Nov 10, 2019 – Day 1 – Group Lunch in Paris
We meet on Sunday at lunch to discuss the week’s activities and begin to inform you of the different shooting techniques we will be asking you to try. During this group lunch, we will have informal discussions on what our guests are working to achieve in their photography, subject matters, styles, and techniques.
From here we will set out for a fantastic afternoon of photography at arguably one of the most iconic photography locations in Paris. Together we will wander around this iconic structure and photograph it from different angles during the day.
Nov 11, 2019 – Day 2 – Latin Quarter
On day two we explore the hidden gems of the Latin Quarter, as well as Notre-Dame and the Panthéon. Here, we will apply our focus to street people and shop owners, as well as the impressive architecture that surrounds us at every turn.
For the movie Highlander lovers, you may know this location very well. The Shakespeare and Company, arguably the most famous independent bookstore in the world, occupies a prime piece of real estate facing the Seine in Paris, not far from the Latin Quarter, Place Saint-Michel, and Boulevard Saint-Germain. The Seine winds it’s way past the store with a classic view of Notre Dame Cathedral in the background. We’ll show you where to set up for a killer little-known photo opportunity!
Nov 12, 2019 – Day 3 – Champs-Elysées – Louvre – Musee D’Orsay – Eiffel Tower
On day three, we set out to explore the Champs-Elysées, Musee D’Orsay, and Louvre areas, looking to capture the architectural beauty and manicured gardens and the locals that wander through this area on a daily basis.
Since there is so much to see in Paris, we’ll look to blend the iconic (monuments) and less visible (back streets and grit), so you get a beautiful collection of photos depicting Paris. After dinner, we will spend the evening photographing the Louvre and street scenes at night in this magnificent “city of lights.” If it rains, it will not matter, because Paris is even more beautiful at night when it’s wet and rainy.
Today we will also have a model with us to create more stunning images at some of the locations we have identified.
Nov 13, 2019 – Day 4 – Canal Saint-Martin – Belleville
Wednesday is a day dedicated to the secret neighborhoods of Paris. With its footbridges arching gracefully over a canal that feeds into the Seine River, the Canal Saint-Martin area offers equal parts greenery, lyricism, and urban grit. One of Paris’ oldest streets, Rue Montorgueil is a vibrant, cheery quarter bursting with some of the city’s finest food markets and pastry shops. Nestled between Montparnasse and Chinatown on the left bank is a hilly, well-hidden quarter whose narrow, winding streets, tiny houses, and art nouveau architecture recall a Paris of another era. And Belleville – home to one of Paris’s lively Chinatowns, a burgeoning artist quarter and a dizzying array of cultures.
Nov 14, 2019 – Day 5 – Opera House – Catacombs – Montmartre
On Thursday morning we will go and visit the opera house when it opens so we can see and photograph the stunning architecture of the building. From here it’s a short trip over to the catacombs.
The Catacombs, which form a veritable labyrinth beneath the very heart of Paris, were created in the galleries of the former quarries whose stone was used to build the capital. The ossuary is situated twenty meters below ground and contains the remains of millions of Parisians. The remains were transferred there gradually between the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries because the graveyards closed due to the risk they posed to public health. The first of these was the cimetière des Innocents graveyard in 1786 in what is now the district of Les Halle.
In the long maze of dark galleries and narrow passages, visitors can see a tableau of death with bones arranged in a horrible display of high Romantic taste. The alexandrine verse “Arrête, c’est ici l’empire de la mort” [Halt, this is the realm of Death ] above the entrance to the ossuary is just one of an extensive series of maxims, poems and other sacred and profane passages giving pause for thought during the tour. This unusual site movingly brings the history of the Parisian people back to life and takes visitors on a timeless journey.
Then, as a group, we will visit the famous Montmartre cemetery and its century-old tombstones, then climb the stairs at Sacre Coeur to photograph from this fantastic vantage point.
After dinner, it’s back to doing some night photography in the center of Montmartre of the iconic Metro signs and some night photography in front of Moulin Rouge.
Nov 15, 2019 – Day 6 – final editing session – street photography – night photoshoot
On day six, we set out early for some Paris Street Photography and then our last group discussion, review our past week’s photos, and give one final critique.
Then we head out for one last dinner where you can trade contact information with everyone, enjoy the sites as you eat and then head out one last time for a final night shoot. Tonight is all about capturing the city of lights and love between two locations you would have visited already this week: the Eiffel Tower and Le Louvre.
Tonight is also your opportunity to take those images that you may have missed during a night where you will see local lovers strolling along the paths and enjoying the company of friends with these iconic structures as the backdrops for your candid portraits.
Nov 16, 2019 – Day 7 – Departure day
We urge you to extend your stay in Paris or elsewhere in France and make good use of everything you will learn on our photo adventure.
