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02-09-2016, 09:38 AM   #1
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Paris / London - one day for each

I have a quick trip to Paris and London scheduled for later this month and I'm looking for some suggestions for interesting locations to photograph. Mostly, I photograph animals, but I sometimes like to photograph cityscapes - (the scenery, not the people). Having lived in both Paris and London, I'm less interested in the iconic scenes and buildings and more interested in less travelled (but still accessible and safe) places to explore and photograph. I particularly like photographing settings that include water. Here's a link to my meager city scene portfolio to give you a feel for what tends to catch my interest.

Out and About - frogoutofwater photography

I'm not planning to take a tripod so I'll be photographing in daylight hours only: I'll have a Friday afternoon and all day Saturday in Paris, and I'll have from about mid-morning to early evening on Sunday in London (plus possibly early Monday morning before work). Since I'm also going to try to fit an exhibition into my Sunday schedule (the Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Museum and/or the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition), I will probably stick to central London for my photo jaunt.

I'm aiming to travel light and so probably will only bring my 16-85, 55-300 and fisheye 10-17 with me on the K-3.

Any suggestions for locations would be most welcome. Thanks!

02-09-2016, 11:03 AM   #2
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Since you've got the 16-85 and the 10-17 fisheye and you like the water, my suggestion would be to stop by HMS Belfast; she'd be a good subject to showcase the wide angle capabilities of both lenses, and to compare and contrast the images you get from both at the overlapping focal lengths. A good tour inside wants more time than you have available, but a stroll nearby and some exterior shots shouldn't take you long.
02-09-2016, 12:46 PM   #3
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On a trip this short, I suggest you only take a fast, fixed lens P+S, and leave the heavy artillery home. You'll cover more ground, see more stuff and thereby considerably increase the odds of obtaining some decent snaps (a fisheye and long tele-zoom are probably the two most rock-bottom useless chunks of glass you could possibly pick to hump around all day). Consider it a scouting mission for return trip(s), if you must.
02-09-2016, 01:25 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by dsmithhfx Quote
On a trip this short, I suggest you only take a fast, fixed lens P+S, and leave the heavy artillery home. You'll cover more ground, see more stuff and thereby considerably increase the odds of obtaining some decent snaps (a fisheye and long tele-zoom are probably the two most rock-bottom useless chunks of glass you could possibly pick to hump around all day). Consider it a scouting mission for return trip(s), if you must.
Thanks for the suggestion, but nope. I would sooner leave my right eye at home than leave my 55-300 behind.

My favourite subject is animals and when I travel I often find myself photographing the resident birds (e.g., pigeons, ducks, swans) - so I need the reach of the zoom so that I don't disturb them (and also get some nice subject isolation).

The Pigeon Project - frogoutofwater photography
For the birds - frogoutofwater photography

And it's not that big or heavy. (I certainly wouldn't lug the 60-250 around or even the 50-135, though.) And when I look at the EXIF stats on my travel photos in LR, 50% or more my shots (and an even higher percentage of keepers) are taken with the 55-300 - and a fairly substantial proportion of those are taken at 125 mm+.

The fisheye is a tougher call for this trip - I've taken some really fun photos with it when I've travelled.

Iceland 2015 - frogoutofwater photography
Iceland 2015 - frogoutofwater photography

But for this trip I might be better off limiting my wider-angle lens choice to either the 16-85 (which is wide enough for most purposes), the 18-135 (which is a bit smaller and also more versatile), or the Sigma 16-50. (But at this time of year I'll probably find a weather-sealed lens more use than a fast lens.

02-09-2016, 01:31 PM   #5
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EDIT: Just saw the post above. Sounds like the 10-17 might not make the trip. Oh well.

As a tourist I spent a week in each location years ago (not the same trip) with my K100D Super and my 18-55 and 50-200 lenses. I found the 50-200 useful for tightly framed Gargoyles and some birds and the Trafalgar square area in London. However I could see leaving it behind with the 16-85. The 10-17 has a unique perspective that I can't imagine replicating with stitching or other techniques so I imagine that if you like that perspective you will need to have it with you.

As for locations - remembering I'm a tourist...

PARIS:

I think you could get good pictures at the Square Barye park at the tip of that island. The catacombs with a fisheye might be fantastic but without a tripod you might have to work a bit harder to make it work.

The Boule players in Luxembourg Gardens. The Kids Playground there. The Statue of Liberty there. Model Boats on the lake.

I enjoyed walking on one bank of the Seine at street level and using the 50-200 to take shots of the other bank. Graffiti, people walking, boats etc all open up as fair game with that technique. Riverside also offers book sellers and trinket peddlers as subject matter.

LONDON:

Fisheye in the tube stations...
Fisheye shots of the Cloisters at Westminster Abbey (outside)
Reflections of the Houses of Parliament from the opposite bank of the river? Not sure if this shot exists but it seems like it might.
Shots of tourists at the Tower of London.
St. James Park swans and other waterfowl.
A shot of the stoic guards via fisheye? Seems too trite.
The Churchill War Museum via fisheye?
02-09-2016, 02:09 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by frogoutofwater Quote
pigeons, ducks, swans
Ah yes, rare and endangered birds of the urban environment. It's your back and your money, so knock yourself out. Looking forward to seeing your shots.
02-09-2016, 03:17 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
EDIT: Just saw the post above. Sounds like the 10-17 might not make the trip. Oh well.

As a tourist I spent a week in each location years ago (not the same trip) with my K100D Super and my 18-55 and 50-200 lenses. I found the 50-200 useful for tightly framed Gargoyles and some birds and the Trafalgar square area in London. However I could see leaving it behind with the 16-85. The 10-17 has a unique perspective that I can't imagine replicating with stitching or other techniques so I imagine that if you like that perspective you will need to have it with you.

As for locations - remembering I'm a tourist...

PARIS:

I think you could get good pictures at the Square Barye park at the tip of that island. The catacombs with a fisheye might be fantastic but without a tripod you might have to work a bit harder to make it work.

The Boule players in Luxembourg Gardens. The Kids Playground there. The Statue of Liberty there. Model Boats on the lake.

I enjoyed walking on one bank of the Seine at street level and using the 50-200 to take shots of the other bank. Graffiti, people walking, boats etc all open up as fair game with that technique. Riverside also offers book sellers and trinket peddlers as subject matter.

LONDON:

Fisheye in the tube stations...
Fisheye shots of the Cloisters at Westminster Abbey (outside)
Reflections of the Houses of Parliament from the opposite bank of the river? Not sure if this shot exists but it seems like it might.
Shots of tourists at the Tower of London.
St. James Park swans and other waterfowl.
A shot of the stoic guards via fisheye? Seems too trite.
The Churchill War Museum via fisheye?
I removed some socks from my suitcase and added back the fish eye

"Ah yes, rare and endangered birds of the urban environment."

Yep, ubiquitous but lovely in their own way. And, if not "endangered", they are almost constantly in danger because of what humans do to their environment. I volunteer as a caregiver (and occasionally as a photographer) at a wild bird rehab center, and I have grown quite fond of the avian residents with whom I share the city:

http://www.frogoutofwater.ca/Portfolio/Animals/Rescue-and-Sanctuary/Wild-Bird-Fund/i-rcpDXBp


Last edited by frogoutofwater; 02-09-2016 at 03:23 PM.
02-09-2016, 05:59 PM   #8
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Let me know if any of my suggested places / ideas pan out. I'm headed there in March for a week in each location.
Thinking hard about what to take. Currently due to the number of people on the trip (6) and the complexity of watching over 2 kids and a couple of adults that might not watch themselves fully - I am leaning towards simple. But this is your thread. I'll trouble folks with my woes in another thread later.
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