Photography in Paris, the City of Love and Lights
By Kevin Pepper |
Paris has more familiar landmarks than any other city in the world. On your first visit, you will arrive in the French capital with all sorts of expectations: cobblestone streets lined with sidewalk cafes, intellectuals discussing weighty matters in these cafes, romance along the Seine, naughty nightclub revues in a district called Montmartre, and yes, the iconic Eiffel Tower.
The truth is, if you look hard enough, you will find all of those. With an open mind, you will discover that Paris is enchanting at any time of the year. It welcomes guests with open arms. I have been there during every season and met many people, some of whom have become friends, and I always come home enamored after each visit to the city of love and lights.
Paris holds a special place in my heart. It is where I first took a camera to explore a city. It is where Elliot Erwitt’s images inspired me to look at street scenes differently. Paris was the location for one of my first photo workshops, with the hope of having the city inspire other photographers as it has inspired me.
A trip with me to Paris will have you looking at different ways to bring this ancient city to life, looking for ways to incorporate the people with the iconic landmarks, and injecting the element of surprise in a traditional holiday snapshot.
If you are wondering about the kind of images I am referring to, look below for what you can expect to create during a tour of Paris with me.
The Eiffel Tower is one of the most well-known architectural structures in the world. Adding a unique element, such as dancers, makes our photographs unique.
Paris has some of the most photogenic subway stops in the world. By taking a model with us, we always add that unexpected human element that makes our photographs unique.
Sure, you can take the holiday snapshot, but why? I like to look at these iconic structures from a different point of view that makes a viewer study the images.
The Palais Garnier is a beautiful opera house. Why not get one of their dancers to perform in front of the spectacular architecture?
I hope that you consider joining me in Paris. I have been there a dozen times and know many of the hidden locations and vantage points of the iconic places that you might overlook or not bother to photograph. On my previous workshops, I have made some Parisian friends who will tag along to provide much-needed life to our images. We will also be photographing a ballet and modern dancer with lighting setups to create compelling works of art.
I want your photography trip to Paris to be instructional while allowing you time to enjoy all the city offers.
What You Will Learn on This Workshop
- Photo stacking in your camera and during post-processing.
- Control ambient street lighting during our nighttime outings.
- Photographing with black and white conversions in mind.
- Using Henri Cartier-Braisson and Elliott Erwitt as inspiration, we will teach you how he captured what he called the “decisive moment.“ The decisive moment is the precise moment of action. It is the split-second of time that encapsulates all of the story shown in the image.
- Step-by-step Lightroom editing tips that will make your images better.
