Frames.

Frames. Every time I head out for a photo walkabout, I’m hopeful to catch one or two frames that really stand apart. Sometimes it’s the light, sometimes it’s the bustle of the city, and sometimes, like here, it all kinda comes together.

The lines of the building, the lone figure with an umbrella cutting across the scene all just worked. I’d just left my favorite too-hip-for-me Parisian coffee shop and was amped up on espresso after a nice post work nap. So I thankfully had the energy to stand in the rain and wait for the moment to develop.

Sometimes all it takes is one frame to remember why you keep walking.

Sony RX10iv

La Défense

I’ve been visiting Paris now for over 20 years and somehow haven’t made it west of the Seine River to explore the La Défense area. Well, the other day I finally decided to break that streak.

La Défense is a bit out of character with the rest of what folks view as typical Paris, a much more modern setting with skyscrapers, mall and corporate offices. But the really fun thing is the architecture of not only the Grand Arch itself but the somewhat brutalist architecture that sits just off the banks of the river. As you walk west, toward the Grand Arch the architecture changes from basically an homage to Blade Runner to proper 21st century buildings.

As usual, I had my trusty Sony RX10iv along for the job. It’s sort of the anti-camera for me with its all in one zoom lens, large body and jack of all trades features. But you know what? It gets the job done and allows some great flexibility in focal length. So alas, here’s a few favorites from the other day.

Two Days in Paris

As an airline pilot, I'm quite fortunate to get to see the world on the cheap and often on short notice.  So when the opportunity comes to make even a short holiday somewhere fun who am I to say no?  My wife and I happened to have 4 days off together recently and since the snowfall at home in Colorado had been mediocre we decided to skip snowboarding that week and fly somewhere instead.  So off to Paris it was. I once again used my ethos of packing light and brought along my minimum kit, although this time I did bring my prime Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens.  I'm unsure of what's easier, having two weeks to make great images or having a shortened time span of about 55 hours on the ground.  After getting home and sorting through my images, I was fairly pleased with the results.  I hope you are too!