This was my first solo sightseeing trip in Paris and I still remember most of it.
Shot with Canon 10D + EF 24-70 mm f/2.8L: 27mm, f/8, 1/320s, ISO 100.
See a photo of Notre-Dame that I took in 2015 →
I had another trip to Paris in 2006. I specifically wanted to get some night shots of the Arc de Triomphe. Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring my tripod with me, so I shot handheld, which didn’t do me any favours. I really need to go there properly prepared one day.
Shot with Canon 10D + EF 16-35 mm f/2.8L: 16mm, f/2.8, 1/4s, ISO 100.
This was my first solo sightseeing trip in Paris and I still remember most of it.
Shot with Canon 10D + EF 24-70 mm f/2.8L: 27mm, f/8, 1/320s, ISO 100.
See a photo of Notre-Dame that I took in 2015 →
I stayed in a small hotel in a tiny village not far from Le Mont Saint-Michel during my 2010 trip. On the second or third evening of my stay, I took an alternate route on the way down to the castle and stumbled upon this beautiful mill.
Shot with Nikon D700 + Zeiss ZF 100 mm f/2 Makro-Planer T*: f/2, 1/1000 s, ISO 200.
The trip to Mont Saint-Michel from Paris took longer than I expected — I planned to arrive an hour or so before sunset, to get some shots before checking into my hotel. Unfortunately, traffic was horrible and I was two hours late but had no complaints — the view was breathtaking.
Shot with Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50 mm f/1.4G: f/8, 15 s, ISO 200.
See Mont Saint-Michel at sunrise→
Psu:
A long time ago my friend Eric asked me what to do in Paris. Since I live to serve I wrote a web page for him that contained some humble suggestions. Over the years whenever anyone asks me what to do in Paris I trot out that page, because we always do the same things.
Recently this happened again, when my friend Lesley asked for a list of things to do. So I went and looked at the old list, but found that it’s not quite what I would write now. Paris is not (quite) hermetically sealed in a glass bottle, so things come and go and stuff changes. Therefore, the old list now has some mistakes on it, so it’s time to do it over again.
The general ground rules still apply though. I am not much of a tourist. My idea of a good time on a trip is to eat a lot, walk around and stare at the natives, and take pictures of buildings when the light gets good. This list reflects this bias. Most of the major monuments are not here. Hopefully there are a few out of the way places that you might not have found on your own.
A more than decent guide, including where to stop to eat.
I have been lucky enough to visit Paris many times in my life, but I never had the opportunity to capture the Eiffel Tower at sunset. The sky on that day was strangely amazing and definitely not a typical sunset.
Shot with Fuji X100T: f/8, 1/25, ISO 200.