Walt Disney Concert Hall - Revised Shot of Frank Gehry Masterpiece - JohnBrody.com

Walt Disney Concert Hall - Revised Shot of Frank Gehry Masterpiece. Taken during the fires in Los Angeles that surrounded the city in 2008. Surreal elememts generated in post.

Church on a Hill

Ghost Train - John Brody Photography

Update for those who are asking: When I posted this image a while back, I was just sharing a fun little conceptual photographic experiment. If you saw the news recently you know the sad end that this entire train came to. Families of the affected are free to use this photo as they wish - No news or publication use without prior written permission.

Even the "Ghost Train" name I gave it takes on an eerie new meaning for me...

1920 1200 Wallpapers - Requested Widescreen Images - John Brody Photography

Per request, here are a selection of 1920 1200 Wallpapers for you Widescreen users... Please note, these are Monster files and will take a few seconds, but that's necessary if you want good Hi-Res images. it's the nature of the web - No worries, I don't do SPAM or any other games, just images... Simply click, one of the 1920 1200 wallpapers will appear in a bit, and then Right Click and choose "Set As Background." There are a few samples here, then go to the gallery and help yourself. Click Jimi Hendrix to go to the gallery.








Click on Jimi Hendrix Picture for the full 1920 1200 wallpapers album.


Enjoy the images and write if you have requests from the other galleries - Some can be cropped to 1920 by 1200 wallpapers, but not all - I'll let you know.

---John Brody Photography

Cafe Les Deux Magots - Paris Photos and Info - John Brody Photography

Cafe Les Deux Magots - A Brief History

This is a famous café on the Left Bank of the Seine called Les Deux Magots. It’s popular with both tourists and Parisians, and has a long and colorful history as a meeting place for famous writers and philosophers. Deux Magots (as it is known to Parisians) was once a favorite spot for existentialist writers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Bouvoir, and a favorite of Hemmingway and Picasso's (who is said to have created Cubism here - why they say that I have no clue, but I've seen the comment in several writings). It's now a favorite for anyone who can afford the price tag - you're paying for the vibrant location and history. The hot debate over the name of the cafe rages on a hundred years later. The literal translation of the name into English of 'two nest eggs' and the sound of the name has many arguing that it's an age old sly joke in naming a restaurant 'The Two Maggots'. However, the majority opinion is that Deux Magots is named after two wooden statues of Chinese mandarins which still dominate the room (one of the definitions of “magots” in French is “chunky Eastern figurine, made from stone, jade, or porcelain”). Only the original owner will ever know for sure.

The picture above was taken from the northeast corner of the Place du Québec, which is at the intersection of the boulevard Saint-Germain and the rue de Rennes. The boulevard Saint-Germain continues into the heart of the Latin Quarter behind the camera. To the right, and also off-camera, is the rue Bonaparte, which leads a short distance north to the left (southern) bank of the Seine river (that’s where the Left Bank gets its name—the southern bank of the river is on the left in the direction of the river’s flow, which is westward). To the left, and off-camera, the intersection leads into the rue de Rennes, which continues south into the Montparnasse area. All of this is in the sixth district of Paris, best known as the home of the Latin Quarter, the students’ district. This part of Paris, like many others, is filled with people from morning until very late at night.


- John Brody Photography

Notre Dame Cathedral - Paris Photos and Info - John Brody Photography

Notre Dame Cathedral at Dusk - JohnBrody.com / John Brody Photography


Notre Dame Cathedral - Proceeded by a Gallo-Roman temple to Jupiter, a Christian basilica, and a Romanesque church, construction of Notre-Dame de Paris began in 1163 during the reign of Louis VII. Pope Alexander III laid the foundation stone. The idea to replace the Romanesque church occupying the site - the Cathedral of St. Etienne (founded by Childebert in 528) - was that of Bishop Maurice de Sully (who died in 1196). (Some accounts claim that there were two churches existing on the site, one to the Virgin Mary, the other to St. Stephen.) Construction was completed roughly 200 years later in about 1345.

The choir was completed in 1182; the nave in 1208, and the west front and towers circa 1225-1250. A series of chapels were added to the nave during the period 1235-50, and during 1296-1330 to the apse (Pierre de Chelles and Jean Ravy). The transept crossings were build in 1250-67 by Jean de Chelles and Pierre de Montreuil (also the architect of the Sainte-Chapelle). It was essentially completed according to the original plans. The reigns of Louis XIV (end of the 17th century) and Louis XV saw significant alterations including the destruction of tombs, and stained glass. At the end of the 18th century, during the Revolution, many of the treasures of the cathedral were either destroyed or plundered. Only the great bells avoided being melted down. The church interior was used as a warehouse for the storage of forage and food.

After falling into disrepair, a restoration program overseen by Lassus (died 1857) and Viollet-le-Duc, was carried out in 1845. This program lasted 23 years, and included the construction of the spire and the sacristy.

During the Commune of 1871, the Cathedral was nearly burned by the Communards - and some accounts suggest that indeed a huge mound of chairs was set on fire in its interior. Whatever happened, the Notre Dame survived the Commune essentially unscathed."



John Brody Photography - JohnBrody.com - JohnBrody.blogspot.com

Pere Lachaise Cemetery - Paris Photos and Info - John Brody Photography

These photos and history profiles of some my favorite highlights from Paris are being added here by request - by demand actually... Some playfully nasty letters from some Paris lovers have been hitting my inbox because they're not too happy that I shut down a web site that used to contain some of this travel info and pictures. So here you go you cranky Francophiles, Enjoy yourselves! ;)


Pere Lachaise Cemetery - A Brief History

In the early days Pere Lachaise was a poor district, with many outlaws, winding streets, shady avenues. It's located on a old hill of Champ l'Eveque where a rich merchant built his house in 1430.

In the 17th century the Jesuits, converted it into a hospice for members of their order. It became a meeting place under influence of Pere Lachaise Louis XIV's confessor. In 1803, under Napoleon, the Prefect of Paris bought it to build a cemetery. It was an incredibly successful piece of land speculation. Nicolas Frochot, the urban planner who bought the land, persuaded the civil authorities to rebury Molière, La Fontaine, Abelard and Heloise in his new cemetery. Pere-Lachaise became the ultimate symbol for the rich and successful.

Ironically, Frochot even sold a plot to the original owner for considerably more money than the price he had paid for the entire site. Even today, the rates are still extremely high. Some of the most celebrated dead have unremarkable tombs while those whose fame died with them or who were nonentities to start with have the most expressive monuments.

A winding stone pathway through the cemetery above and the grave of chopin at left. As with all pictures here click to go to full sized photo album.

- John Brody Photography

Paris Maps - Per Request - Subway Photos and Paris Metro Subway System Map

A subway map, a weekly pass, and the Paris subway system is a photographer's best friend on a photo trip, and I'm sure it's the same for anyone else traveling through. You zip down a stairway, hop into one of the remarkably well maintained and timely trains, and 5 to 20 minutes later you pop up at any site you're headed for - the Eiffel Tower, Pere Lachaise, the Louvre or any of the hundreds of other destinations in Paris. Below are a couple photos of underground stations, quite well designed and varied. Paris Maps are linked below:



Here is the best Paris Map. After hours of digging before my trip, and weeding through all the scams, SPAM, and ripoffs, I found the actual maps published by the Paris Metro System Map Department. They are for non-commercial use only, and the map is printable.

Bookmark this post... The sites can be very confusing.


Some Wikipedia info gave me a 'big picture' overview of the subway system - Here it is:
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain (French: Métro de Paris) is the rapid transit metro system in Paris. It is a symbol of the city, notable for its station architecture, influenced by Art Nouveau. It has sixteen lines, mostly underground, and a total length of 214 km (133 mi). There are 300 stations. Since some are served by several lines, there are 384 stops in total.

Paris has one of the densest metro networks in the world, with 245 stations within 86.9 km2 (34 sq mi) of the City of Paris. Lines are numbered 1 to 14, with two minor lines, 3bis and 7bis. The minor lines were originally part of lines 3 and 7 but became independent.Lines are identified on maps by number and colour. Direction of travel is indicated by the destination terminus.

Paris is the second busiest metro system in Europe after Moscow. It carries 4.5 million passengers a day, and an annual total of 1.479 billion (2009). Châtelet-Les Halles, with 5 Métro lines and three RER commuter rail lines, is the world's largest underground station.


My Photo below is of the Art et Metiers station, quite unique, and a work of art in itself.

Testing Guitar And Camera - Wayne Lamar On Guitar - John Brody On Camera

Note: You Must view this in Full Screen - Just click th little arrows on the bottom right of video and 'esc' button when done. Wayne Lamar, guitarist, trying out a new guitar in a music store I was in yesterday. I'm a Blues fan and I liked his sound, so I asked if I could video a bit of his playing. A very nice gent, he nodded a yes and I grabbed my Canon 5D Mark II out of the car. I'd never shot a video before, ever, so I stuck it on my tripod, fumbled a few settings and hit record. Forgive the background noise, but after, all the owner was nice enough to let me set up a camera in the middle of his store... Here you go, a 90 secong clip, the Flickr Maximum...