Street Life

This past week I have had some fantastic photo opportunities. Firstly on Wednesday I did a photo shoot for a local firm of architects (SDA Architecture) and hopefully I will be able to share some of those images in the near future. Then over the weekend I have been in Versailles and Paris and I have taken hundreds of pictures, enough to keep my blog going for weeks although it is likely that I will mix things up and come back to these pictures at different times.

I had gone to Versailles to visit the new LDS Temple which has recently been completed. It is a beautiful building and such a tranquil and spiritual place;  it was definitely worth the trip to see it.

I also spent a day in Paris and as well as having a wonderful lunch with good friends I went walkabout with my camera, oh yes and treated myself to a box of Debauve et Gallais chocolates (it has become a bit of a habit/tradition when in the City of Lights).

I have lots of shots of the famous landmarks from my previous visits to these two fine cities so I wanted to try something different and so I went with the intention of trying street photography. I have wanted to do this for some time but I have been wary in case people took offense or became angry at having a camera pointed at them by a random stranger. So I took it gently at first taking pictures of the activity in the market square and surroundings but I got braver as the weekend went by. Happily only one person objected, and I will have fun sorting through and sharing some of my favourite moments with you.

The first picture was actually my first attempt at pointing my camera at a stranger, he looked straight at me and asked if I wanted to take his picture and the moment was gone because I didn't want a pose but as he walked by speaking to me I captured this shot which works well and we both went away smiling.

The second image was lovely scene I spotted as I walked along an avenue of trees. I saw this man and small girl perhaps a grandfather and his granddaughter , looking out of their apartment window, watching the world go by. I lifted my camera to capture the scene just at the point they spotted someone they knew across the street and reached up to wave. I think it tells a lovely story.

The third shot caught my eye as I like the orderliness of the stacked tables and chairs in the shade of the trees bordering the Place D'Armes in front of the chateau. 

For the last of today's images I had spotted this cafe/restaurant, I love the exterior and thought it would make a great picture for my blog and just as I prepared to take the shot the door opened and this girl stepped out followed by her boyfriend. I think the shop front would have made a great shot on its own but the addition of the girl brings the picture to life.

I hope that you have enjoyed these pictures and if so please come back over the coming days to see some more.