After having read a photography book much more recently, I would have liked to try a trick it gave of having a slow shutter speed by a river to get a smooth surface of water, I think the effect would have looked pretty cool with this shot. Unfortunately I didn't have the idea myself so I'll have to experiment with that technique somewhere else.


I love this shot because the buildings and tower point you to the guy with his brolly, which I think is a nice touch. It also made me think of my dad as before I left he reminded me of an artist I had studied at school - which I asked him to print images off for me so I could copy them for the homework - who painted Parisians in the rain, usually with the tower in sight too.


On the first night in Paris we got the metro to the Arc de Triomphe and saw the Tower in the distance and thought "oh that's not too far" *commence the longest walk of my life* - yeah... By the time we got there it began flashing, or as I called it "sparkling"... and then raining intensely.


We didn't stay too long before going to find a cabbie that spoke English to take us back to the warm, dry hostel but with some raindrops on my lens, I got this really beautiful bokeh effect which I love. When we did get back we all sat and gave our cameras some tlc after the rain and thankfully no cameras were harmed - ofcourse I shared my scarf with it before tucking it away in my bag but I gave my lens a good clean once I had changed into dry pjs.


The day after the raining walk to the tower we had Paris Photo, then the day after that we had a free day which consisted of much more exploring, finishing with actually going up le tower...


It was a long wait in the queues but this made for some time to get pictures of the looming structure and more importantly chatting and bonding with Layla and Tayla, who I shared a dorm with (the dorms we well fancy, with a power strip above the headboard including USB and plug sockets and a red curtain just for your bed like a tour bus. It's safe to say I loved those dorms.)


You know me, when there's a tourist telescope, I take a photo of it. And the Eiffel Tower telescopes were fancy af, so of course there were no exceptions. I quite like the line up of this shot too as "the Paris Eye" is kind of aligned with the eyepiece, looking through it, ya get me?



Just before we headed into the lift I spotted the telescope through the structure, and I took the opportunity to hurriedly take the nicely framed shot.


I spent quite a while at the top - until my fingers began to numb and it slowly became harder to use my camera. I remembered me and my mom freaking out over the height and feeling it wobble, standing with our back firmly against the wall inside.




I walked around the top level a few times, taking in the view, photographing different areas with different settings, and of course getting in a bit of bokeh. It was very impressive at night and really showed off this "city of lights"



I have more photos of Paris at night, as well as some of Paris in the day from walking around, which I shall share with you soon. I hope you have liked this post, do let me know which images are your faves.

ALSO I hope you like my new blog layout, which I lovingly worked on instead of writing last week. I attended to every detail, from a little "B" icon for the tab, down to links and a brand spanking new logo - ooh get me! Do let me know if some things don't work so I can fix them if need be but I hope everything runs smoothly for you and it's much less busy for your eyeballs :) I like it very much.

1. CHECK THE ESSENTIALS! Check your passport hasn't expired and your ticket is someplace safe (I keep these in this mint green travel wallet from TK Maxx), check the weather forecast so you can pack the most appropriate and comfortable clothes, check if you need power adaptors and check your itinerary so you know what you're doing and when so you can take full advantage of being away.
2. KEEP ALL YOUR VALUABLES CLOSE! If you're embarking on a photography trip you will have more to care for of course, it may be worth getting your kit insured to be sure. Keep it all with you and leave as little in the hotel room as possible, and continually check your bags and pockets throughout the day to be sure you haven't fallen victim to pick-pocketed at some point.
3. THINK AHEAD! I for one have a little instargam and pinterest search to trigger my inspiration ahead of time so I have an idea of places that would be nice to take photos of which I could take myself to, or at least to keep my excitement bubbling away. Again, when you check your itinerary you'll know when you have time to spare to scarper off and grab some snaps, alternatively, where your snaps will be restricted to for however many hours until the schedule frees up. Luckily we are visiting Paris Photo for one day out of four so there is plenty of time to explore Paris or other exhibitions.
4. LISTS! I don't usually write lists but when I do, I mean business, business which cannot have any forgetfulness which I am so often prone to. Write lists of what you need, write it again in organised groups of clothes (pants, socks, coats) to toiletries (medicines, glasses, soaps and creams), and once more in order of importance (passport and money down to reading books just in case you have a glimmer of spare time). Know your list of things not to forget, perhaps take one with you so you can check you haven't left anything behind when going back home either.