I spent a weekend in Paris last month. The weather forecast was not good and there was the threat of widespread riots but neither transpired and I enjoyed three days of walking, frequent stops for refreshment and the best of Paris’ landmarks.
I joined a photo workshop run by Steve Gosling of Creative Photo Adventures. There were six of us attending the workshop and Steve was joined by Doug Stratton of Doug Stratton Photography.
I was attracted to the workshop because although I’ve been to Paris scores of times on business I’d never really walked its streets and, as a keen photographer, I realised how photogenic the city is and seized the opportunity.
The other five on the workshop were perhaps more committed photographers than I am, they used tripods and multiple lenses and filters. Of course this enabled them to capture images which I could not. Some of their night shots are exceptional. I reckon that I compensated by not having to cart a load of extra weight around with me and by being able to respond to photo opportunities more quickly. I used both my Sony A7 III DSLR and my RX100 pocket.
We stayed at le Libertel Gare du Nord Suede which was just fine. From there we headed out each morning at 0730 to capture non-existent sunrises. Then we filled our days with walking (I registered 70000 steps over the three days), stops for meals, coffee and other refreshment and ‘great’ photography. It was a super weekend and my five highlights are:
French, specifically, Parisian waiters. They’ve got a reputation of being intolerant, impatient and dismissive of those who don’t conform. We saw none of this. Lots of English was spoken willingly, separate bills were accommodated (mostly) and tables were found to enable eight of us to sit together.
The restaurant Carette and the breakfast we enjoyed. It was not cheap (EUR20 for a coffee and a pain au raisin) but it was perfect. We were served with charm by Freda from Indonesia who still had time to chat when she found out that ‘istri saya dari Indonesia’!
Early morning mass at Sacré-Cœur. We were up early for the sunrise that never came but that got into the cathedral before the crowds and it was just perfect. There’s an incredible sound system and it filled the cathedral with the voices of the nuns singing the mass. Magic!
Street photography by Doug Stratton. I characterise much of my photography as ‘street’ because it’s ‘of the moment’ and ‘in the street’ but it’s pedestrian to the art as practiced by Doug. He showed how to use a fixed focal length lens set on auto to take photos just about continuously and thereby capture moments which would be lost with my more measured approach.
Public transport, the Metro, buses and the app. Paris is well served by its public transport system. It’s clean, easy to use and very functional. Signage is clear and helpful and the app, IDF Mobilités, quickly generates itineraries in real time. Is the same available for London? I can’t imagine its buses being so amenable to such an approach.
There’s an album of images at https://jdavidjenkins.org.uk/2026-paris-weekend
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