St. Germain and the Arc de Triomphe (Day 4)

Already halfway through our stay and we’ve seen everything we wished to see, save the Arc de Triomphe – something we planned on doing at night. So today was a morning of leisure and rest. When we were finally refreshed, we headed out to the Batobus and rode it to Faubourg Saint-Germain-des-Prés under a glorious autumn sky. (We had awoken to rain, so the clearing weather was a blessing.) We managed to shoot a few more photos of the Tour Eiffel with the gorgeous blue sky as the boat wound its way to St. Germain.

Tour Eiffel and the Louvre (Day 3)

After a leisurely morning, we headed out towards the Seine to get passes for the Batobus, a river taxi relatively new to the city. We stopped by a boulangerie for a mid-morning snack, which we partook of while sitting in the large courtyard of the Hôtel de Ville. Our destination today was Tour Eiffel; rather than brave the Parisian Metro or walk the 2.5 miles, we opted for the river taxi which was a pleasant ride.

It’s hard to believe we were actually at the Tour Eiffel. If you couldn’t believe it, the multitude of souvenir sellers made sure you didn’t forget. With their wares dangling on large rings or spread out on blankets, they were EVERYWHERE. My wife remarked later that there was no “official” souvenir shop in the area, unlike in DC where the National Park Service has a shop at practically every single memorial and monument.

Paris – Notre Dame and Jardin des Tuileries (Day 2)

Continuing my personal journal entries from our October 2010 trip to Paris, France.

Image of the Moment

Red Tail Hawk in flight, taken during our recent trip to Tennessee/North Carolina. This shot was a total accident as I hadn’t changed my settings…but I like the end result, as it has the look of a painting.

Just thought I’d share.

NatGeo: Terra Cotta Warriors Invade! (Preview)

I was invited last week to a special local blogger/photographer pre-public event at the National Geographic Society, celebrating the visit of the extremely rare-outside-China terra cotta warriors. DC was the last stop on a four-city tour; they had 15 of the figures on display along with roughly 100 total pieces.

We only had an hour to visit, so I spent 59 minutes shooting the two galleries. (That one lone minute was for light-testing and a lens swap-out.) Though I shot nearly 150 photos, I ended up with about 95 worth anything. Shooting without flash is difficult indoors, especially in a soft-lit exhibit space. Still, I think I did decently well.

You can see the photos in my Flickr gallery. I’ll post a smattering here, after the jump.