurants near the entrance and headed toward the end of town. With no one around – except for a stray dog that took a liking to me, I rounded this corner and saw the shot.
In about 30 minutes I had made a number of images from this little corner of town – some very interesting ones, but this one is my current favorite.
Sometimes you have to give up on the immediate plan in order to find something that may in fact turn out to be better than you would have imagined.
Now where’s that trail I need to be on?
Just before dawn at the Pantheon
One of my favorite times of day to photograph is twilight – especially in old, well-lit cities like Paris or Rome. There’s just something about the way the warm lighting highlights beautiful architectural details against the backdrop of a cobalt blue twilight sky. I love it.
The problem? Twilight only lasts about 15 or 20 minutes (at least for photographic purposes). It’s nice that we have both a morning twilight and an evening one, so you can make use of this magical time twice each day. But it still goes by all too fast.
So how do we make the most of that 4:30am wake-up alarm? One strategy that I use nearly every time I shoot twilight is Directional Planning. That’s not an official term, but it works for me.
Since the sun rises in the East, my first shots are planned in that general direction. My next ones would be either North or South. The final shots of the morning twilight would be West. This stretches the amount of available time by a significant amount – in some cases giving me 45 minutes of great shooting.
I know that’s still not a lot of time, and believe me, there are moments of panic where I’m running hard to the next spot knowing I’m going to just ‘miss it’ by a few minutes. But you would be surprised at how much can be squeezed into a single twilight shoot if you plan ahead.
All the shots in this post were made on the same morning. By employing Directional Planning, I was able to cover a lot of territory – making the most of my time. And I got a workout at the same time.
Just before dawn at the Trevi Fountain
Just before dawn - the amazing dome of St. Peters Basilica
First light of dawn on St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican Rome Italy
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