Thursday, August 12, 2010

Night Photography in Paris

Paris Cinema in the Rain. Photograph by Tim Irving
Cinema Reflections - Tim Irving

The rain is the photographer's friend, especially at night!
I didn't go to Paris with the intention of walking the streets at night, in the rain, but that's what I did on my first night.

I was drawn to the neon cinema signs in the residential streets away from the city centre. The French love their movies and in one area of the Latin Quarter I found three beautiful small cinemas on three parallel streets, no more than 100 metres from each other. Very traditional and very French.

Night photography without a tripod isn't easy, but it's possible. It involves looking for somewhere or something to balance the camera on. This is where the rain helps, with reflections, like the one above where I balanced the camera on the roof of a car. And as I've said before, the rain keeps people off the streets which is a big help when you're using parked cars as tripods.

Paris in Pink. Photograph by Tim Irving

As you can see each cinema is an explosion of neon and each one appears to be unique and independent. Do other cities have cinemas like those in Paris? I can only think or 3 or 4 neon signs in London that would be worth photographing.

1 comment:

  1. Jewels. Worthy of the transition that entering a theater represents.

    What is it about night photos that make it easier to be drawn into the picture? I think it makes me feel as if I myself am cloaked in the dark and can therefore watch without being watched.

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