Choosing a photography workshop or even a half-day tour photography tour in October or November in Paris or the surrounding area is a great choice. Paris is magical all year but the beautiful trees along the banks of the Seine, in the parks, and along the many boulevards are so colourful at this time of year. There are so many photos you can take. There are artistic ones with the leaves falling, or in poor weather you can use the colourful trees as a back drop to light up your photos and when the sun shines it is just awesome!
The fall is perfect for black and white photography too. If it’s a dull day just pump up the contrast and the wonderful ancient architecture and many cafés will make a great backdrop to people huddled in winter clothes. I like walking around the Place des Vosges or in the Jardin de Luxembourg with the leaves of the trees turning yellow and orange and the people muffled up crossing the park, walking their dogs or strolling though the arches in hats and scarves. I took some nice pictures the other week which I posted on facebook.
I took someone on a photography tour around area the Eiffel Tower the other day who took dozens of shots of the Eiffel Tower, the walkers, joggers and visitors. She obtained 2 totally different sets of pictures. One black and white which was stark and graphic, and the other full of life and colour.
Before digital photography we had to choose what film we would put in our camera or whether we would put black and white in one camera and colour in the other. With digital you can chop and change from colour to B/W all on the same card and on many cameras can add a red or yellow filter to allow for different contrasts. In Paris I almost always use my Fujifilm XE2 which I just adore. Anyone looking to buy a reasonably priced camera that produces professional quality should seriously consider it. I always bring it with me on my corporate and travel shoots. It is quick and easy to shift from colour to B/W and offers a number of creative options that even some more expensive cameras don’t offer.
The alternative is of course to take everything in colour and then change to black and white in post production. The advantage to this is that you can choose after having taken the pictures and see which version you prefer. This is something relatively simple to do in photoshop, lightroom, capture one and even apple photos.
The weather this weekend being so fantastic as it often is at this time of year, I took some visitors to Paris who made a last minute decision to do a photo tour in champagne. The colours were so rich and vibrant that I had to almost drag them into the caves! We stopped for lunch at one of my favourite places in Hautvillers and caught up with our lack of tasting! No question of shooting black and white outside, the colours were too spectacular. Inside, in the cellars though, it can be quite a good contrast to those autumnal oranges, reds and yellows. We ended up buying champagne at one of the local producers I know who offers a good champagne at an exceptional price.
Yes, the fall in Paris, Provins or Champagne really is a fantastic time to come and learn or improve your photography. If you are in Paris for a week, a trip out to champagne makes for a totally different experience in both photography and enjoyment.