Paris photography guide

In the previous part of this article, I gave some hints about the most interesting time to go to Paris and the recommended equipment. Now it is time to explore some of the photo opportunities this city offers.

• When to go?
• What gear to take?

When to go?

Nice day

A difficult question to answer as every season has its advantages and drawbacks. Here is what I can think of.

• Spring
  This is probably the nicest season to be in Paris. The days are getting longer and (usually) warmer, people go out more and there are festivals in May or late June (see below for more details). But be careful. Although 2003 has had an exceptionnally warm and dry Spring, it can be cold and rainy for weeks in April or May.
• Summer
  An interesting season for many reasons. First, the weather is supposed to be fine. Again, this is not always the case. 2001 and 2002 have been wet and cold from the beginning of July to August. On the other hand, Paris can be very hot with temperatures above 30°C (85°F), making it a pain to move around (public transportation does not have air conditioning). After a few days of heat without wind, there is generally a pollution haze above the city.
  Days are still quite long in summer, which will give you more time to shoot and there might be thunderstorms, which bring interesting lighting.
  Summer is also interesting because Paris gradually gets quieter as parisians go on holiday. Mid to end of August is a time of reduced activity and empty streets.
• Autumn
  People come back from holidays in the first week of September, and things get very busy compared to August. If you wish to try your luck with the weather, do so in September or October. In November, it generally gets quite cold, the trees have lost their leaves and days are really short.
• Winter
  Winter can be interesting for the photographer. The days are short, but if you have a tripod, you won't have to wait for long to shoot night scenes, including the Christmas decorations which can be impressive, especially on the Champs Elysées. Snow is very uncommon in Paris and does not last for long, but we did have some in January 2003. January is the coldest month and things usually get better with some sunny days in the beginning of February.

What gear to take?

This is my advice for a small format SLR setup suitable for Paris. Hopefully, it will also prove useful to medium format or point and shoot users.

Abandonned

• Wide angles
  As I started to shoot in Paris, I soon found that 28mm was a bit tight to my needs. Maybe I like strange perspectives too much... Anyway, I would advice to take a lens at least that wide, preferably wider. A wide angle zoom will be very handy with a non-full frame DSLR (crop factor of 1.5 or 1.6).
  Keep in mind you will not always be able to compose the way you want, so avoid having large 'focal gaps' in your wide angles.
  If you can afford it and have a tripod, a tilt shift wide angle can probably be fine to reduce the perspective distorsion (I wish I had one).
• Long focals
  I use these less often but can be interesting to isolate interesting things or capture architecture details. Do not overburden yourself with a 300mm + lens. Unless you want to shoot the gargouilles of Notre Dame or sculptures on the Louvre or the Opera, you will generally not need to go that long.
• Keeping the backpack light
  If you head to Paris with photography in mind, be prepared to walk a lot. Many photo opportunities will not be just out of the metro. Packing light is therefore important.
  When I go out shooting, I take the following gear with me:
  - 20mm or 17-40mm lens
  - 50mm lens
  - 70-200mm lens (Canon f/4 version, which is only 1.5 pounds)
  - Digital or film camera
  - CF card / batteries or two rolls of slide film.
  All of this fits in a small backpack
  I sometimes even go out with only a film camera and a 28-135mm lens, which covers most of my needs.
  If I plan to shoot at night, I also take a tripod, cable release and bubble level.