Paris 2014

Marin County | California

It’s been a month since Rica and I returned from Paris, and time to unleash some photos. I’ve been putting it off because I have too many I sort of like, and not that many I love.

Also, I have mixed feelings about my Paris experience this time around. It remains a terrific city to visit, but I found myself more critical this year about traffic congestion and noise, and the much larger number of Parisians who smoke, compared to what I’ve become accustomed to here in California. Having a beautiful Paris moment at an outdoor cafe has now become a gamble if you’re not keen on experiencing clouds of cigarette smoke with your coffee.

As if these gripes weren’t enough to put a crimp on my enjoyment of the trip, without explanation United Air Lines switched our assigned seats at the last minute, separating us. Rica had booked our flight months in advance, and there was no reasonable explanation for assigning new seats rows apart.

It was only through Rica’s persistence as we were about to board the plane that seats allowing us to sit together were found.

Those you who know me might have noticed that I’ve grown crabbier this past year. I’ll be eighty in February, and somehow I think this entitles me to a free grumpy pass.

So here are some of the Paris photos, in no particular order.

 

It seems like we saw a million selfies in the making at Notre Dame.

I can’t complain about the availability of treats.

Clean wasn’t a problem.

But smoking everywhere.

Paris dogs do have fun.

Paris has some incredibly beautiful museums. 

This is a rare photo of a sidewalk cafe. No one appears to be smoking. 

A beautiful evening on the Seine. One of the simple pleasures I enjoyed. 

I wish I could say I had a Kosher Pizza in Paris. The shop was closed for the day.

 

Magical moments across from Notre Dame.

A smile for the camera.

The crowds were at times overwhelming. 

 Here’s Rica on a walk in the rain around the block from our apartment on the Ile Saint-Louis.

 Rica enjoying the gatherings of young and old on the Seine.

 Even live music.

 

Ron must have his low fat milk.

 

 Where every dreamer wants to study.

 He’s not convinced. 

 My kind of concert. 

 Our Swiss friends, Corinne and Laurie, at our Paris apartment.

 Peter Turnley is an internationally acclaimed photojournalist. We met him twice because we knew his haunts.

 

If you’ve gotten this far, thank you.

 

 

 

Paris Street Photography II

Marin County | California

Here is the last batch of photographs I took in Paris while attending Peter Turnley’s May 2013 street photography workshop.

I loved the activity on some of the smaller streets.

And an abundance of small cars.

With all the adult activities, there was still plenty of space for kids.

Adult activities.

How cool can you get?

Once I thought I spotted Jean-Paul Sartre: My Woody Allen moment. 

I want to be young again and standing on this bridge.

With Rica, not Madam. 

Carl Westergren insisted the devil made him do it. (While standing on Peter Turnley’s Paris balcony.)

We took the metro.

There’s lots of love in Paris.

Unfortunately, there’s also lots of smoke.

Not all Parisians enjoy having their pictures taken.

Paris Street Photography

Marin County | California

Here’s another batch of photographs from the May trip to Paris. There’re about 15 here, and I think I’ll post the final 15 next week.

Rica and I are already planning another trip to Paris next year, so it’ll be interesting to see if I make any changes in my shooting style or interests.

For those of you interested in photo equipment, I used an Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera with a Panasonic LUMIX G 20mm f/1.7 up front. I found this lightweight combination easy to carry and fun to operate. Compact cameras are capable of producing excellent pictures these days, making it unnecessary to carry around a heavy single-lens reflex all day. This is especially true if you’re only going to post to the internet or make small prints.

Paris Sun

Marin County | California

Here are a few more photos from our May trip to Paris. Between the rains.

There are thousands of beautiful store fronts in Paris, but somehow I was drawn to the more ordinary.

Every evening provided another beautiful view over the Seine.

Rica was ready to hop right on.

As we promised ourselves, lots of ice cream.

We didn’t get lost once.

Legendary photo editor John G. Morris discussing his career at Peter Turnley’s May photography workshop.

Yes, there are homeless people on the streets of Paris. They all seem to own the same little dog.

Everywhere we looked, the streets were alive with conversation.

I’ll let you guess about this one.

Children on an outing in our neighborhood.

Rica rehearsing for the Weather Channel.

We checked out the real estate. Some famous neighbors, but the rooms were tiny.