Slickrock and Shadow

Lamp Posts at the Louvre Paris is at night is a fantastic experience.  The monuments all take on more splendor and you feel like your are in a magical place.  A photographer could spend many nights visiting great locations.  I couldn't see them all during my stay but did manage some visits.  My favorite are posted here:  Place de la Concorde, Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre were all wonderful.  A tripod is required for these long-exposure shots.  I brought my carry-along-size Gitzo traveler tripod.  This is a marvelous tool. Some individual comments for specific locations: Arc de Triomphe:  those photos of blurred car circling the arc are not typical.  You need LOTS of traffic for that, much more than on a typical Paris evening.  I liked getting under the arc and shooting up. Place de la Concorde:  the fountain waters turn on and off every few minutes.  If they are not on, wait a few minutes and they will light u...

Chairs and Fountain from Palais Royale, Paris Black and white photo processing is still used today and will always be used because there are certain advantages to removing color.  Removing the color from a photograph eliminates color distraction.  For example, in portrait photography the person is the main subject, not their clothing.  Often someone's clothing is a distraction from the person themselves.  It may be bright or have a pattern.  Black and white processing eliminates or minimizes that. When I process a photo, I'm ask myself whether color adds to the photograph or distracts from my message.  Every photograph tells a story.  The story should not have too many loose ends.  It should get to the point without confusion. Tuileries Garden Statue, Paris In these 2 pictures from Paris, I feel that black and white processing helps focus on the actual shape, structure and form of the subject.  In the first picture, it i...