The Joy of Photography in Paris

Paris, France! I often forget to remember how wonderful it is to walk around Paris with friends, acquaintances and clients who then become friends as the result of a shared interest. Photography in Paris is like a sensory overload for this photographer, like the proverbial "kid in a candy store"!

Some of my "colleagues" in my photographic fraternity turn their noses up at what I do, because for them it's not "art".  I consider sharing my knowledge and talent with interested and eager visitors to Paris as a privilige and most often a great pleasure and source of inspiration. You could say I'm going thru an attitude of gratitude. Thanks Larry! Larry is my boss by the way! A very passionate photographer with a great eye for making the usual look unusual, which in turn makes fine art images. And this is what my clients enjoy about my style also. It's taking everyday things and changing how we see them, or if you like our point of view. Which can be from laying on the sidewalk or leaning over a bridge, it does pay to move around, plus I get tired walking after about three hours so laying down is good.

In Paris the Parisians love to debate. Which reminds me, I recently had a dinner with some french friends whom I asked over dinner how to conjugate a verb. The explanation lasted three hours.

Be careful what you ask for. Living in Paris is like living with a woman, some days you can't get enough of her the next you want to get out and run away. As a photographer I love it more often than want to run away from it. The adventures thru the lens tours are something I have come to enjoy and appreciate more and more, because no matter at what level my clients are at I always end up with some new knowledge or inspiration. Thanks again Larry! On these tours I have started to include more and more info on portraits and on finding the "right" light and backgrounds for beautiful portraits. I include dogs too because Parisians love their canine treasures. I found this fella below sleeping  on a nice sofa behind one of those ancient wooden Paris doors.



The last thing I say to clients is "keep taking photos, know your camera, and your photographic IQ will grow and grow"! I like to think mine has!

Kevin - Paris Adventure thru the Lens

Getting The Details Through Cropping

Photography is not only cropping, cleaning and auto balancing your image to make that great shot.  However, I understand that in commercial, portrait, and creative photography, cropping, resetting, and altering the images is the norm.  Who wants to look at an advertisement for beauty cream with the face all blotchy and full of pimples? Have you ever seen a real live person that looks a perfect as they do in the magazine?

The secret for taking beautiful images lies in your aspiration, passion and admiration of the subject, if it be landscape, people, buildings or food.  For some reason, when you are attracted to the subject it shows in your images and they reflect your passion. Using techniques such as composition, angles, and light can help you to create a wonderful image that can only be tools to help enhance your images.  Using light can draw your focus onto your subject; the angle use can change the representation of your subject from short to tall for example.  Perspective is important while deciding on what angle to use, what light is best to set up your shot.  Rule of thumb, take your time and never be in a hurry before taking a shot.  Imagine in your mind that instead of using your digital camera that allows you to trash the images you do not like, you are using film.  That precious film that costs so much to develop each roll and each shot depends on your angles, perspective, and lighting.  This way, you can learn to be careful and think before snapping and shooting your image.

Perspective

Don’t just walk up to something that you want to take a picture of and snap a shot!  Don’t only look at the subject from eye level!  Walk around your subject, if you can, or take a one -meter step to your left, to your right, up and down while looking through your viewer.  Do you see anything that stands out to you?  Which position reflects what you want to show in your image?  Take a series of shots from different angles.  I saw a new stature in front of the Pitti Palace in Florence, Italy and walked around it. Like This!

You can see the difference with the various perspectives, just by walking around the statue and taking my time to look at what I am seeing.! Which one do you like best?

Susan Robens – Adventures Thru The Lens Florence Photographer, Guide, and Muse

The Golden Mean in Paris

I was recently going through some Paris photography tour photos when I stumbled on this picture.
It's a prime lens example of not looking around the frame to avoid distractions. It was taken in the
jardin des Tuileries here in Paris. Had it been intentional I may be rather proud of it. To my
credit I did instinctively use the rule of thirds by placing the innocent man who had no idea of
what I was doing (neither did I) on a third. At the carrefour where the horizontal and vertical lines
cross is known the "Golden mean point". I hope my students don't see this photo!

Kevin - Paris Thru the Lens - Photo Guide

Shooting Rome - Rain or Shine!

Rome was founded over 2,700 years ago, so it’s got a lot of history.  I encourage people to get away from the run of the mill, “standard” photos of monuments and look for the interesting angle, capturing Rome’s history as part of its present day fabric: looking out for the small details that many would overlook.

 

I want the people who come on the tours to take a little time think about their photos.  Try to let the photo tell a story, it doesn’t have to be War and Peace, or Charles Dickens, but a slice of an emotion that you felt which made you want to take the picture in the first place.  Most of all take time over composition. What are the elements that make you want to take it?

And how can you bring them all together in a harmonious way so it all clicks into place?

And I underline how important it is to make a decision when composing, should the photo be horizontal or vertical, and to study the relationship and positioning of the various elements to the edge of the frame.  Rather than shooting casually, look around you, just a few centimetres right or left, backwards or forwards, up or down, can make a lot of difference.

One one July  day my client John and I not only photographed Coliseum and the Pantheon and other famous landmarks, we also photographed the violin maker; the antiques restorers workshop; the colourful market in Campo de Fiori; the Jewish Ghetto (a unique neighbourhood that feels like you have been invited into some one’s living room) two small but beautiful churches, one lavishly decorated, the other one with an interesting surprise in store. We also photographed inside the world’s oldest public library and we met a Roman artist whose studio door is itself a painting, and went inside to photograph.

The day began with one of Rome's famous downpours; I was afraid John wouldn't show up, but he did - with his wife and son.   Photographing Rome (or any city) in the rain is a photographer's delight as there are many interesting (and sometimes funny) incidents with tourists running for cover.  Rain also provides wonderful relflections on the cobblestones.  As you can see, the rain didn't deter John from "telling his story" in photos.

I like to show my clients the Rome that I find most vibrant – the out of the way streets and alleys which are full of history and still full of life.

-Steve Bisgrove (right) with John H. -  Adventures Thru The Lens Photographer in Rome, Italy

Master Photography Workshop in Rome

Rome is much like a visual sonata . . a mixture of congruous movements, contrasting tempos, keys, moods and styles. It's the ultimate movie set, made ready to photograph, day or night.

Gino the photographer at the Trevi Fountain

Perhaps the most interesting subject to photograph in Rome are the Romans themselves. The citizens of Rome can be described as opinionated, stylish, dramatic, stubborn and publicly expressive. When observing the city's inhabitants I am often reminded of the most successful brand in history, SPQR (Senatus Populus que Romanus), . . the Senate and Roman People . That pride of citizenship may or may not be true today but I'd like to think it still holds water.

A word of caution . . always ask before you shoot. Photographing people in public requires discretion and tact. The 'golden rule' . . do unto others as you would expect them to do unto you, works. I got friendly with a homeless guy Marcel. He lived on the main pedestrian way on Isola Tiberini, the Island on the Tiber. He had a dog (unfortunately paralyzed from the waist down), two parakeets, potted plants, a bicycle, a tent and he seriously called this place his home. Several thousand people walk pass this spot everyday. He was part sane and part crazy especially when he got plastered. Individuals like Marcel, who live on the edge, interest me, in part, because of the photographic potential and the stories they can tell.  Marcel who looked about 60 Years old, had a hand held digital movie camera and he recorded himself in a personal diary. While I was visiting Marcel one day, a tourist approached him and photographed him without asking permission. Marcel picked up his movie cam and turned it on the tourist. He got in his face and hounded him for a couple hundred yards. I was seriously impressed by that and I got a good laugh out of it. To Marcel people were guests in his house. So therefor the simple courtesies we expect from others work great when they grace our own communications. But as a last resort, always have a pocket full of single Euros on hand out when the need arises. 

Why do I love photographing Rome? Simply put It has all the right ingredients photographers crave. The art of life itself in this earthly treasure is omnipresent. I easily give Rome a rating of ten on a scale of ten for just about any endeavor. If photography is one's pleasure, Rome will not disappoint.  William Shepley Rome Master Class Workshops