Street Photography in Paris

The Seine River is not the unique water way in Paris. Indeed, facing problems of salubrity in dowtown Paris, Napoleon ordered the construction of huge canals to bring potable water as well as merchandise to the city. Nowadays these canals are mainly sailed by guided tours ships and are a great place for long wanders along its piers, as well as wonderful sights at its many floodgates and bridges. The most typical part of the canal network is the Canal St - Martin that links the Villette harbour to la Bastille.

First head to the Stalingrad metro station (a very photogenic place in itself) and you’ll find yourself overviewing the canal located on the left. Obviously, you can wander by both sides of the water way and if you have time, do so. Otherwise I recommend taking the right bank when going towards La Bastille. You will be on for a 2 kilometers walk full of pictures opportunity. Indeed, barges, terraces, floodgates, lovers, lone wanderers, fishermen, bridges, campers, joggers, .. it is all there for creative picture taking. And don’t forget your lunch for a nice meal with your feet in the water.

Pictures type   : Strollers, terraces, barges, group of friends.

Your best lens : 35mm and 75mm

Favorite spot   : By Stalingrad

When to go     : Very early morning or before sunset.

Must go         :  See a ship go through the floodgate system.

Metro Station  : Stalingrad

Map of the area

Sample shots  (click on pictures to enlarge)    

I was interviewed by Steve Huff for the Leica Blog last week. If you are interested in the article, please click here : Leica blog

Also do not hesitate to discover Steve’s website as it is a vast and enthusiastic source of information mainly related to rangefinder photography.

Leica M9 with 35mm Summilux Asph at F1.4, 1/1000, ISO160

A photographer getting ready for a candid of a beautiful woman. Or a woman getting ready to shoot a photographer with a enormous vintage camera ? Or even, a photographer shooting a photographer that is getting to be photographer by a beautiful woman ?

Headaches ? Well, if you  attended the Bievres Photography Fair today, you would have ended up up dizzy  by searching through the thousands of cameras and lenses on sale. As for myself, I found a perfect sample of a Russian Beauty… a vintage 85mm F2 Jupiter 9. A cheap but wonderful lens for portraits, for sure I won’t sell it again this time.

The show ends tomorrow so rush there if you are in need of any vintage photography equipment. (click on picture to enlarge)

Leica M9 with 35mm Summilux Asph at F8, 1/60, ISO160

Located in front of the Louvres Palace, the Tuileries Garden is the biggest park in downtown Paris. Once the Kings’ private garden, it has been open to the public for two centuries and has become a favorite of for Parisians in need of some green space.

As you enter the Garden through the Concorde gate, go left and up the ramp that overlooks the place on one side and the Garden on the other. There you’ll get the opportunity for shots with great paranomas, you’ll just have to wait for someone to bring some interesting action to your frame. Also a good opportunity to use your longer lenses for some subject compression or isolation effects. In the far left corner (as you face the Garden) stands the Jeu de Paume, a building fully dedicated to photography and featuring amazing exhibits. So do plan a couple of hours to visit it.

Once fully inspired by works of the masters, walk to the main pond area where you’ll usually find many people taking a rest in the famous green chairs. Take a seat, feel the place and hopefully you’ll find some ways to keep out of the “cliché” shots and find some creative ways to depict this area. If not, the famous couple sitting in chairs will do, heck you are in Paris, this is a must take shot. After that, head towards the wooden areas where shooting becomes a bit more challenging. Indeed, in the later part of the afternoon, sun, shadows, dust and vegetation create a special light that is great to create mysterious atmospheres. There is always something happening but you obviously need to find it so do not hesitate to roam around in search of your shots. Once out of the woods, you’ll find the second pond (and another couple shot …) and finally get in the last part of the Garden where labyrinths are located. Here again, your creativity will be put at a test but the setting is definitely there for some great shots.

Pictures type   : Strollers, couples, terraces, shadows plays, joggers.

Your best lens : 35mm and 75mm

Favorite spot   : Around the ponds

When to go     : Very early morning or before sunset. Avoid weekends.

Must go         :  Jeu de Paume Photography House

Metro Station  : Concorde

Sample shots  (click on pictures to enlarge)    

The flea market in Saint-Ouen, sometimes referred to as “biggest in the world”, is a very special place that you cannot miss when visiting Paris. Not only it is enormous but it is also a fantastic mix of different types of markets, people and atmospheres. Best is to start your visit at the Porte de Clignancourt metro station. You will head north and cross path with many sellers and gamblers on the run. Be smart there, cameras are not welcomed so if you are going to shoot, do it extremely discreetly. You will then go through a first market which is typical French small town but don’t spend too much time there, not of much interest. Go on your way under the bridge, you will then be entering the flea market and his many worlds. It is better to inform yourself and get a map because it is so big and intricate that you would miss a lot of hidden places if you just strolled without an itinerary. Nevertheless, to give you some hints, here are the main areas to discover while there :

- What I would call the “R’n'B market”. Selling mainly clothing and electronics. Lot’s of young kids gangs wandering at the sound of R’n'B and Hip Hop music. Colorful and multi-ethnic.

- antique shops warehouses. These are huge building full of shops, great spots to play with the architectural structures and light.

- Vernaison market. A labyrinth of tiny old houses where you’ll find the spirit of the initial flea market. Absolutely gorgeous and great for pictures.

- Restaurant and terraces. There is nothing better than a lunch at the flea market on a sunny day. You’ll be able to blend customers with antique shops in the background for pictures full of atmosphere.

Pictures type   : Antique shops, crowd, terraces, multi-ethnicity, markets

Your best lens : 35mm

Favorite spot   : Marché Vernaison

When to go     : Weekends, closed most of the week.

Must go          : Have lunch in one of the restaurants featuring live bands.

Metro Station  : Porte de Clignancourt

Sample shots  (click on pictures to enlarge)   

Kodachrome is probably the most popular color film in the history of photography. While film processing will go on until the end of 2010, production stopped last year, being another victim to the massive switch of photographers to digital. I love the colors of Kodachrome, which are very difficult to replicate with digital, and some aspects of it did influence my perception of colors. So when Dan Bayer of the Kodachrome project told me he would visit Paris, I gladly proposed to go on a few shooting sessions in the streets of Paris. It was a great experience and very insightful to see Dan’s perception of light and colors as well as shooting technique. Dan is a professional photographer who is on a quest to celebrate the 75th (and last) anniversary of Kodachrome. Shooting mainly with Leica’s, his work will result in a book that can be considered as a the closing act of the Kodachrome history. So if you are interested in learning more, please visit Dan’s Kodachrome project website.

Exploring the streets of Paris, Dan became a Parisian the day he finally bought a beret and paused in front of the Moulin Rouge. Obviously … still scanning around for his next “Kodachrome shot”.

Leica M9 with 60mm Hexanon at F1.4, 1/250, ISO1600

Time for a  change in the look of my pictures!

The basic style remains the same yet pictures will have less sepia and more colors. In other words : more pop for a more modern look.  I hope you will enjoy it.

 An all time favorite by many famous photographers, you will find yourself in front of worldwide known department stores such as Galeries Lafayette or Le Printemps. Here watch the constant flow of shoppers rushing in and out of these fashion cathedrals in search of the latest of the French chic. You’ll also find travellers who came from far away for a day in paradise and glamour addicts walking the large sidewalks dragging huge bags. Stand at a crossroad and let the waves of shoppers come to you with views on century old facades of the Galeries Lafayette. While you are in the area, the Opera and Saint-Lazare train station stand only a block away. I also find them to be fun places to shoot as you’ll always get that frenziness feeling with landmark buildings in the background.

Pictures type   : Streets crowded with shoppers. Fashion, glamour, frantic.  

Your best lens : 28 or 50mm

Favorite spot   : In front of Galerie Lafayette, at the corner of Rue la Fayette. 

When to go     : Satudays afternoon

Must go           : Inside Galerie Lafayette

Metro Station  : Saint-Lazare

 Map of area

  Sample shots  (click on pictures to enlarge)  

The hilly neighbourhood of Montmartre is famous worldwide, meaning that it probably is better to avoid the Sacré Coeur church and painters’ market surroundings (unless you like to shoot masses of tourists). Nevertheless, wonderful spots are located a few blocks below the top of the hill, mainly around the very buoyant street of rue des Abbesses. This street has some of the ambiance and look of a small French town.  Not only will you find crowded terraces located next to food shops displaying their tempting and colorful merchandise,  but also fashion and artwork boutiques awaiting for their trendy customers. As Montmartre is famous for its bohemian spirit, you will most probably encounter some street artists here and there, the “La vie en rose” song will have no more secrets to you after a while. Moving on upwards to the parallel street des Trois-Frères, you’ll get great views over steep streets and everlasting stairs leading to the top of the hill. Patience will be your best friend as you wait for action to happen in your pre-selected compositions.

Pictures type   : Trendy, bohemian,  street artists, views over Paris, restaurant terraces, markets, stairs, tiny streets.

Your best lens : 50mm

Favorite spot   : Rue des Abbesses

When to go     : Lunch time

Must go          : The stairs on Rue des Trois Frères.

Metro Station  : Clichy or Pigalle

 Map of area   

 Sample shots  (click on pictures to enlarge)  

Probably my favorite spot in Paris for Winogrand style of street photography. First, start at Place de la Concorde and walk eastbound under the arches that lead to the Louvres Palace. Plenty of shot opportunities as street vendors, palace valets and coffee terraces will mix with the arches and sights over the Tuileries garden. Don’t let you get too absorbed under the arches, but slalom around the columns as great shots might also happen on the outside. Once past the Louvres palace, you will enter the second section of the street where you will face a frenzy of shoppers. I love that spot as there is always people around you on a somewhat tight sidewalk. Add to than the ad signs, shops, noise, cars and some landmark monuments and you’ll almost get New York City’s 6th avenue kind of shooting. So just stand at a crossroad for a few minutes and let scenes unfold around you.

Pictures type   : Shoppers, valets, coffee terraces, youngsters, wanderers.

Your best lens : 28mm

Favorite spot   : Crossroad of Rivoli and rue du Renard.

When to go     : sunset is a must. Walk the street West to East to get the sun in people’s face (watch out for your own shadow)

Must go          : at night under the arches close to Place de la Concorde. Mystery’s all over the place.   

Metro Station : Concorde

 Map of area  

 Sample shots  (click on picture to enlarge) 

The second article of this weekly series leads us to the XVIth arrondissement where lays the majestic Bir-Hakeim bridge.

Paris has very few open air metro lines. Yet, line #6 magically surges from underground at the Passy Station and crosses the Seine over the Bir-Hakeim Bridge. You will find shot opportunities right under the metro line as a never ending colonnade sustains the rails and creates very graphic scenes over the Seine. Your wide angles will be at full ease there. At the middle of the bridge, a stairs brings you down to Les Cygnes Island where a promenade with views on docked barges and high rises will lead you all the way to a Statue of Liberty replica. Lone wanderers, joggers, couples will be your main subjects there. Also if you are keen on a few shots of barges and their dwellers, great scenes to compose with are located just under the Bir Hakeim bridge Obviously, some patience will be needed to see them appear and vacate to their daily activities.

On the North West side of the bridge, escalators lead to the Passy Station where you can shoot travellers getting in and out of the metro with fantastic backgrounds. Do not hesitate to carry on your way to the street going up from the Passy Station. Then by taking a right into Rue Raynouard, you will be led to a place with enormous billboards hanging from buildings, great for some Parisian pop art shots (obviously depending on the ads of the week).

On the East side of the bridge, the suspended rails go on for a few blocks and create a great atmosphere with characters suddenly appearing from one side or the other of the path. Finally, walk all the way to the corner of rue du Commerce and you’ll find yourself in a spot mixing the best of Chicago and Paris. There you’ll have opportunities for dynamic  shots where you can mix walker by’s, trains and cars in a spectacular setting.

Pictures  type  : Isolated wanderers, graphic compositions, views over the Seine and Eiffel Tower, metro station frenzy.

Lens chosen    : 24 or 75mm

Favorite spot    : Over the Bir Hakeim Bridge.

When to go      : Sunset for great light and shadows play.

Must go           : see the view over the Passy metro station

Metro station   : Passy

Map of area   (red showing the streets I like to hang around)

Sample shots  (click on picture to enlarge) 

Planning to visit Paris and don’t know where to start with some street photography ?

Here is a new series on my favorite spots for street photography. It is by no means destined to be a comprehensive guide, but comments and recommendations based on my personal preferences. I plan to cover one spot per week and it should get us to the summer. This series will start by Le Marais, a neighbourhood located in the very center of the city.

Le Marais is one of the few places in Paris where you’ll find tiny streets typical of European medieval cities. Once a moor, the area is now home to many communities (Chinese, Jewish, homosexual, artists) that have transformed it into one of the most cosmopolitan and trendy part of town.  Be it late at night when shadows appear and vanish in the dimly lit streets, or on weekends when shoppers come in search the latest clothing, Le Marais has shot opportunities in every corner.  And you’ll always find inspiring people to include in front of wonderful backgrounds such as old stone buildings, restaurant terraces, trendy shops or crowded streets.

Pictures  type  : glamour, trendy, street portraits, night ambience
Preferred lens : 24 or 35mm
Favorite spot    :  Rue Vieille du Temple
When to go      :  weekends, night
Must go          :  Le Marché des Enfants Rouges, a great open air food market full of great shots opportunities
Metro station   :  Saint-Paul

Map of area   (red showing the streets I like to hang around)

Sample shots  (click on picture to enlarge)

Another great exhibit this winter at the Jeu de Paume showcasing Federico Fellini’s works through pictures and videos. I got so fascinated that at some point I thought his ghost had appeared, peacefully watching a short of “8 1/2″, one of his autobiographic masterpieces.

The exhibit (La Grande Parade) ends January 17th, so if you have the opportunity until then, don’t miss it.(click on picture to enlarge)

Leica M9 with 40mm Summicron at F2, 1/40, ISO640

I have just launched a second photoblog called Souls. It will be dedicated to B&W portraits and will update it on a weekly basis.  Here the address of this new blog;  http://souls.yanidel.com

As for this blog, Street photography in Paris, it will go on as usual with a picture a day.

Here is a picture you can probably find in many iterations on the web as it was taken today at the Paris Photo Fair. I found it a good symbol. Eve in Paradise with the many visitors trying to resist the temptation of … buying too much superfluous photographic equipment. (click on picture to enlarge)

Leica M8 with 60mm Hexanon at F1.4, 1/250, ISO160

Great news today as the first full format digital M Leica was finally anounced. This camera has a 24 x 36mm sensor that will replace the brave M8. I had a chance to try one this afternoon and something tells me that pictures on this blog will soon be taken by this camera I am not a pro so I will let others review it such as www.stevehuffsphoto.com or www.reidreviews.com but my first impressions is that this is the digital M camera that so many have been waiting for. So here is my first test picture taken with the 35mm Summilux Asph. Click on picture to see the full size picture (slightly compressed). Note that you can also look at this picture unprocessed by clicking here.

As for the story of this picture, simple, this woman had her breath taken away as she saw the new Leica M9 in the window of PhotoSuffren.

Leica M9 with 35mm Summilux Asph at F1.4, 1/710, ISO160

As I wander through the streets of Paris, I usually pay special attention to the numerous tourists and their relationship to photography depending on their nationality. I believe there are some trends that can be extracted from these observations. So here is a little quizz full of stereotypes and, of course, just for fun :

Match the following nationalities (numbers) to the description of their photographic style (letters)

1) Japanese 2) American 3) Spanish 4) Parisians 5) Russians 6) British 7) Italians  8 ) Argentine

A) They own the biggest and latest cameras but use them on automatic mode. The ladies of this country will  pause with one hand on the hip and a leg elegantly positioned in front of the other. The stance will be completed with a deep and sensual look at the photographer.

B) There are two generations of photographers from this country. The  elder one lugs around a tripod all day and spends endless minutes composing his pictures. Yet at some point, after he set the self timer and walked to his position, he turns back and wonders why the tripod and camera are not here anymore.  The youngest generation always look for the most creative framing to match their extravagant clothing.

C) No contest here, they are always the best dressed in the streets. So each pictures has to look like the cover of the next Vogue magazine. They are sometimes seen complaining about not seeing well the LCD. Of course, this is usually solved when they finally take their sunglasses off.

D) The easiest to detect since most have never seen old stones before,  therefore they tend to behave like shooting machines. Note the generic smile of all females when pictured, probably the result of years of practice for the annual shoot of their High School yearbooks.

E) Most of their pictures are taken at night in a bar. After a few beers, creativity is always at its best. They  can also be detected by their clothing as it is usually adapted for temperatures at least 10 degrees higher. Expect them therefore to wear shorts in December.

F)  Only group pictures. Yet it takes forever since the grand mother does not know where the shutter is located. She is then helped by her grandson who cannot figure it out either. It usually ends up by asking a passerby “Take picturre please”.

G) They don’t take pictures as they think they look so much better live than on a still image. Therefore, they only use the LCD screen of their camera as a mirror and spend endless minutes contemplating their own reflection with their long hair wavering in the wind.

H) Street photographers come from all over the world just to picture them. So why bother?

Got it right ? You will find the answers below the picture.

Leica M8 with 28mm Summicron at F2, 1/4000,  ISO160

Answers : 1B, 2D, 3F, 4H, 5A, 6E, 7C, 8G

A few days ago, I received a book that I had been longing for, that is the 1975 “Women are beautiful” by Gary Winogrand. I had previously posted an entry about this photographer that I greatly admire. He shot mainly with a 28mm lens and spent his life in the street photographing people. This book is regarded as his most famous, the one where he took snapshot of unknown women in the streets of New York in the aftermath of May 69. But in order to explain his approach on the topic, here is a quote of the introductory essay of Helen Gary Bishop :

“… Garry Winogrand has done more than record artful compositions of beautiful breasts and bodies. I believe he is genuinely attracted by the dynamics of the female being. But with the unerring instinct of the artist he has caught the conflict of the feminine creature: the body as object vying with the self as person.”

35 years after, our society has made giant steps forward and the condition of women is now the equal of man in most Western countries . Women in Paris are now liberated, self-confident, independant, …….still driving men nuts, and still …. beautiful.

Over the coming days, as a wink to this great photographer, I will post a series dedicated on this theme. Yet today we start with this shot taken a few hours ago on Les Champs-Elysées and shows a chic Parisiangirl on an afternoon shopping spree.  (click on picture to enlarge)

Leica M8 with 24mm Elmarit at F2.8, 1/3000, ISO160

As July arrives, the first of two waves of Parisians leave the city to head towards the provinces for vacations. I was one of them last week for a week vacation in Southern France. During the long drive, I definitely had time to reflect on the topic of street photography in the country side.

To me the main components of street photography are a human setting, a human presence (or hint of presence) that are linked through a story or a feeling.  Therefore, even if street photography might have a urban connotation, it can certainly be performed in the country side, with of course, a few differences :

1) patience,  a farm community main street is definitely not as busy as Les Champs-Elysées.

 2) it is definitely a challenge to take candid shots when there are only two people in a street. 

3) in Paris, someone with a camera is a tourist and clueless. In a village, photographers only come for the national newspaper. They expect to be in the front cover the next day

4) there are a lot of old women taking their dogs for a walk. Shot variety might especially suffer in villages of <100 people.

5) animals do not count as humans, look for other shots and read point #1 again.

6) having  your companion pause as a stranger in a selected spot does not count, read point #1 again.

Jokes apart and to match the vacations period, I will start tonight a two weeks series on the topic of Street Photography in the Countryside. Hope you will enjoy the vision of a Parisian in the country side.

If you plan to be in Paris over the next 10 days, you absolutely need to visit the Controverses exhibit. It displays pictures that gave rise to big controversies over the last century. Be it the Benetton religious kiss, Bresson’s nude picture of Leonor Fini of the Ground Zero Hand, all these pictures have marked the history of photography, for the good or the bad. You will be your own judge.

Sigma DP2 at F5.6, ISO100