Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Paris: postcard shots and other clichés



There's a kind of inverted snobbery which I'm as guilty of as anyone, which says you shouldn't take the postcard pictures - why not buy the postcards if that's what you want? Yet there's a reason why those views are so well-known ('iconic' is another cliché too far, why do I beat myself up so?) 



It's a pleasure to capture Notre Dame from the river, where to all appearances she is solitary, uncluttered and serene,



or the arches of the other bridges receding  through those of the Pont Neuf.


The rotonde de la Villette  is less well known, but picture postcard handsome all the same, as are the gardens of the Palais Royal



There are other naff and outré things which are perhaps better avoided, but yet are difficult to resist, such as photographing cute urban bird life,


especially in conjunction with naked statuary



or one's own feet:


 Tom's and mine, weary and relaxing by the Palais Royal fountains. But then this does seem to me to encapsulate a happy memory, and Tom's Birkenstocks are downright cool.

We really would draw the line at selfie sticks though, which should be not only considered anti-social but also made universally illegal.

More anon.

11 comments:

jo(e) said...

I'm a fan of the postcard shots. And these ones are terrific.

Anonymous said...

Lovely photographs Lucy, predictably I especially like the wood pigeon :) I hope you had a nice time in Paris!

Catalyst said...

My envy knows no bounds.

Sabine said...

Aaaah effect. Every one of them.

Stella said...

It is almost impossible not to take a postcard shot, isn't it? Where did you stay?

the polish chick said...

i really should go there one of these days to add my own cliche shots to the virtual pile.

whatevs, as the youth say - you had a good time and took beautiful photos. it's not your fault it's been done before. after all, it's ALL been done before - either we weep with frustration, or do it again, with gusto!

Lucy said...

Thanks.

Jo(e)- looking at them now they all seem terribly wonky! But I dislike straightening, it's too 'lossy', and anyway, if you straighten one thing something else is out...

Chloe - heheh, he is quite a smart one. I was interested to see in those gardens woodpigeons and town pigeons mucking in and eating together, which seemed a bit unusual.

Catalyst - I know you're a sucker for Paree!

Sabine - it is a photogenic city, no doubt about it.

Stella - We stayed in an airbnb apartment just behind the Louvre. It was small and not terribly comfortable, though quite pretty in its way, but the price was OK and the location very handy for a number of things, including the boat trip we were going on, and there were a lot of good and handy places for food and drink around. I wouldn't stay up that end again, though, partly because it's pricey and a tourist trap (though you don't have to go far to get away from that), but also because I think we'd like to be a bit further up, Marais or St Paul or just over the other side maybe, or best of all Ile St Louis for the same money. Anyway, we just like the idea of trying different areas.

PC - I keep telling you to come and we'll meet you there! I don't really mind not always being terribly original, but even on this short trip I found lots of things I didn't know about at all, there's so much to discover, and only one lifetime (and one budget) to do it in!

Sheila said...

Oh, I love seeing these pictures. I remember so well my one visit to Paris, and it's fun to think I was right there where you were walking, sitting, watching birds.

And how I do agree with you about the selfie sticks. That is the strangest evidence of our very strange culture, isn't it? I didn't believe it when I first heard about them.

I'm not giving up on the idea that we may meet in France someday.....

Sheila said...

Happy anniversary!!! I just saw that in the earlier post. May much joy await you.

Fire Bird said...

I saw selfie sticks for sale in Leeds and didn't at once understand what on earth they were for... then light dawned disturbingly...

Lucy said...

Thanks girls, I think perhaps a grande expo blog meet-up in Paris may be called for...

I didn't know about selfie sticks till we got there, oddly Tom did and explained them to me, which is an unusual reversal of roles for us. One of the strange things about them is, at one time people travelling together used to take photos of each other, or ask a stranger to take a photo of them together, both of which were quite pleasant points of contact and co-operation, now one half of a couple is frequently to be seen loitering and thumb twiddling while the other one takes a lone selfie with the selfie-stick. The point of going anywhere now is no longer to experience things directly or even to enjoy being in the company of others, but solely to record oneself in isolation in the location by means of 'phone and selfie-stick and then to move on. Very sad. Happily they have been banned in a number of places.