ParisDailyPhoto

Save Our Soul

2009-07-16T00:05:00.001+02:00

I'm always fascinated by people who pass by a church, push the door and take some time to pray. What do they pray for, are they worried, sad, desperate? Do they just want to take a little break in their busy life? Anyway, I felt like taking this photo because of the chairs around this lady that look like an ocean. FYI, I took it in the same church, where I took this one in 2007, that is Eglise Saint Séverin.

Make war, then love!

2009-07-15T00:02:00.000+02:00

I remember that when I was young, I would not even think of watching the July 14 Champs Elysées march because I thought it was really tacky (and also because going to the army for a year was compulsory at that time which was not something I was looking forward to!) Now I'm older, I've performed my military service and I have a better appreciation of what all these men and women can do for us. So I have no problem watching the march, on the contrary! Worse, I even took the excuse of having to take photos for PDP to go to Les Invalides where a big PR event - after the march - to show the French how well protected they are. At the end I saw this couple (he's wearing the famous Polytechnique uniforme - Le Grand U) and thought they were cute. If you want more photos, check this little Animoto.

Le 14 juillet 2009

2009-07-14T00:02:00.006+02:00

I know you could accuse me of cheating as this is obviously not a photo taken during the 2009 Bastille day fireworks (I posted it on July 13 at midnight), but it's for a good cause! As some of you already mentioned it yesterday in the comments box, we're celebrating the 120th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower and for the occasion it will be possible to watch the Bastille Day fireworks live on the Net (starting at 10:45 pm local time - 8:45 GMT) ! The audience will also be able to upload photos, live from the Eiffel Tower area. Don't miss it, if you're around a computer @ 8:45 pm GMT (10:45 PM, Paris time), providing the site will bear the load!

Les soldes à Paris

2009-07-13T00:04:00.001+02:00

Good news: it's the summer soldes (sales) in Paris at the moment. I took this photo in Le Printemps which, despite the financial crisis was packed on Saturday. I have even better news: now the law has changed and instead of having only two strict periods of sales, there can now be either one more 2 week period or 2 one week periods throughout the year. BTW, are you ready to celebrate Bastille Day? It's tomorrow!

Le hasard fait bien les choses...

2009-07-12T00:07:00.001+02:00

Today was my first day of vacation and as I was meandering in the streets of my favorite city I came across a used book bookshop. These two titles made me laugh: One says "Les vacances (vacation) [probably "of something or someone] and the other one "Le jeu de la tentation (the game of temptation). That's all. You know, just a simple scene for a simple mind ;-). BTW: before you ask, if you haven't seen it "advertised" on Facebook(!) FYI, I stay 2 weeks in Paris before going away to the Lubéron, in the South of France.

The big ferris wheel is back

2009-07-11T00:07:00.002+02:00

Between the end of June and August, there is usually a small - very small - amusement park in the Jardin des Tuileries (on the Louvre side). Its main attraction is a huge Ferris Wheel, located on the Louvre side of the gardens. Last evening, on the way back from a house warming party of a friend I photographed it just at dusk. The sky was cloudy but still a little blue, it was really stunning. I'm not sure I managed to catch this scene exactly as I experienced it though.

L'Espérance

2009-07-10T00:33:00.004+02:00

If you happen to be in Paris these days (until the end of August) you have to stop by La Madeleine church. They currently have on display (all around the church) a few sculptures by Louis Derbré which are absolutely stunning. This one is called L'Espérance (hope), it is pretty tall and it's really beautiful.I must confess I did not know who Louis Derbré was, but I found out he used to "hang out" with Maillol and Rodin in the 60s, so no wonder he's talented! Have a look at some other photos I took there.

An Iceberg on the Seine

2009-07-09T00:02:00.005+02:00

You might have heard the story already... An iceberg was just found in Paris on the Seine, by the Eiffel tower! I went to check myself and here is the photo I came back with. This 16 meter (52 foot) high "thing" is not made of ice, but of plastic and is actually inflatable. It was installed yesterday morning by Greenpeace to draw the attention of President Sarkozy on climate change while the G8 summit is taking place (in Italy). I don't know if it will have much influence, but what I can tell you is that the media coverage was really remarkable. If you want to see other points of view, just click here.

Do I have Le Bac?

2009-07-08T00:10:00.001+02:00

Le Baccalaureat (more often called "Le Bac") is a very important exam in the life of a French person; without it, you cannot go to university. The 2009 results were this morning and I happened to pass by a Lycée (high- school) at ten, right when they opened the doors. I could not help but stop and take a photo (which, of course, is forbidden - the principal made that clear to me!). It reminded me of my own Bac which put a smile on my face... Let me congratulate the 622 322 students that took the Bac this year, of which 487 900 succeeded (78,4%)!

Visit the Champs Elysées right now!

2009-07-07T00:08:00.001+02:00

Last evening I went to the Champs Elysées especially for you to take this street plate. The reason why is that yesterday (Monday) I received a press release announcing the opening of a new 360° photo site that allows you to visit the most famous street of Paris "without having the burden" of taking the plane to come here! Click here and try it. It's fun.

Paris, such a green city!

2009-07-06T00:08:00.000+02:00

Paris is said to be much less green than other big European cities like London or Berlin, but trees and grass do manage to make their way through concrete! And more precisely, according to Wikipedia, we have 450 "green spots" including: 2 woods (almost 20% of Paris surface), 16 parks, 137 gardens, 274 squares, plus a few walkways and other miscellaneous surfaces. I took this photo at La Pelouse de Reuilly, in the 12th arrondissement (and no, before you ask, I did not photoshop the green!)

Paris, really?

2009-07-05T00:08:00.001+02:00

I could have taken this photo in a little village somewhere down in the South of France or in Italy, but no, I took it in the middle of Paris, in the 2nd arrondissement right after they cleaned the street. I'm not 100% happy with it - it would have looked better if the two ladies where more in the middle of the street - but I like it globally. That is also what I love with Paris: you can find yourself in a very modern area then walk down a few blocks and go back in time a few centuries!

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-04T00:02:00.003+02:00

I know I have a lot of American visitors and since today is the 4th of July I thought I would celebrate with a very French American citizen: David Lebovitz. David left the Bay area in 2002 to settle down in Paris and live off his precious art: making des[s]ert (and teaching people how to make them). I see him very rarely but last weekend I caught him in the middle of a book signing (his latest: the sweet life in Paris) at La Cocotte, a bookshop specializing in food. Do pay a visit to David's blog if you're into food and are looking for tips about eating out in Paris. And once again: happy 4th of July to my American visitors ;-)

Resting in Les Tuileries

2009-07-03T01:03:00.005+02:00

I went to Les Tuileries Gardens last night for a professional event that took place in what they call "L'orangerie éphémère" (The temporary orangerie). I did not find anything interesting to photograph there, but on the way out, I felt like taking [a photo of!] these two ladies, having some rest by the pond after a hot day (you can see the storm coming up in the sky). FYI, les Tuilerie gardens are said to be the first public gardens in Paris. Apparently it was Louis the XIVth, after he commissioned famous gardener André Le Notre to design them, who decided that Parisians would be granted to right to walk through them every year on June 24!

Photo exercise

2009-07-02T00:02:00.022+02:00

It may come as a surprise to some of you but I know nothing about the basics of photography. I always use the automatic settings, I "cheat" when I need it (for instance to obtain a blurry effect in the background) and I use Photoshop from time to time to fix my mistakes... Yes, that is the naked truth! But wait... Don't give up on me. Today I took my first photo lesson with these people and this photographer in particular (who happens to have worked with the 6 billion others project with Yann Artus Bertrand - remember this photo?). We went to the Palais Royal gardens, I took a lot of shots, but I finally kept this one. Now I know everything about field depth (see the result in the making of)! Update: this photo has been featured on Sportedbylocals.

If the sky was empty ?

2009-07-01T00:18:00.003+02:00

Today is the 1st of the month and, as usual, it's a theme day. Today's theme is: "Empty". I must say I had a lack of inspiration... And then I thought of a song by Alain Souchon - a French singer - who sang a few years ago a song called "Et si en plus y a personne!" in which the lyrics would go "If the sky was empty?". So let me offer you an - almost empty - Paris sky. That's all ;) Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Paris Gay Pride 2009

2009-06-30T00:04:00.003+02:00

Last weekend was really busy. After the group moonwalk that I posted yesterday, I rushed to Bastille, to reach the end of the 2009 Paris Gay Pride. It was not very different from last year of course, only this time I've tried to get a broader view, in order to get a Paris monument in the picture... Here you go! This big dome in the background belongs to the Pantheon and it's located 1,25 mile away from where I took the photo (yes, it was a clear day!). Like always I took a zillion photos. Have a look at this little Animoto if you want to see them.

Group Moonwalk in Paris

2009-06-29T00:08:00.000+02:00

Michael Jackson must be happy if he sees what turmoil his death did to the world! There were several celebrations given in his honor last weekend in Paris including two "giant moonwalks". I went to one of them, rue Oberkampf, in the 11th and it was quite fun to see the happy faces. I took many photos of course, but I chose this one in the end. If you miss the motion, have a look at the videos taken by the zillion spectators! [Sorry for the late posting, I made a mistake setting the post date!]

Where is Amir?

2009-06-28T03:11:00.002+02:00

Today is not the first day of the month and though the City Daily Photo bloggers have arranged a "sub theme day" to support Amir, the owner of a daily photo blog from Tehran called Tehranlive.org, who has been reported missing - well at least who stopped blogging - since June 17, 2009. We are all concerned about his situation and we want him back! More in this forum, and, like for all theme days click here to view thumbnails for all participants. [update] Amir is safe and sound with his family, as reported on Oeirasdailyphoto.

Paris, the city of Music

2009-06-27T00:04:00.003+02:00

I spent the evening listening to American hit songs... You think I remained glued to my TV, watching all of the Michael Jackson tributes don't you?! All wrong. I went to a show called, "Trois Américains à Paris", starring 3 excellent performers. They sang all the classics (The Sound of music, Cabaret, Singin'in the Rain, An American in Paris, That's Entertainment, Yentl...). I had a very nice time. It was the last performance, so, even if you're in Paris now, you won't be able to see it (not to mention that if you're in Paris, you probably don't want to listen to American songs!). However, if you want to listen to music in Paris at the moment check Les Musicals, a festival that is currently taking place in Paris (have a look at what they did at Sacré Coeur for their opening).

Somewhere in Le Sentier

2009-06-26T00:53:00.000+02:00

I told you already how I think the 2nd arrondissement - and more precisely the area we call Le Sentier - will be the new up and coming area of Paris. Well, for the time being, the buildings - and some of the people! - are pretty old and need renewal (what the town hall is currently trying to promote actually). You still have old lanterns, like the ones that were used at the time of gas.

Eglise Saint Séverin

2009-06-25T00:03:00.001+02:00

I was at a product launch party last night and I thought the place was going to be nice enough to make a decent photo. In fact there was nothing interesting about it... So instead let me show you the back of the cloister of Eglise Saint-Séverin, a church that you can find in the Latin Quarter, in front of which I pass every morning on my way to work. It's a beautiful place, that you must visit if you're in the neighborhood

Typical Paris Skyline

2009-06-24T00:45:00.001+02:00

Last evening I helped a friend to pack a few things before his removal. He lives by the Square des Epinettes, a public garden located in the 17th arrondissement. When I saw the view he can enjoy from his apartment (he lives on the last floor of a 7 story building) I grabbed my camera and shot! As you can see all these buildings have different shapes and sizes and their facades are much more simple than Haussmanian style buildings that were built after these ones.

Champs de mars

2009-06-23T00:05:00.002+02:00

I passed by the Champs de Mars today. The weather was so beautiful that I had to stop! When I saw this kid on the scooter, I thought it would be perfect to have him in the foreground while the Eiffel tower would be in the back. I rushed, took several photos and finally selected this one because of the composition, the colors and the fact that he does not face the camera. The monument you can see in between the Eiffel Tower and him is the Peace Wall that I already mentioned in 2005.

Fête de la musique 2009

2009-06-22T00:13:00.002+02:00

I'm just back from Nice but I managed to offer you a photo of La fête de la musique (the Feast of Music) in Paris! I took it on place du Châtelet, one of the many locations where music is celebrated throughout France. The French are pretty proud to have "invented" - in 1982 - this feast which now takes place in about 120 countries throughout the world! This year's theme was "50 years of French songs". If you are into French songs and can read French, then you will have hours of fun on the exceptionally comprehensive website that the Culture Ministry made especially for the occasion. Here, for instance, you can listen and/or download the scores of 5 memorable tunes. And here you can take a quiz. I did - the simplest - and I only got 75%! Shame on me...