Category Archives: France

Beautiful Photography of France

The Royal Chapel of King Louis XIV

Posted on January 29th, 2012 by

The Glory of Versailles

Versailles has been described as a temple created to one man…King Louis XIV. Enormous is scope, the entire complex is one of the most impressive I have ever seen. Multiple palaces (for the mistresses of the King mainly) and grounds complete with their own Venetian style canals and an Orangerie. The Sun King was perhaps nearly revered as a god among men, and requisite with this theme is a lack of Christian symbology anywhere in the multiple palaces, with the notable exception of the Royal Chapel.

All Worship…uh Hail…the King

In keeping with this “the king is pretty much a deity” theme, during daily worship the Royal Court of King Louis XIV’s time would kneel with their back to the alter (not pictured below, but directly below the organ seen) and look up to our pictured vantage point, where the King and his family would be worshiping. They would in essence have the pleasure of watching their King worship God with their own backs to the alter. An interesting big of symbolism, for the end of the Renaissance and what would eventually usher in the Age of Enlightenment. I don’t mean to suggest the airs of King Louis XIV where the foundation of “Reason” but simply mean to point out the interesting correlation. Isn’t history fun when its framed about pretty stuff?

HDR Photography
The Royal Chapel of King Louis XIV by W. Brian Duncan

A Night in Paris

Posted on January 15th, 2012 by

One Night

Paris is beautiful, but I really love the nights. There are fewer people milling about, and most (excluding the tourists) are busy eating dinner. The Parisians eat a bit late for my tastes, but we kept pushing dinner back further and further to really get into the swing of French life. The cafe’s even at late hours are full of people eating, drinking, talking and having a grand time. This shot was taken just South across the bridge from Île de la Cité on Rue du Petit Pont.

HDR Photography
A Night in Paris by W. Brian Duncan

The Bored Little Monster

Posted on January 8th, 2012 by

Gargling Gargoyles

The word gargoyle comes from the French work gargouille which has to do with the throat. Many of these little monsters are there to usher water away from the Gothic cathedrals and their name may have been derived from the gurgle of water flowing from their mouths. Hardly inspiring fear in the learned. Legend also has it they possess the power to ward off evil spirits. This guy is one was of the ornamental (evil spooking) variety.

Fame Monster

This gargoyle is also perhaps the most photographed gargoyle in the world. Over the centuries, it appears he has become bored of both the attention and the spectacular view of Paris he enjoys everyday. I don’t know for sure if this has always been the case or a stance that has evolved over time, but I for one was blown away by the view, despite the crisp Autumn air blowing around the first observation level of Notre Dame.

HDR Photography
The Bored Little Monster by W. Brian Duncan

A Leaf at the Feet of the Arc de Triomphe

Posted on December 18th, 2011 by

Standing in the Streets of Paris

For some reason, French drivers don’t seem a bit phased to find a number of foreign tourists standing in the middle of their Boulevards taking photos of their monuments. Even, it seems, if those same tourists are photographing at night. I took a number of photographs on the streets surrounding the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, namely I camped out in the middle of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Somehow I felt safer with the Parisian drivers than I do with my local Springfield drivers!

Side Shooter

This photo is from the side of the Arc where I became fascinated with this leaf that planted itself in my shot. Enjoy!

HDR Photo
A Leaf at the Feet of the Arc de Triomphe by W. Brian Duncan

The Best Door in Paris

Posted on December 11th, 2011 by

Lavirotte

One of our unintended great finds while visiting Paris was the at 29 Avenue Rapp in the 7th arrondissement, very close to the Eiffel Tower. Built in 1901, this Art Nouveau masterpiece by Jules Lavirotte is quite striking. The detailed door was designed by sculptor Jean-Baptiste Larrive and sculpted by a variety of others. If you happen to be in Paris, seek this beauty out!

What…You Want a Picture?

We waited for what seemed like ever for a man on the sidewalk outside to move. He just kept talking on his mobile and didn’t see at all impressed that I wanted to take a photograph of this door. I guess he was used to tourists snapping photos and moving on. I wanted something for my website that didn’t include his funny mustache!

HDR Photography
L’immeuble Lavirotte by W. Brian Duncan

The Golden Spiral

Posted on November 27th, 2011 by

Fibonacci

Before we left for Paris I reread The Da Vinci Code. The twists of the plot line repetitively find a home in the Fibonacci sequence, a mathematical integer sequence where the first two numbers are 0, 1 and all subsequent numbers are the sum of the preceding two. What is truly staggering is the number of places you can see this form represented in nature, music, art, etc.

One of Many

One of many places I spotted the expression was in the spiral staircase that takes visitors to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. What made it stick out to me was the slightly golden color of the stairwell which was bathed in some sort of halogen light. Enjoy!

HDR Photography
The Golden Spiral by W. Brian Duncan

Parisian Seine

Posted on November 20th, 2011 by

The Seine

On our first day in Paris, right after we dropped our things off at our wonderful AirBNB apartment, we headed down to Notre Dame. The cathedral is overwhelming and deserves its own post (probably several) but one of the first pictures I took was on the Seine. Just an average day, with the river flowing along as it always does. The river has a sort of elegance that is hard to describe. There are thousands of tourists milling about, but even with the hustle and bustle and snap of cameras, the river swallows it all up and washes it away.

HDR Photography
Parisian Seine by W. Brian Duncan

The Parisian Pyramid

Posted on November 13th, 2011 by

And So it Begins

I took 2000 photos on our recent trip to Paris. Processing those has proven to be daunting to say the least. Even with Lightroom’s wonderfully capable categorization systems and flags, I feel buried under all that I have to process. I thought I would begin (unless you count the photos I did for Pamela’s Blog Trois Canelé and Top of Notre Dame) with a simple photo outside the Louvre on one of the better days. The processing is simple, but I was pleased with the outcome.

Future Times

I am working on a new website to house all my travel photography. I am hoping to have it online by the first of the year. Having everything on this site makes it hard for me to promote any one thing. So here it to future endeavors, may they be successful!

HDR Photography
The Parisian Pyramid by W. Brian Duncan