Exploring Paris with Ilford Delta 100 – Part Two
The area around Hôtel des Invalides at the centre of Paris is a focal points for protests much like Trafalgar Square in London. On the day were protests in favour of Ukraine and against the government of Iran. 1/4000s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.
Having wandered around mostly on my own on the first day, the second day was spent with the friends I’d come to visit. After mulling over places to visit we decided to go to the Rodin Museum. Auguste Rodin was one of the most famous and influential modern sculptors and even if you don’t know who he is, you’ve almost certainly seen images of his most famous statue ‘Le Penseur’ or in English ‘The Thinker’. Another of his famous statues is ‘The Burghers of Calais’, a cast of which I’d seen not long before my trip to Paris next to the Houses of Parliament. I knew nothing of Rodin before I visited and this hadn’t been somewhere on my radar, but it was well worth seeing. His sinewy, more realistic figures are certainly a stark comparison to the figurative statues that were the norm in his day. The only downside was that large parts of the garden were closed off due to the setting up of an impending fashion show.
The Rodin Museum at Hôtel Biron which served as Rodin’s studio in the last years of his life. 1/2500s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.
Le Penseur or The Thinker, Rodin’s most famous statue famous the world over. 1/1600s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.
Considered the father of modern sculpture, his statues are much more muscular and sinewy than the traditional figurative statues. 1/60s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.
My friends appreciating the artistry of Rodin. 1/200s 35mm F1.4.
Artists today use Rodin’s works as inspiration for their own art. 1/200s 35mm F1.4.
My friends had lived in Paris for almost a year at this point and so could show me some of their favourite places in the city beyond the most famous postcard spots. One was the Church of Saint-Sulpice, the other Jardins du Luxembourg which is home to the French Senate in the Luxembourg Palace. Paris has many grand churches, but I can see why Saint-Sulpice ranks as their favourite. The city’s third largest, I stood in awe of its two towers on the outside and equally impressive architecture inside. Thankfully it’s free to all to see and it certainly made for a great photographic subject. In the exterior photo you can see the roof of a marquee which was part of an arts and crafts market in progress in the square outside.
The grand exterior of Saint-Sulpice Church, the third largest in Paris. An arts and crafts market was occurring in the square in front of the church. 1/2000s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.
The vast interior of Saint-Sulpice Church houses a very grand organ to complement its towering pillars. 1/30s 35mm F1.4.
This shot of the inner dome is one of my favourites from the trip for its symmetry and high levels of detail. It shows you can produce really good results technically even handheld on a 35mm camera. 1/30s 35mm F1.4.
While Saint-Sulpice gave me an idea of French religious worship, Jardins du Luxembourg gave me a sense of French leisure. The French after all have a reputation for going above and beyond to enjoy their time off. On this sunny day a whole host of activities from walking, fitness classes, sailing model boats and reading was occuring. I feel the photo I took of a man sat in the sun in the middle of the path sums up the atmosphere perfectly. He’s so nonchalantly reading his book while the rest of the world goes by. Weekends are for relaxing and only relaxing. One noticeable difference to a park in London was the numerous chairs that could be used by anyone and moved as you wanted. Unlike the big deck chairs in Green Park, you didn’t need to rent them either. I’m sure if you put a price on relaxing another riot wouldn’t be far behind.
My friends may look like an ordinary couple… 1/250s 200mm F4.0.
…but don’t let that fool you! 1/250s 200mm F4.0.
Luxembourg Palace in the Jardins du Luxembourg that houses the French senate. 1/2000s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.
The French hard at leisure. The very hard contrast in this photo stems from accidently overexposing by three stops. 1/400s 200mm F4.0 +3 stops.
Though I didn’t have time to explore everything in just a few days, I did want to explore some of the green spaces outside of the urban centre. Originally, I had planned to visit Bois de Vincennes, a very large park to the East of Paris which is probably comparable to Richmond Park. Ultimately though I decided to leave that one for a future visit and instead I headed with my friend to Château de Sceaux and its corresponding park which has been open to public use for more than a century. From the grass to the avenues of trees to the water fountains, it’s all very well thought out and maintained, you’d normally have to pay to enter somewhere like this in the UK. It made for the perfect place for a picnic and a walk on a sunny Sunday on the eve of Summer.
Domaine departemental de Sceaux, a very impressive park and château that’s been open to the public for over a one hundred years. 1/500s 200mm F4.0 with polariser.
The enormous park space makes for plenty of space for a picnic or two on a sunny day. 1/500s 100mm F4.0 with polariser.
Château de Sceaux. The original château built in 1597 was bigger but was demolished in the wake of the French Revolution, the present one was built in 1862. 1/2000s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.
Looking down the Grand Canal. 1/500s 200mm F4.0 with polariser.
At this point I should probably talk about my experiences using the metro system. Similar to the system in Berlin, when you buy a ticket, you can only travel in one direction within a certain period of time. It’s not like London where you can get on and travel on any number of trains for any amount of time before getting off. This caught me out a couple of times where, to make a journey, I had to leave one line and get on another and in the process forced to buy a second ticket. Rather annoying. For the time I was there it was reliable, and I can say the same for the RER commuter trains that run to places further into the suburbs (and which I used to get to Château de Sceaux).
Les Cascades is a series of fountains that leads down to L’Octogone which connects to the Grand Canal. 1/2000s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.
Boats for hire make for a pleasant way to spend a sunny day. 1/320s 200mm F4.0 with polariser.
Riding the Paris metro system. 1/25s 35mm F1.4.
My only alarming moment was when a black woman rushed in behind me as I was going through the barriers. Initially I thought it was a pickpocketing attempt but as it turned out it was just so she could get through the barriers for free. The different design means that fare-dodgers can’t jump over or sometimes through the barriers as they do in London and as you don’t need a ticket to exit, once you are in you can get off Scot free. Obviously not something I recommend but look out for tailgaters when you use the trains. Also, it would help to learn the French word ‘démagnétiser’ as the ticket machines are notorious for providing broken tickets that won’t let you through the barriers. Just go to a ticket desk to have them replaced.
I spent the second half of my trip staying in the southern suburb of Vanves. 1/60s 35mm F1.4.
Close enough to the centre of Paris for a short trip on the metro but far enough away to get away from the tourist crowds. 1/2500s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.
Street art on display, I especially like the stick figure man crossing the road. 1/25s 35mm F1.4.
Over the weekend I also moved accommodation from my friend’s apartment in the centre to an Airbnb in Vanves, just outside of the main ring roads to the South. Apart from a single suspicious looking charred scooter I thankfully didn’t see any signs of rioting in this part of the city, which thankfully had no further impact on my time there. Vanves itself was a peaceful and attractive part of the Paris suburbia, hardly bustling but with plenty of shops and cafes to keep you occupied if you had never else to do. What I did appreciate was staying next to the church, which I had a very good view of from my bedroom balcony. I was certainly enjoying my time here and I still had a couple a couple of days left.
The view of the Church of Saint Remy spire from my Airbnb balcony. 1/2500s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.
Before the church congregation arrived on Sunday, I managed to have a look around inside the church and photograph the beautiful stained glass window. 1/1250s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.
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