Autumn in Paris

When my good friend Norma Thiessen was working on an autumn update for her amazing website My Beautiful Paris, she had asked me to send her some pictures from our autumn trip to Paris a few years back.  It quickly took me down memory lane and I'd love to take you there with me!  Below are some photo's I had taken while in Paris, and on this trip, all I needed was my camera, a warm jacket and a beret!   

If you have never been to Paris and are dying to go, or even if you have been there before,  you must check out My Beautiful Paris!!  You'll see most of my photo's from below, plus tonnes more that I had shot when Norma and I had travelled to Paris this past Spring.  It's an amazing site with so much information from a girl who's been there a million times, in love with the city of lights and is eager to share her experience and knowledge with you.  She is always happy to hear from you and help you plan your trip to Paris!  I have been so fortunate to have travelled to Paris with Norma three times and have seen it through her eyes.  The photo's below were taken while we travelled on our second trip to Paris.  It was cold out but the weather was the perfect environment for me to capture the photo's below! 

I took all of these photo's below using my Nikon FG20 35mm SLR film camera with a standard 50mm lens, a  few rolls of Colour and  few rolls of Black and White film.  I knew that the less film I had with me, the more I could be creative and use my knowledge and education in photography before I snapped the picture! I was always so anxious and excited to get home from a trip, get into my darkroom and finally see what I had actually captured!

Stone Lady with Eiffel Tower

Waking up that morning to see an overcast sky with a light sprinkle of rain in the air, really put a spring in my step!  This is my favourite type of day to photograph the outdoors--and especially while away from home!! This grey and overcast sky eliminates any harsh highlights or shadows from the sun, softens everything and even with using the colour film (last photo below of Monmartre), it really makes the colours subtle and soft giving the image such a different feel!  Almost eerie but SO focused!   In this photo of the lady and tower, the sky was so overcast that you couldn't even see the hundreds of people and dozens of cars below the tower!  Gone!  And who say's a grey day is all that bad??

One of my favourite photo's I have taken in Paris and it was almost by accident!

Believe it or not, there were many people on this bridge on this day and I was waiting for a quick moment to capture it without any pedestrian interference.  Unlike the lady in the first photo with the Eiffel Tower, who was not in any rush to go anywhere, this woman above, was certainly in a hurry  and came in to my frame just as I snapped the photo!  Because I was shooting film and I had a limited amount,  I wasn't sure if I had captured her, but I thought I would just crop her out if she happened to be in my frame.  When I was back home and in my darkroom, I was surprised with what I saw on my processed film. I realized that the woman and her quick walking, had in fact made it into my frame, and had actually made the photo!  Thank you, lady on a mission! 

Just another amazing view over the Seine River...

Jardin du Palais Royal is probably my favourite place to be in Paris!  Something about being in this garden (jardin) that makes me very happy!

And this is me, being "happy" in Palais Royal! 

View from Monmartre

Norma and I stopped for a little break behind Notre Dame Cathedral

More from Monmartre, this time with a little bit of colour!  Kinda retro, don'cha think? 

I hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane, not only the trip to Paris itself, but of my memories of shooting with film!!  Those were good times, the anticipation, the wondering what you will end up with.  I'm sure most of us remember those days, not only to the professional photographers but even the amateurs who rushed to the camera store after a holiday to see your holiday once again.  As a professional, it was a chance to really use my skill, the years of education and experience were put to the test and it was so nice to think before I hit the shutter.  Of course, there's still a lot to think about when using my Digital SLR, but the anticipation and excitement is gone.  It was definitely a different time in the world of photography, and that was only a few years ago!  Change comes quick in this day and age, you've got to be ready for it and don't fear it!  If you do, get out, take a holiday, get re inspired! Change is always a good thing :)  

Don't forget to check out My Beautiful Paris!  

all photography above copyright Joanne Tsakos Photography©