Beautiful Notre Dame looks different in the morning, noon, and night. Perhaps its best to go there towards the end of the day when the lights come in the window at a nice angle. The windows have so many colors that you just can't go wrong.
Trey's Tip: Setting up with a tripod in the middle of a walkway is tough. I often use my feet and legs to block the tripod so people don't kick or trip on it. I feel a little funny using my body like a giant shield, but I've done stranger stuff with my body. Let's be honest.
Tags: stuckincustoms treyratcliff
There is a no-tripod rule in the Lourvre, but I ignored it here. I ignored it for about five shots before I was caught. They mostly sneered at me... so I sneered back, but in a nice-sneer way. I gave them a confusing Mr. Bean look that I thought might appeal to French sensibilities. It did not. So, I feel free to follow my usually bad advice with tripods... just go ahead and use them till you get caught and thrown out. Who cares? Sometimes, you can ask for permission, but I rarely bother because they'll probably say no.
I could not use my tripod at all inside the proper part of the museum, but this entrance area had a wee bit more freedom 9at least, until I was caught!).
Trey's Tip. If there is interesting geometry, have fun using a wide-angle lens to warp it in an artistic manner. Pull those corners into sharp angles that make sense and keep the eye flowing in a predictable pattern.
Tags: France Paris stuckincustoms treyratcliff
This is a delightful outdoor curio market I found on the way to the Conciergerie. I took some of these wide-angle shots, but also got in close with my 50mm prime to see some of the details. I ended up buying a bunch of little things... not because I needed anything, but just because of the variety. I felt compelled to find something... and it was nice not seeing the typical touristy stuff.
Trey's Tip: This is a busy shot. There's no doubt about it. I don't usually go for these, but, in this case, the shot is about the business and the details. It's not about any one particular thing -- more about the chaos and brownian motion of the shoppe.
Tags: stuckincustoms treyratcliff
It's great fun to take photos inside these huge cathedrals. There are so many angles and places of interest. This is a good area to come to later in the day when a lot of worshippers have already purchased and placed a load of votives.
Trey's Tip: Getting details in the middle of a landscape is kind of a fun challenge. If you have all your shots with everything at infinity, then they can become a bit predictable. If you can fill the bottom third of the photo with something close, it can give a bit more of a 3D feel to the final photo.
Tags: stuckincustoms treyratcliff