London in Bloom

Lilacs are one of my favourite flowers! Their fragrant clusters sway gently in the breeze and as I pass by each beautiful bush I am overwhelmed with glee! I met my friend Anna for lunch at Regent's Park twice last week and these amazing purple blooms line the gate across the street.

The cherry blossoms have started to fall from the trees creating glorious patches of pink snow throughout the park. The daisies peek through and smile...

Anna was a wonderful assistant holding the looking glass in place...

After lunch I meandered through the park and came across a patch of Queen Anne's Lace. I planted myself in the middle and spent the next hour shooting, snoozing and soaking up the sun...

The following day I wandered around The City and found this lovely wisteria vine.

On Saturday I spent the morning on Portobello Road - there were a few incredible wisteria vines, one of which has completely destroyed the iron gate on which it grows... I'll post those photos in a couple days.

I love Paris in the Springtime III

A few more from my weekend in Paris - This shot is from the Chimera Gallery of the Notre Dame Cathedral that is 46 metres above the ground. The name comes from the statues on the corners of the balustrade that were designed by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century. They are all different and a wonderful mixture of hybrid beasts, fantastical birds and mythical monsters.

And this is the one from my 2004 visit. In both is is hard to see the Eiffel Tower, but the curve of the tower is identical to that of the front creature's ear.

Victor Hugo's novel 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' was first published in 1831. Being there I could just picture little Quasimodo trolling the narrow balcony and winding stairs...

Below is the shot from 2004 - in November there were hardly any people at the top with me - it was a drizzly day. But this time there were so many people - I had to frame it higher so miss the Paris skyline. I guess everyone loves Paris in the springtime...

This Cupid is still on a table outside the bookshop at the gate of the Jardin des Tuileries. In 2004 there were pumpkins and gourds instead of blue flowers...

We spent four hours walking from our hotel to the Eiffel Tower, another two there climbing over 600 steps then a tiny, scary elevator to the top. But the view was just breath taking...

Nikki, Alex and I were quite the trio shooting like mad - and a good advertisement for Nikon with a D200, a D300 and a D700. I have not seen their shots yet, but it will be interesting to see the three perspectives of Paris...

Click here to see Paris I and Paris II...

I love Paris in the Springtime... Part II

We spent an amazing three days in Paris - it truly is such a magical place. I smiled the whole time - every moment was more wonderful than the last. The Louvre is a magnificent building and with each visit I marvel at the intricacy of the carvings.

The image below was taken in 2004 with 3200 film, there was graffiti on the base so I cropped the image - which I seldom do as I am very careful with framing as I shoot.

And this trip the graffiti had been removed. I tried to remember the old shot and duplicate it. I like the perspective of the '04 shot - she seems so huge. But I like the separation from the building of this one - tell me what you think...

On the left through the looking glass - I love the antique quality it creates. I can imagine this same scene a hundred years ago. Children push the little wooden boats from the edge of the pond with a stick and the wonderful, gentle sound of their laughter fills the air.

Sacre Coeur

I can't believe this violinist is still at Montmartre! In 2004 he was playing on the steps of Sacre Coeur. Perhaps he'd had enough of the crowds as this time he was in a tiny alley playing 'La Vie en Rose".

And more flowers...

I love Paris in the Springtime... Part I

So it is taking longer than I thought to wade through all the photos...
I shot over 1,500. But here are a couple from the 'Paris through the Looking Glass' series - more tomorrow...

Through the Looking Glass...

So - last Thursday I was online and looking at some Holga images and suddenly had a wee epiphany. I love the antique quality of the images produced by these cameras and have been searching for a way to produce the same effect with digital. Well - I thought a magnifying glass might just do the trick. So on an impulse I bought one off Ebay for £1 and received it just before my trip to Paris. This image is a little experiment at my house to see if it would work - interesting I think. I had an amazing time in Paris and am surprised I did not end up in the local mental institution. Walking around shooting through the glass certainly drew some attention. I had to show my LCD to many a passer-by. Paris photos will follow tomorrow as I am still going through them - but here is the test...