City of Available Light

A Parisian Portfolio

(This portfolio is also viewable in black and white.)

During November and December 2006, my brother Sam and I spend 15 days in Paris. Sam was there to speak to the École Polytechnique about his programming language, NummSquared. I was there for sundry reasons, such as speaking French in train stations and restaurants, and photographically documenting our cultural learnings for the greater glory of the Nummist Cause.

With Sam during his time off work and on my own the rest, I shot 3,500 photos, clocked about 48 hours on the Métro, and began to feel acquainted with parts of this strange, beautiful city.

Below is more of the story, told through 30 pictures. All of them are handheld shots (i.e. no tripod) and, with two exceptions, they are also available light shots (i.e. no flash). The following camera, lenses and filters came into play:

• Nikon D50 digital SLR body
• Tokina AT-X II 20-35 f/3.5-4.5 wide angle zoom lens
• Nikkor AF 70-210 f/4 telephoto zoom lens
• Nikon Type I circular polarizing filters

As for post-processing on the computer, some photos have undergone tonal adjustments and some, you'll see, have formed the basis for digital illustrations.

Without further preamble, here are the pictures:

Cityscapes

STRATEGY: Get up high but find interesting foregrounds too. These, and diagonals, help add depth to the perspective.

Balcony Seats

This is the Eiffel Tower, bird's tail view. Clouds are breaking up as the wind buffets the Tower.

Promenade 1

These golden statues inhabit the Place du Trocadéro, across the Seine from the Champs du Mars. Some forbidden climbing is required for this view.

Solitudes 1

A cloud, like stray thoughts, floats above one of Notre-Dame's gargoyles and distant Montmartre.

Mâts de la Cité 1 (Masts of the City 1)

The moon, the Seine, the Steeple of Notre-Dame... A Russian consultant and I discuss the light.

Mâts de la Cité 3 (Masts of the City 3)

Seen from the Eiffel Tower, medieval and modern spires seem to huddle together in the distance.

Mâts de la Cité 2 (Masts of the City 2)

The city skyline peers overtop this arch at Notre-Dame.

Animals

STRATEGY: Patience and reflexes will help capture their facial expressions.

Le sublime et l'abîme (The Sublime and the Abyss)

At Massy Palaiseau station, this pigeon dips into the polluted earth for whatever sustenance it needs. Sam and I switch trains many times at Massy Palaiseau. One time, Sam ends up in the shunting yard after not catching an announcement in French. Following Sam's rescue, the crew on this route make announcements in both French and English for one day; then they switch back. On hearing this story, one of Sam's colleagues at École Polytechnique confesses that he has always (since childhood) fantacized about staying on the train until it enters the shunting yard.

Le pli (The Pucker)

This fetching female guanaco (relative of the llama) enjoys strolling in the sun, snoozing in the shade, and snacking on the contents of this pole. Address correspondence to the Parc Zoologique de Paris.

Le soupir (The Sigh)

Do you ever stand alone, and just gape and stare at the world? This Humboldt penguin does, at least on this occasion. Otherwise, it seems quite well adjusted to life in the Parc Zoologique de Paris.

Statues

STRATEGY: They're not going anywhere. Explore compositions from many sides, heights, distances and zoom lengths.

Le compas (The Compass)

Jules Blanchard's La Science is one of the allegories outside the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall). A political blogger, Adrien Ferro, stops here to chat with me about photography.

Résonance (Resonance)

Ossip Zadkine's Statue pour un jardin reclines in the garden (appropriately) outside the cubist sculptor's former home (now the Musée Zadkine). Although it is near the Jardins du Luxembourg, this peaceful spot has little foot traffic. A guard offers me his chair and explains the exhibits.

Nowhere to Hide

The Musée Rodin has beautiful gardens but the setting is clearly East of Eden. Ève shrinks away from the gazes of passing human generations and (out of picture, left) the figures on the Porte de l'enfer (Gates of Hell).

Shelter

At the Musée Rodin, the Cariatide tombéé à l'urne seems to shiver in the rain. A junior elementary school tour seeks shelter indoors, where the following dialogue is heard:

Guide: Now, in this room, we have some works that actually aren't by Mr. Rodin.

Curious Pupil: Why didn't Mr. Rodin make them too?

Guide: Well, Mr. Rodin couldn't go on making all the beautiful statues forever.

Curious Pupil: Why not?

Guide: Well, eventually Mr. Rodin did die.

Chorus: Ay! Gasp!

Guide: Well, it's alright. You see, Mr. Rodin believed that all men and women should be eternally happy.

Curious Pupil: Like Jesus says?

Guide: I suppose.

L'art contemporain (Contemporary Art)

This bulbous biped, Patman 2, is the creation of contemporary artist Michel Blazy. Fashioned from 200 kg of soya noodles, it stands apart from anything else I have ever seen. The luminous wall in the background is Perfect by Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann. The young ladies in black with notebooks are presumably art college students. All exhibits are temporary here at the Palais de Tokyo. A digital clock outside counts down the estimated seconds to the supernova of the Sun.

L'inflammable (The Flammable One)

This, the figurehead from Marie Antoinette's rowboat, stands in the Musée de la Marine at Trocadéro. M. A. had impressive taste, even if I had to tweak the colors.

Works and Follies

STRATEGY: Take time to walk and watch without constantly photographing. Find out what occupies people's lives and imaginings.

Les dessinatrices (The Sketch Artists)

Girls from an art class are sketching statues in the Louvre.

Carrousel Gourmand

Of all the crêperies in all the world ... this one rents the best real estate, across the street from the Eiffel Tower.

Works

The man in the middle ground is one of the maintenance workers for the Louvre's fountains. He has just finished turning them on for the day.

Progression

While Sam and I wait in line outside the Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast at Disneyland Paris, I look back and take this shot over the crowd.

Économie de Banlieue (Suburban Economy)

Shops are just opening for the morning at Le Guichet (literally, "The Ticket Window"), the sleepy suburb where Sam and I are staying. The brilliant yellow Roc-Eclerc sign (lower right) advertises "Funerals ... Marble". A livelier establishment in Le Guichet is the Luna Rossa pizza restaurant, where the Italian chefs bake gourmet recipes before your eyes. The whole staff is very friendly and funny. They call Sam and I "the orphans" and feed us many times.

Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty Castle)

The icon of Disney, à la française, seems to command even the clouds to take fairytale forms.

Gardens in Autumn

STRATEGY: Catch time passing in the details. Let paths and thresholds lead you there and back.

Paris in the Fall 1, or, Broken Fall

This linden leaf will spend weeks caught between its branch and the ground. Sam and I see it here, in the Jardins du Luxembourg, on our first day in Paris. I check back and find it withered but intact two days before we leave.

Paris in the Fall 3

This sycamore leaf clings to the hardened earth underfoot at the Musée Rodin.

Paris in the Fall 2

The burnished lindens at the Musée Rodin seem to stand sentry along an aerial path to the Dôme des Invalides.

Ombres 2 (Shadows 2)

This willow's crooked shadow stoops across one of many pathways in Versailles.

Gone

The basins at Versailles are silent in anticipation of winter. Clouds are closing around an isolated patch of blue.

La porte verte (The Green Door)

Evening shadows brush this cottage door at Versailles.

Sam and I

STRATEGY: Pretend to have no strategy. He says my talk of strategies is silly.

Laboratoire de Lavoisier (Lavoisier's Laboratory)

At the Musée des arts et métiers, Sam stands amid the works of fellow inventors.

Standing Still

At Versailles, Sam appreciates the diversity of tree species. The seeds of several find their way into our coat pockets. For the rest of the journey, we stink of ginkgo biloba.

For the rain it raineth every day

At Fontainebleau, torrential rain disperses even the Japanese tour groups. Sam and I are the only people to walk along the Grand Canal.

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