Goodbye Christmas

As I was walking down some busy upscale shopping street in Paris, I can across this forlorn looking Christmas tree. This in my opinion was calling for a black & white image. The idea of the tree being barred from entering the passageway would have been probably far weaker in colour.

I processed the raw file in Lightroom 5.3. Just a little contrast here and there, some very light darkening at the base of the tree, some overall 'clarity' as they call it.

I like the result. But do you ? Please let me know ?

 

 

Petite Ceinture

Last Sunday a led a small group of keen photographers on a tour of the old Petite Ceinture (Little Belt)

The public have access to two sections. On the South side of the 15th arrondissement of Paris and on the West side of the 16th arrondissement.

The first section was more freight oriented whereas the second one saw much more passenger traffic. The respective dates when passenger trains stopped are an illustration : 1934 and 1985.

In the West, the tracks have vanished in favour of a nature path. The ground is soft soil - can be a little muddy on a rainy day. Over the path trees make a nice cover. The main part is below street level making it very quiet. It starts at Place de la Porte d'Auteuil where the old station still stands (turned into a sorry bar) and stops at the next former station 'La Muette' (also turned into a bar-restaurant). Approximately half distance entry is also possible.  

In the South, the tracks have been kept. But a gangway has been installed so walking is easy. This part of the line is elevated therefore providing a nice view on the district. You can access by steps from Place Balard or Rue de Vaugirard or again Rue Olivier de Serres. Lifts are also available at both ends making the visit possible for a larger public. The old Vaugirard station is a nice landmark awaiting some new use but making a good target for photographers.

 

As you can see here, I played with focus to create three images of the same place. I leave it to you to decide which one you prefer.

 

 

Rainy days

What to do with yourself on a rainy day ?

Well, you could visit the Paris Salon de la Photo which is now in the Porte de Versailles Parc des Expositions. The annual mass for photographers will let you try all the new products whether they are cameras, lenses, papers, monitors, programs... In principle you have to bay for the entrance but it is so easy to find a free coupon on internet.

Last day is Monday next, so hurry !

And take your own camera with you and try shooting a portrait of one nice lady of the staff. There are even models parading on some stands.

 

 

 

 

Forgotten vegetable

I recently had the pleasure to be introduced to a new (for me) place. This smallish restaurant offers only two main courses every day. So no lengthy menu filled with deep frozen prefab dishes here.

And they favour forgotten or out of fashion vegetables which I find a very good idea.

I had a kind of sausage which happened to be very tasty with turnips and green peppers. The combination was just perfect. The picture above does not convey the tastes but just looking at it makes me hungry.

The red wine on offer (Savoie) was very drinkable. And the dessert simple and in line with the rest.

Service was friendly but had no time for a chat.

That was provided by the two very pleasant people I had lunch with...

I hear that in the evening 'Aux deux amis' turns into a tapas bar. That would be worth a try I am sure.

High anxiety

This morning I woke up when some crazy guys starting hammering.

When I looked at the dull gray morning I could see something out of the usual.

One no two persons were walking on that huge crane. I could not resist trying to document this event.

So I grabbed one of my cameras (Canon Eos 5D Mk III with its 135mm f: 2.0 lens) and started shooting. This one came out so good I could crop it

and re-crop it therefore getting an enlarged picture.

You could offer me 10 zillions of any currency, I would never ever do such a thing.