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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

A Puddle In Paris - Reflected Eiffel Tower - JohnBrody.com

The Eiffel Tower Hiding in a Paris Puddle Under the Tower - Click for full sized Hi-Res Image - JohnBrody.com -  JohnBrody.blogspot.com

I spotted a lot of little ponds and storefront windows that had interesting reflections - Sometimes the mix of the reflection and what was also in the window made the shot interesting. Like the Chanel window display reflecting the Ritz Hotel, or a Ferarri window reflecting the Arch de Triumph... Many possibilities... John Brody.com

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  • Saturday, June 26, 2010

    Notre Dame at Dusk - Paris, France - JohnBrody.com

    Notre Dame Cathedral Near Sunset in Paris France - Click for full sized Hi-Res Image - JohnBrody.com -  JohnBrody.blogspot.com

    We all know a tidbit of info on Notre Dame. I read a few articles out of my own curiosity and put a very short summary below. It's a lot more than I knew before in a couple paragraphs. I'm learning too...

    Notre Dame de Paris (French for Our Lady of Paris), also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It's the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paris, in other words, it's the church that contains the cathedra (official chair), of the Archbishop of Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and Europe. Notre Dame de Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction spanned the Gothic period. It's sculptures and stained glass show the heavy influence of naturalism, unlike that of earlier Romanesque architecture.

    Notre Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports). The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave. After the construction began and the thinner walls (popularized in the Gothic style) grew ever higher, stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. The flying buttresses took on a new importance and now surround the cathedral.

    The cathedral suffered extensive damage in the French Revolution in the 1790s - much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. During the 1800s, it was restored, returning the cathedral to its previous state.

    I could add volumes, but this is a photo blog, so I'll stop here. We've all heard of that Google thing if we need more :)

    - JohnBrody.com

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  • Intense Chess Game - Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxemburg Garden), Paris - JohnBrody.com

    Intense Chess Game - Jardin du Luxembourg - Luxemburg Garden, Paris. These matches are quite serious with all brows furrowed and complete silence - Click for full sized Hi-Res Image - JohnBrody.com -  JohnBrody.blogspot.com

    Intense game of chess at The Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxemburg Garden) in Paris. These matches are quite serious with all brows furrowed and complete silence. My cameras shutter sounded like a firecracker to me... The gent on the left looked in hopeless shape when he got down to 6 seconds, his opponent having more than a minute. Three moves later with only 1 second left, the man at left was victorious. A six minute game of chess... It takes me that long for one move sometimes. These guys were impressive - JohnBrody.com

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  • Monday, June 21, 2010

    Pont Neuf Bridge with Midnight Moonrise - JohnBrody.com

    Pont Neuf Bridge with Midnight Moonrise. This is my personal Favorite Location in Paris and maybe on this globe - Click for full sized Hi-Res Image - JohnBrody.com - JohnBrody.blogspot.com

    Midnight Moonrise Over Pont Neuf Bridge in Paris. This is my personal "Center" of Paris and my favorite location on this globe. An architechtural gem, bustling with activity and a view of everything 'Paris'... Per request I'm adding photo data: Canon 5D Mark II, Shutter 1.6 seconds, Aperture 9.0, ISO 1600, Focal Length 68mm. Cheers.


    --- Interesting reading: A few tidbits about Pont Neuf's curious and sometimes deadly history:

    All through the eighteenth century, the Pont Neuf was the center of Paris, lively with both crime and commerce: Czar Peter the Great, who came to study French civilization under the regency of the Duke d'Orleans, declared that he had found nothing more curious in Paris than the pont Neuf; and, sixty years later, the philosopher Benjamin Franklin wrote to his friends in America that he had not understood the Parisian character except in crossing the pont Neuf.

    In 1862, Édouard Fournier traced its history in his lively two-volume Histoire du Pont-Neuf. He describes how, even before it was completed (in 1607), gangs hid out in and around it and robbed and murdered people. It remained a dangerous place even as it became busier. For a long time, the bridge even had its own gallows.

    This did not prevent people from congregating there, drawn by various stands and street performers (acrobats, fire-eaters, musicians, etc.) Charlatans and quacks of various sorts were also common, as well as the hustlers (shell-game hucksters, etc) and pickpockets often found in crowds - not to mention a lively trade in prostitution. Among the many businesses which, however unofficially, set up there were several famous tooth pullers.

    In 1701, Cotolendi quoted a letter supposedly written by a Sicilian tourist: One finds on the Pont-Neuf an infinity of people who give tickets, some put fallen teeth back in, and others make crystal eyes; there are those who cure incurable illnesses; those who claim to have discovered the virtues of some powdered stones to white and to beautify the face. This one claims he makes old men young; there are those who remove wrinkles from the forehead and the eyes, who make wooden legs to repair the violence of bombs; finally everybody is so applied to work, so strongly and continually, that the devil can tempt no one but on Holidays and Sundays.

    With its numerous sellers of pamphlets and satirical performers, it was also a center for social commentary: In the 16th cent, the Pont-Neuf was the scene of the recitals of Tabarin, a famous satirist of the day, and it was long afterwards the favourite rendezvous of news-vendors, jugglers, showmen, loungers, and thieves. Any popular witticism in verse was long known as un Pont-Neuf.
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    If you haven't been there you must visit if you get a chance... JohnBrody.com





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  • Brave Bicycle Girl Has Pont Neuf Bridge All To Herself - JohnBrody.com

     Brave Bicycle Girl Has Pont Neuf Bridge All To Herself Simple shot that I like and I don't know why. Probably all the photos I've seen by many of the great French photographers on the same subject...- Click for full sized Hi-Res Image - JohnBrody.com -  JohnBrody.blogspot.com

    Simple shot that I like and I don't know why... Probably all the photos I've seen by many of the great French photographers on the same subject... JohnBrody.com

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  • Brugges Belgium - Castle on a Riverbank - JohnBrody.com

     Bruges Belgium - Castle on a Riverbank. Castle at the Minnewater in Brugges Belgium (depending on the translation, I've seen Brugges spelled six different ways). I only saw it from a distance, but it's a real eye grabber - Click for full sized Hi-Res Image - JohnBrody.com -  JohnBrody.blogspot.com

    Castle at the Minnewater in Brugges Belgium (depending on the translation, I've seen Brugges spelled six different ways). I only saw it from a distance, but it's a real eye grabber. A beautiful setting, the castle is currently used as a retaurant with inside and outdoor riverside seating. I wanted to go visit but had a lot more photos to shoot.

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  • Wednesday, June 2, 2010

    Artist at Sacre Coeur Concentrates On His Work - JohnBrody.com

    Artist at Sacre Coeur Concentrates On His Work - JohnBrody.com - JohnBrody.blogspot.com

    This gents intense focus caught my eye, but his subjects were interesting as well. It seemed he was a French speaking Aussie artist who was sketching two girls, one a Muslim girl with a strong British accent, the other had classic Swedish features but it seemed Spanish was her native language. They bounce between languages when talking to waiting friends and then to English which seemed to be their common ground – good for me, I’m sad to admit, because that’s all I speak. The scene was a mix worthy of a United Nations poster – A fun crowd too. I couldn’t get a photo of the whole group – a wall of people appeared between us when I stepped back far enough to get them all in a photo - JohnBrody.com