Paris is the most photographed city in the world. You can’t afford to lose eye contact with its beauty and scenery, not even for a moment. It’s a city of monuments with such overwhelming power that they force visitors to keep looking around them at all times. A city where, if you turn off your camera for even a second, you miss an entire world.
Through the camera lens, Paris always looks remarkably photogenic. The cameras here work overtime. It’s a nonstop photography celebration that you don’t want to pause or miss. That’s why, whenever I’m exploring Paris, my camera is always with me. I’m always ready to click. I know that this is exactly the kind of place where I get the chance to capture pictures that are bigger than life.
So how do you approach photography in the City of Light the right way, so you come home with the best possible photo album? Of course, you could do what everyone else does: photograph the Eiffel Tower from the viewing terrace of the Palais de Chaillot, the facade of Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe, and the dazzling view from the steps of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica.
But Paris is so much more than that, and when it comes to quality photography, there’s another way to do it. You can try to be different, original and unique: photograph special sites, shoot in different light conditions, in different seasons of the year, and from angles that aren’t always the usual ones. As a rule, photograph as many sites, moments and angles as you can that other photographers tend to skip. In this article, I’ll walk you through a few such approaches.
Mix the Old and the New
Many people ask me why I think Paris is so addictive, what the secret of its charm is. There are plenty of answers to that question, and it really depends on who you ask. My own answer is that Paris is a city of contrasts, a city of many faces: old versus new, historic versus futuristic.
I highly recommend shooting a frame that combines these contrasts in a single image, the diversity, the old against the new. Here are a few ideas: the Stravinsky Fountain next to the Centre Pompidou with the old Saint-Merri church in the background, the entrance pyramid at the Louvre Museum (and don’t forget to shoot it from a special, non-obvious angle) with the museum’s historic building behind it, the zebra-striped columns in the courtyard of the Palais-Royal against the backdrop of the palace, and the new, modern roof of the Forum des Halles with the wonderful Saint-Eustache Church behind it.
Small Details from Big Buildings
Sometimes it’s especially interesting to shoot a tight frame, or get up close to a building. This lets you highlight small details found on famous and special buildings. Certain details that are well lit, whether inside a building or on its facade, can be a great source of beautiful and fascinating photos.
This subject is endless. Let your creativity run wild. The sky’s the limit, and the results can be striking. Almost any church, museum or historic building can be a target for this kind of shot. For example, I’ve photographed a Hebrew inscription on the facade of Saint-Sulpice Church, the old clock on the Conciergerie building, parts of the impressive Hôtel de Ville, statues on the roof of the Palais Garnier, the impressive upper section of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, statues on the east facade of the Louvre Museum, the clock on the facade of the Luxembourg Palace, the statues of saints at the entrance to Notre-Dame Cathedral, the reliefs above the entrance of the Institut de France, and many more.
Put an Object in the Foreground of Landscape Shots
Landscape photography in Paris is practically endless. You can add a lot of interest to a landscape shot by placing an object close to the camera in the foreground.
This is how I’ve taken quite a few photos, such as: the Eiffel Tower combined with the Statue of Liberty, a view from the top of Montmartre with a beautifully designed street lamp in the foreground, the Arc de Triomphe with a large, green tree in the foreground, Saint-Eustache Church with the “The Listener” sculpture in front of it, a lake and stunning trees in the Bois de Vincennes with a huge swan in the foreground, the Luxembourg Palace with a toy sailboat on the pond in front of it, the Pont Alexandre III with a boat on the Seine, and the Palais-Royal reflected beyond the sculpture of spheres in its courtyard.
Let your creativity run and take advantage of opportunities as they come up. In this area, the sky really is the limit.
Photograph Water
Paris is full of water features: the well-kept Seine, sprawling, beautiful lakes in its forests and parks, and fountains, old and modern alike, on nearly every street corner.
Paris’s many water features are a powerful draw, for locals and visiting tourists alike. Water symbolizes life, and it gives the city a steady, enduring foundation.
A lot of water shows up in some of the most central places in the life of the City of Light, mostly around the river that cuts through it from east to west. The Seine, then, is always a wonderful photography subject. Try shooting it from original angles.
Besides the river, you can get special, striking water shots at the city’s various lakes: the lakes of the Bois de Boulogne in the west and the Bois de Vincennes in the east are both quite photogenic. The lakes of Parc des Buttes-Chaumont and Parc Montsouris also make for wonderful photos.
The effect of moving water always looks good and interesting in photos. I recommend photographing the city’s fountains, of which Paris has plenty. Some especially recommended options: the Fontaine des Quatre Parties du Monde (at the edge of the 6th arrondissement, south of the Luxembourg Gardens), the powerful fountains in the Trocadéro gardens, the fountains at Place de la Concorde, the fountain at Place Saint-Michel, and the beautiful, powerful and remarkable fountains at the gardens of Versailles.
Shoot from a Low Angle
Most visitors to Paris rush up the Eiffel Tower or the Tour Montparnasse and shoot general cityscape photos, a kind of “aerial shot” in which everything looks too small in the frame and not all that interesting. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it isn’t unique, original, or always attractive.
Plenty of people come home with a set of 500 photos shot from the third floor of the Eiffel Tower, and often the disappointment is real. Most of the buildings that excited them look tiny in the pictures and don’t catch the viewer’s eye.
So, I recommend trying to photograph Paris from an ant’s-eye view, a low and unusual angle that makes some of the subjects look different from what our eyes are used to seeing. That’s how I shot a set of photos of the Tour de France, the Paris Marathon, and of course plenty of other sites from a different angle, like the city’s bridges from ground level and Paris’s stunning lakes from the level of the water’s surface.
Capture Street Life
A surprise is waiting for you on almost every street corner in Paris. Use your camera to capture the city’s vibrant and distinctive street life. Street photography often makes powerful statements about life; the photos carry important messages, usually visible, sometimes hidden. Sometimes you have just one second, or even less, to catch the right moment and press the shutter. A second earlier or a second later, and it’s not the same photo anymore, not the same story, not the same message.
To “catch the moment,” follow your instincts. That’s how you create artistic photos too. Remember that a special angle almost always adds a twist to the picture and to the story it tells. Don’t be afraid to get a little wild. The Parisian street is a huge, amazing stage full of things happening, make the most of it. A photo of an old man feeding the pigeons on the plaza in front of the Centre Pompidou is a classic example of a unique and fascinating moment of street life. If you put in a little effort, and above all if you stay alert and curious, you’ll come home with a treasure trove of moving moments set against the most beautiful city in the world.
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