Looking at Light

I've been blogging less lately. I've been busy which is good, busy is definitely good. It's not as if I've stopped taking photographs, I take hundreds of them, my computer hard drive is weighed down with photo megabytes. Taking photos keeps me centred, makes me happy, keeps me looking at the world in a different way, seeing details I might otherwise miss. 

Like this. Winter lace, lace curtains.

And this. A horse's shadow, up by the Sacré Coeur.

Spring is most definitely here, the light in the mornings has changed. A few weeks ago I took this photo early in the morning.

The other day, at about the same time, I took this photo from the same spot. 

Before developing this passion for taking photos I don't think I appreciated the way the light changes at different times of day and throughout the year. Early morning light at this time of year is beautiful, bright, crisp and full of hope.

Rue l'Abreuvoir.

Allée de Brouillards.

Rue Saint Vincent.

Soon there will be leaves on this tree and the Eiffel Tower will be no longer be visible from this point. In the mean time, I'll enjoy the view of La Grande Dame, and take more photos!

I have an Instagram account here where I post photos daily.

I also have a Facebook page - bbonthebrink - if you fancy taking a look, the link is here.

Pylon Sunset

Our holidays in the south of France in Arles are sadly over. Though coming back to Paris certainly softens the blow, there are worse places to come home to! 

As we approached Paris this evening we were treated to an incredible sunset. Here are a few photos I took from the car. Considering that we were moving at 130km/hour, I think they came out ok.

Bonsoir!

Magical Monday - Scribbling With Light

The M25 motorway, by night.

You can see more Light Scribbles on my Flickr account here (thumbnails) and here (slideshow)

Every Monday, Magical Monday, I post a photo that is hopefully puzzling, fantastical or unexpected.
More photos from the Magical Mondays series can be found here.

Magical Monday - Alien Lamppost

This Alien Lamppost in the Jardin des Tuileries was definitely eyeballing me.


Every Monday, Magical Monday, I post a photo that is hopefully puzzling, fantastical or unexpected.

More photos from the Magical Mondays series can be found here.

Lyrical Lampposts

Last week when I walked through the Jardin des Tuileries on the way home from work I was blown away by the beautiful light as the sun was setting. I took these photos, 'Twilight in the Tuileries' as I approached the Place de Concorde, Paris at it's photogenic best.

However it when I first entered the Cour Carrée du Louvre that I got to see something extra special. I walked along the south wing of the Louvre, the sky was an orange bronze, and despite it still being quite light, the street lamps were lit up. The combination of natural and artificial light were truly magical. 

The lights turned on the moment I passed through into the Cour. Here they were still 'off'

Moments later they were on.

It quickly got darker. Here I was looking toward Place de la Concorde, la Grande Roue in the distance.




Then I saw the Eiffel Tower and a lamppost standing side by side. Definitely Paris.


For a post with a range of quite extravagant Paris Lampposts click here...or Paris lampposts are not banal.

Twilight in the Tuileries

Oh Paris, you spoilt me this evening. Merci.

Magical Moulin Rouge

The Moulin Rouge, built in the same year as the Eiffel Tower (1989), is a cabaret club on Place Blanche in Montmartre. We live about five minutes walk from the Moulin Rouge and I confess that I've never been to a show there! I'm spoilt and have the luxury of being able to say 'we can always go tomorrow'.

In 1915 the Moulin Rouge was destroyed by a fire and only reopened six years later in 1921. If you emerge from Blanche metro station today, one of the first things you will see is the red windmill, perched on top of the cabaret club.

I tend to pass the Moulin Rouge without paying too much attention. I'm usually on my way home from somewhere and cast it a nonchalant glance. If I'm with the kids they often insist that we stop so they can have a little 'session' standing above the metro vent on place Blanche just in front of the Moulin Rouge. Like so.

However, armed with my new camera, which takes wonderful pictures in low light, I wanted to have a go at capturing some photos of the red windmill looking magical.

Et voila, at dusk.

After dark.



As my new camera allows me to control the shutter speed I also wanted to get some blurred images of the rotating blades. Here is a photo taken with a one second shutter speed.

And here we have a three second shutter speed.


Zooming in.


Weeeeeeeee!

A morning tinged with light

Slowly slowly the sun is rising a little earlier every day. Today as I walked with my daughter down to the junction where she meets her friend to continue the second half of her school run, I looked up at the sky and saw this. A beautiful inky blue sky, a pale glow of hope on the horizon. 

After dropping her off I walked up rue Lepic to enjoy the early rain-free morning. Something I haven't had the pleasure of for a while!

Looking down rue Tholozé from rue Lepic I got a view of Paris.


Looking north I saw le Moulin Blute-fin, its' sails silhoutted against the blue sky. Lampposts looking like hanging lanterns in the dark.

I always get confused while trying to gather information about the Montmartre windmills on Rue lepic. It seems that what we refer to as Le Moulin de la Galette is actually TWO windmills, le Moulin Blute-fin, and le Moulin Radet (which now houses a restaurant called Le Moulin de la Galette). It was in 1870 that le Moulin Blute-fin and its' gardens housed the famous dancing hall/guinguette Le Moulin de la Galette. This guinguette, was painted by many of the impressionist artists, notably Renoir who painted the very well know tableau 'La Bal du Moulin de la Galette'.

As I got further up the hill I saw the Sacré Coeur peeking out over the roof tops.


At 8h00 on the dot the street lights went out.

Sunrise in Paris

The winter solstice is behind us and the days are getting longer again. Dieu merci! One payback of the dark mornings is that I sometimes get to see the sunrise in Paris. I'm unlikely to catch it in the summer months after all. The chances of me being up on La Butte at 5h30 are slim to say the least. 

I love to walk up the back of the hill towards Parc Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet Dit Parc de la Turlure (a park just north/east of the Sacré Coeur at the corner of rue de la Bonne et du Chevalier de la Barre). This park was created in 1998 and was apparently the site of a former windmill called the Moulin de Turlure functioning between 1770 and 1820.

If I time it right, and the weather is good I see this as I enter the park.


And then this.

I love the way the Sacré Coeur changes colour depending on the weather and light. Here she, a warm pink.

Walking round the to the front of the Sacré Coeur I see the sun through the trees.


And then through a lamppost...to clarify, this lamppost is not on, the glow is the sun's work.

Looking back I was surprised to see the usually grey white stone of the Sacré Coeur glowing a warm orange.

Right, time for coffee, see you later!

Magical Monday - Heavenly Light

MM: week 17
Heavenly Light

Every December we pull out our 'Christmas tree' from the loft, dust it down and hang it from the ceiling. It's made of plastic, but looks quite realistic and sheds needles just like a real tree....ahem. Once the fairy lights are in place we have instant magic.

A while back I wrote in more detail about the hidden bonuses of our polycarbonate walls.



Every Monday, Magical Monday, I post a photo that is hopefully puzzling, fantastical or unexpected.

More photos from the Magical Mondays series can be found here.

Good Morning City of Light!

A slight detour post school run brought me this. I am one lucky woman!

Magical Monday - The Eiffel Tower meets distortion

MM: week 7
The Eiffel Tower meets distortion

Every Monday, Magical Monday, I post a photo that is hopefully puzzling, fantastical or unexpected. No Photoshop allowed!

More photos from the Magical Mondays series can be found here.

Magical Monday - The Eiffel Tower glows in the night

MM: Week 3
The Eiffel Tower glows in the night

Every Monday, Magical Monday, I post a photo that is hopefully puzzling, fantastical and unexpected. No Photoshop allowed!

More photos from the Magical Mondays series can be found here

Happy New year et Bonne Année 2011-2012

Photograph taken in the Palais Royal, Paris

Palais Royal at nightfall

Yesterday the kids and I headed down towards Opera to go to the bank. Oh yes, I know how to spoil the small people round here. Who needs Disneyland when you have a banks?! The plan was to go roller blading in the beautiful square at Palais Royal afterwards. Of course we got to the bank three minutes after it had 'exceptionnellement' shut early and by this time it was drizzling. Great.

Not to be thwarted and not wanting to feel we'd completely wasted out outing I suggested we go to the Palais Royal anyway and see how we felt. The courtyard of the Palais Royal is called the Cour d'Honneur. It is dominated by 280 black and white striped columns of varying heights, an art installation conceived by the artist Daniel Buren in 1986. I think it's pure genius. 

We got there as it was getting dark, the ground was wet. The light and the reflections were amazing.

Gradually it got darker.





And darker.



Until I could no longer focus.


The kids had a ball.


!HAPPY NEW YEAR! - !BONNE ANNEE!