Paris in Winter II : Landmarks 

When on a very short visit to a city it's hard to decide which landmarks to single out. Do you go for the obvious or the obscure? Do you go from pre-selected point to point or wander and see what you come across? On this trip with PhotographySchool.NL there was a little bit of both. After our walk through the Pere LaChaise Cemetery  we wandered towards Place de la Bastille, taking in the Paris street atmosphere. It's important to keep looking around, up and down, looking for interesting photographic subjects. As usual with me, it was the clouds that kept me looking up and made me want to capture Dumont's gilded Spirit of Liberty perched a-top the July Column.

July Column, Place de la Bastille, Paris Fuji XT-1 / 35mm f/1.4

Encouraged by Paul Sanders who had a picture in his head that needed to be made, the second morning involved an early alarm call to get down to the River Siene to capture the sun rising behind the Ile de la Cite and Pont Neuf. Mother nature played beautifully for us as we savoured the gentle light of the dawn and the quiet of Paris before the bustle. A rare appearance of colour from me to share the experience. 

Dawn at Pont Neuf Fuji XT-1 / 10-24mm

We returned later when the sun had risen higher for Paul to re-shoot the scene to achieve the ethereally mystical panoramic image he had envisioned. Meantime, I shot the Pont des Arts and domed Institut de France.

Pont des Arts & Institut de France, Paris

Pont des Arts & Institut de France, Paris Fuji XT-1 / 10-24mm

Nearby, the Louvre buildings could not be missed out but rather than photographing the obvious pyramids, these arches caught my fancy.

Arches, Louvre, Paris

Arches, Louvre, Paris Fuji XT-1 / 35mm f/1.4

And what visit to Paris is complete without glimpsing the Eiffel Tower? It has to be done - the only question is which viewpoint. We went for the elevated view from the Trocadero then I chose to also go for a long exposure shot of the view through the fountains that flow for a short time each hour. 

Eiffel Tower, Paris Fuji XT-1 / 10-24mm

For my final landmark destination of the weekend, I chose to head to La Defense, eschewing the traditional and seeking the modern. Sadly for me, it was a pure blue sky sunny day so no cloud formations or long exposures with scudding cloud as I had hoped but you have to make the most of what's in front of you when traveling. 

La Grande Arche de La Defense, Paris Fuji XT-1 / 10-24mm
La Grande Arche de La Defense, Paris Fuji XT-1 / 10-24mm
Point growth - Growth Point by Lim Dong Lak, Voie des Sculpteurs, La Defense, Paris  Fuji XT-1 / 56mm	Coeur Defense Towers Reflected Fuji XT-1 / 35mm f/1.4

Coming soon: Paris in Winter III : Street