01.15.09
Follow the Photographer
I have always loved taking photos of Paris. Photography offers the opportunity of having a snapshot of a memory or the ambiance of an area that is lasting. Often, I find myself aiming for the usual photo, the perfectly centered facade of a famous monument.
On my most recent visit, I discovered a secret. Frantically squeezed between streams of traffic to my right and left, I snapped shots of the Arc de Triomphe with the trees on the Champs-Élysées lit with holiday lights. Soon I noticed a man poised and calm with his tripod taking numerous pictures. Most of my shots came out blurry - but not his. He sympathetically offered to send me some of his photos. His angle and his tripod had made the difference. Voilà! The secret - follow the professional!
Several days later, we were wandering around the Latin Quarter as the sun was setting. On a small side street, I noticed another professional photographer setting up for a shoot. I turned to see what he had in view. He was aiming for a shot of the Panthéon and Saint-Étienne-du-Mont in an eerie light. I began snapping a number of photos from a similar angle. When I e-mailed one of the photos to my children, the first response was, “Wow, Mom, that one looks professional.” “Oh, it was nothing,” I thought, “just following a photographer around Paris.”