Jean Cocteau said that, 'In Paris, everybody wants to be an actor; nobody is content to be a spectator'. I disagree. For me, there are few more pleasurable ways to pass the time in Paris than sitting on the terrace of a pavement café watching the world pass by.
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The Marais is one of the loveliest and most fashionable districts of Paris. The name means ‘marshland’ because the original village here was built on a marsh, but there are no signs of that these days! Instead there are elegant buildings, pretty squares and of course the Parisian staples of great little cafés.
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Thomas Jefferson said, 'The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.' This is a maxim I would do well to follow, but I too rarely succeed in doing so.
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We could all use a laugh from time to time, and maybe more than ever over the last few years. It seems to be part of human nature to look for humour in the darkest times.
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March has been a quiet month for photography, on the whole. It started slowly as I searched, sometimes in vain, for subjects that inspired me. Then halfway through the month spring started to arrive. Trees burst into blossom, shortly followed by my beloved magnolias.
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It seems to me that holding a camera gives a lot of people a sense of freedom. They appear more relaxed, less constrained by their surroundings. So what a great opportunity that is for the rest of us who are also carrying a camera with an eye to some street photography!
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When I photograph street art I am conscious that for the most part the success of the image depends on the quality of the piece of art itself, and that any creativity involved is that of the original artist, not mine as a photographer. So I often try to create something new by involving a passer-by, or two.
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There’s little I enjoy more when travelling than a visit to a local market. Large or small there is always plenty to see, and therefore to photograph. And you can gain great insights into the way of life in the country. What do local people eat? How do they dress? How indeed do they shop?
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If you have lived in a city for a long while, maybe all your life, you find yourself photographing its sights less and less, however lovely there may be. Do I really need another photo of the Tower of London? Of St Paul’s Cathedral? Of the river Thames?
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Is there room in my blogging life for a new challenge? Possibly not, but when I came across Thursday Trios I was intrigued and decided to see what I could find in my photo archives. Today it is all about people. Finding them in groups of three isn’t always as easy as you might think. Couples are common of course, as are larger groups, but threes less so.
