Friday, February 25, 2011

Dimanche à Paris... Lost in Thought

I tell my photography students over and over about waiting for the best shot.  I'm pretty impulsive (quelle surprise!) and tend to just fire off a few shots and keep going, but in Paris, I seem to be able to slow down and just wait.  Meredith Mullins calls it the "art of the wait".  Cartier-Bresson was the master of it. Maybe I feel their vibes when in Paris!  This day I spotted the man on the quai.  I took several shots and then I waited a bit. I liked this last pose the best.  The carvings on the tree were the icing on this cake!

21 comments:

PeterParis said...

A good piece of advice ... with a proof! :-)

Maya said...

So true! We also learned this lesson in photography class this week for action shots. It is better to have the camera focused on a particular point (say the basketball hoop) and just wait for the perfect split second to get a great shot than to use burst mode which may miss the crucial split second.

I think with random people and animal shots, you need to do both. Sometimes grabbing a shot quickly is the best you can do as they often leave, but then waiting patiently if they stick around will often yield the best results (as in this wonderful shot!).

Cezar and Léia said...

So many love writing in the tree! :)
Wonderful image!
Léia

cocoa and coconut said...

Je trouve que l'image est parfait!
I love the markings too. I wonder why you seem to have that ability to wait and capture just in Paris?

Diane said...

I shall take your advise and try this. I loved the photo of you and your pal previously. x

Elizabeth said...

You never disappoint! Well done.

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

V, this is one of your best... magnifique!

G

Amanda said...

I love this shot Virginia! Perfection!

Éva said...

Looking at the carved trees I'm sure that many people were waiting for someone here.:-)
Were they all in love???:-)
I like the photos. I want to learn from good fotographers.

Jean(ne) in MN said...

I love this shot! So much going on even though still, it tells many stories and has many symbols to work from. Beautiful, you are a master.

Pamela said...

You are amazing and I was thinking the exact same thing when studying this photo...I said to myself those hearts carved in the tree says it all. He's waiting for her!!

Happy Friday V !!

Pamela ox

Starman said...

I don't normally like B&W photos, but this is a great shot.

TheChieftess said...

Wonderful composition V!!! And great advice!!!

James said...

This is perfect! Bravo!

I noticed that my photos got better when I learned the art of waiting for the shot. It's great advice.

Alexa said...

Patience is definitely a virtue worth cultivating when you have a camera in your hand (though sometimes impulsive gets it done!). Yours was certainly rewarded!
A win-win for us too—thanks, V.

Owen said...

I wonder what he was waiting for ???

Shell Sherree said...

I'm pretty impulsive (quelle surprise!) Hee! This one was worth the wait, Virginia. A beauty.

anna said...

Daaaaaang this is a fantastic shot!

Anonymous said...

J'aime votre blog et la manière comme vous prenez les photos.
Bravo et bon week-end!

M said...

Virginia, your patience paid off ... this is a fantastic photo! And, absolutely, the carved hearts are the icing on the cake! Miam-miam!!

Oakland Daily Photo said...

The choice of using black and white makes the image timeless.