Category: documentary

Birdman

Back from my travels. Over the next week or so, I’ll be posting snapshots from my travels in New York and Chicago. This was a trip to catch up with friends and family and take care of NY personal business. So it was extremely fulfilling in those areas, not so productive on the photography front.

57th St and Broadway, New York

My current ethics of photography do not really include taking shots of people in the street without their consent and/or collaboration. In this case, I crouched down in front of him so he knew I was there and tourists were clearly photographing him with their phones from bad vantage points, and he was not complaining so I took it he was tacitly consenting. I will probably post a few other street shots over the coming days from this trip that contravene this personal rule of mine, where, for one reason or another, I felt taking the shot was validated in some way – we shall see…

Mother Ludlum’s Cave

Mother Ludlum’s Cave, Moor Park, Farnham

I’ve already posted about Mother Ludlum’s cave on a past visit but this time we brought along our US visitors. It’s actually pretty difficult to get a good single picture that captures the exterior of the cave, the gate, and gives a sense of the interior. Here’s another stab at it.

Leaving Paris

Gare du Nord, Paris

We took a bus from the area of our hotel to the Gare du Nord to catch the EuroStar back to London. Click any of the images below to see them full-sized (you may need to click the post title first if you’re viewing this in an email or on social media).

La Petite Ceinture

La Petite Ceinture, Paris

We also walked the length of La Petite Ceinture, a disused ancient railway line that has been transformed into a park. I had been hoping that it would be a little like the High Line in NY, affording me elevated views of the surrounding area but it was really the opposite, sunken and surrounded by tall trees, dark and lovely. Click any of the pictures below to enlarge them all.

Erwitt

Musée Maillol, Paris

We went on from the Musée d’Orsay for a coffee and then the Musée Maillol which had a very comprehensive and nicely curated (and lighted!) retrospective of Elliot Erwitt, integrated loosely with some of the Maillol work. I’m not sure if it was an homage to Erwitt, but the path of the exhibition was directed with dog-paw prints throughout. The museum was not too crowded and everyone seemed to speak French, which was a relief. The audio guides were in French only, another positive, un-touristy sign. Click on the images below to see them enlarged.

Musée d’Orsay

When we finally emerged from the Musée d’Orsay, the crowd waiting to get in had swelled. And there was a queue snaking its way down the stairs and out to the street below. As much as I enjoyed it, it was a relief to leave the crowds of tourists behind.

Musée d’Orsay, continued

Once again, I focused my lens more on the architecture, the geometry, the sub-text of this hallowed space. Click any of the pictures below to see them full-sized.

Musée d’Orsay

Musée d’Orsay, Paris

This was the queue we were asked to join for people who had tickets for the same time as our tickets. My tourist foreboding was rising. It was only about a 10-minute wait as they regulated how many people could squeeze through the revolving door at a time. Inside we started at the top with the ever popular Impressionists. It was wall to wall people and almost impossible to look at the paintings. One young woman had fainted and was lying on the floor with her family insisting she was fine. We quickly escaped to less crowded floors. Click any image below to see them bigger.

Walk to the Musée d’Orsay

Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor, Paris

Our first full day we walked through the Tuileries Garden and over the Seine to the Musée d’Orsay which I had purchased timed tickets for a month in advance. Click any of the pictures below to see them all larger.