How to take photos in Paris ?

[GitteK]

I was inspired to start this thread, because I sent a photo to our specialist randy, who (as the devoted professional the he should be) promptly returned with a super-duper piece of advice.

Randy had written in his who's-who profile that he collects old pocket watches, so I thought I would share this pic from Chartres, showing these cute glass domes in which you can hang up the watch and in this way have them on display !!

So....... here's the pic:



Yes, there is definitely something wrong with it !! Not only can you spot a parked car but also yours truly. This is randy's pro advice:

>>>When you are taking a photo with a window or mirror in it, you can eliminate most or all of the reflections if you shoot it at a 45 degree angle rather than head on.<<<
Now who would have guessed that ?! Merci, randy - you take it from here !!

[Happygoin]

What a great thing to know! I'm the worst picture-taker in the world, so anything that will help is appreciated. Thanks (to both of you

~now I just have to figure out that 45 degree angle thing ~

[sandy]

And of course you have to remember to disable the flash!

[Darcy]

Yes, how many times have you seen a reflection of the photographer in the bathroom photos of Paris apt rental ads!

Hey!! This is my 100th post!! ;D

[luvparee]

I took a picture last year of the silver balls over the fountain in the garden of the Palais Royal. However, when developed, I could see myself in the silver balls taking a picture of the silver balls!! However, it was actually kind of a fun picture!

I was taking pictures of the art in D'Orsay on one of my trips to Paris and, not knowing Randy's advice, took the photograph directly onto the picture! Of course, I had a big white splotch of flash in the middle of each photograph! Duh!!!!!!! However, now I know.

[ladyjicky]

I am typing on a 45 degree angle and will do so with the camera! Thankyou

[rssilverandlight]

Hi Gitte,

You are something else. What a great thread. Sure, I would be
glad to comment on photographs and share some tips with
everybody. And I will be happy to send anyone my recent
photographs of Paris (no, not all 300, I have paired them down
to 42). Might give people some ideas.I always appreciate comments. my email address is: [e-mail]

In addition to the 45 degree angle to get rid of most reflections,
another aid is to stand farther back and zoom in on your subject.
That can help you get out of the reflection because a telephoto
lens has a narrower angle of view.

Look forward to your interests, photos and questions.

[Sarastro]

Randy

Could you post one of your photos here. Just a sampling so the picture-taking illiterate can enjoy them as well.

[GitteK]

Sarastro - convince yourself of Master randy's extraordinary skills on
www.rssilverandlight.com

[rssilverandlight]

Hi Sandy -

You don't need to disable your flash. By shooting at a 45 degree angle, the flash bounces off at a 45 degree angle on the other side and not back into your camera and ruining the image.

[rssilverandlight]

Hi Sarastro -

I can't post images directly but as gitte said, you can go to my
website: rssilverandlight.com and find 18 B&W Infrared images
that will be included in my upcoming book.

Also, if you will email me your email address I will send
you 30+ color images that I took last month in Paris.

My email address is: [e-mail]

[rssilverandlight]

AnnetteCinCa commented on a image of mine that I took last month
in Paris. It was taken from high up on the dome of the Pantheon; I
lined up 4 churches and they appear very close to one another
although they are quite far apart.

These days, when I travel, my primary lens is a Nikon 18-200mm
zoom lens with image stabilization.

When you use your zoom lens on the telephoto end, it compresses
space thereby creating this effect.

It's frame #225. Send me your email address and I will email you
the group of images. My email is [e-mail]

[annettecinca]

Oooohhhh, so that's how you did it! Very cool effect. I should invest in a camera that allows me to change lenses. Maybe one day

[rssilverandlight]

Good Morning Annette -

Do not fret. You should be able to do the shot that compresses the
space by zooming out to your telephoto on your smaller camera.
Give it a try and let me know.

[annettecinca]

Okay, I'll try that. Maybe I can attempt the same shot from atop the Pantheon in a few weeks and I'll post it for you to see I'm thinking that with my camera I could zoom in somewhat to see Sacre Couer up closer, but I bet the closer churches would be cut out of the shot. I'll experiment!

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

Annette - I saw someplace (don't recall where) that the Pantheon dome is not open in winter months, so you might want to check web sites, etc., before making a special trip just for that (although it's not far from Luxembourg - just a few blocks - so not really out of the way).

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

Gitte - you also will want to look for something with an easy way to transfer the photos to your computer (either a removable card that pops into a reader, or a USB cable, or something like that). I had an early digital that was anything but user friendly on that score! You also will want something that has removable and rechargeable batteries (so you can always have an extra battery charged and waiting in a purse or pocket, along with an extra memory card, in case you underestimate how much you will use in a day).

[cybee]

Gittek,

Clearly I am NO RandySilver, but I did know that before my trip of a life time to Paris which I hope to repeat fairly soon ..I had to get the perfect (for me) camera! That meant light weight (walking all day..don't need to have some bulky item to worry about), slim/compact and EASY (point and shoot) (see a good shot..don't waste time!) and good imaging (higher pixels) (did enlarge some great pics for framingl!) and yes, not too expensive! Well, I came up with Canon powershoot SD550 (digital elph) which works GREAT for me and is most easy to transfer pics to computer!!!!!(ubs cord). It is 7.1 megapixels. I don't know how it compares to the ones you are looking at especially since that was almost two years ago...things may have changed...but I think you are on the right track in figuring things out for your entry to the digital world of picture taking! Good luck in finding that perfect camera! A good camera is great to have!

[rssilverandlight]

Between Gitte, Cybee and Becky -

You have really got things clicking (sorry).

Camera - Nikon, Canon or Sony in the smaller cameras. Best to check with Consumers Reports on the models for the features you want.

6+ megapixels, what you will use the camera for will determine the zoom range, USB cable to transfer images from the camera to the computer, 256, 512 or 1GB cards.

Batteries - Definitely 2 sets of rechargeable batteries and charger.

Viewfinder - If you want to take some really good photographs,
get a viewfinder, not just a monitor on the back of the camera.

Next ?

[rssilverandlight]

Neglected an important thing !!!!!!!

What you are looking for in a zoom lens in a small camera is
OPTICAL zoom. The more you can get of it the better the quality of your images.

The other is DIGITAL zoom. You want to avoid as much of it that
you can.

Sometimes you will see a combination like 10x zoom. If it's
7 optical and 3 digital you should live with it.

Just thought I'd mention it.