​The Newark to Paris leg was delayed 3 hours! Grrrr! But at least we got there at a reasonable time of day instead of 6-ish in the AM. Roissey Bus from the airport to Opera Garnier and a few blocks walk to the hotel where we could leave our bags for check-in later. (This is why I need to travel light).
Yes, we walk. And take the Metro (one of the best in the world, IMHO). Everywhere. Average was about 5 miles a day. It’s the best way to see the city and find interesting photo ops. An old unlocked iPhone got a French simcard with a very reasonable data plan and we had GPS and internet just about everywhere. Sometimes the good old maps came in handy though.
Yes, back to photography. Weather was not always ideal. It’s always the wild card when you travel. But the temperature was unusually warm for early November. Though it seemed to be foggy every morning, it usually burned off and as I look at my shots there were only a few days of bald sky. At least some of the cloudy days had clouds with definition.
I wore my camera like I wear my glasses—I felt undressed without it. Though by the 2nd week I was not wearing it to breakfast at the neighborhood patisserie down the block from the hotel. What I did not anticipate was how we scheduled our days. In hindsight I should have known. We’d leave after breakfast for the day’s sightseeing. It was usually to some other side of town so we rarely returned until we were ready to call it a day. The tripod never got opened. Yet I think some of my blue hour and night shots are quite successful and among the best from the trip. Yes I had to resort to high ISOs, larger apertures and noise reduction in Lightroom. Walls, railings and posts were sometimes helpful for stability. Yet some shots were merely hand held even in a moving boat on the River Seine.
The 16-50mm performed like a champ. I couldn’t be happier with this lens. The wide angle (24mm on my APS sensor) was great for cityscapes and inside the churches. And I believe it’s a much sharper lens. I didn’t even carry the 18-200mm when we were out and about. Sure there were a few times I wished I had the extra focal length. Nor did I use the polarizer. It might have been helpful in some cases though. I simply didn’t want to leave it on mainly because of the reduction in light. Stopping to put it on/take it off was just too much trouble. Too much time spent on photography gets me the stink eye from my companion. I have to get the shots quick and move on. You learn to be fast. If you have a few misses, it’s not the end of the world.
As for the SD cards: When a card got to about 1000 images I put a fresh card in. Total image count for the 2 weeks is about 2880 before deleting the worthless ones. I’m still reviewing and editing them but the count for rejection up to 154 as I write this. Trust me there are more for that list. At this point the count of top level shots that I might be able to use for prints or competition is 80, so less than 3%. There are a LOT (maybe 50% or more) of "record" shots not intended to be for prints or competition.
Batteries: I usually needed 1.5 batteries a day. Not bad battery life.
We left Paris twice in the 2 weeks. Once to visit Chartres (charming small town with a fabulous historic cathedral) and once to visit Chantilly (Chateau that is now an important art museum in a picture perfect setting). Both recommended if you are ever in Paris and want a day trip. Easy to get to via trains (Nice trains by the way).
All in all, photographically a great trip, and generally a great trip. We ate well!
Paris to DC, DC to Hartford. Wouldn’t you know it, DC to Hartford, delayed 3 hours. Grrrr!!!
 
View my faves here:
Paris:  https://picasaweb.google.com/114919873864750876422/Paris2015?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Chantilly:  https://picasaweb.google.com/114919873864750876422/ChantillyFrance?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Chartres:  https://picasaweb.google.com/114919873864750876422/ChartresFrance?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Professional travel photographers travel to make images. I make images when I travel. Travel is one of the things that got me interested in photography. For me, making images of a trip adds another dimension of enjoyment.
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I recently returned from 2 weeks in Paris; thankfully a few days before the attacks! I thought I’d report on the photography aspects of the trip. Since I’ve been to Paris several times before, I didn’t need much advance research on the city, it’s sights, getting around, etc. Other than a list of places we wanted to revisit, there was no planned itinerary. We’d wing it pretty much day by day. That left packing as the primary advance-planning chore. Obviously I’d take my main camera, batteries (I have 3), chargers (I have 2), SD cards (3 32 GB, 1 16 GB), a blower, a couple cleaning cloths, and the camera manual. The big decision was what lens or lenses to take. I considered what I’d be shooting: architecture, cityscapes, street captures, maybe people, night shots, indoors (museums, shops, restaurants). I nixed the 70-300mm as not appropriate. The 50mm, f/1.4 is fast but not versatile. I’d just gotten a new lens (16-50mm, f/2) less than a month before and hadn’t yet become familiar with it. I was eager to give it a try. My previous favorite walk around lens was an 18-200mm, f/3.5-5.6. Not really fast enough but would I miss the longer zoom range? I decided to make the 16-50mm the one I’d put on the camera. I packed the 18-200mm just in case. To carry it all, I chose a medium size sling pack. It’s not designed for cameras but it’s comfy. It slings across the body over one shoulder and can be worn on your back or up front. This would be my personal item to take on the plane as well as a carry-all walking around the city. At this point it was getting full since it also had to carry about half of what I usually tote around in my purse. Here’s where all you mirrorless shooters can gloat with your compact systems! Question was, do I need a spare camera? I decided there wasn’t room for it space or weight wise. I stuck the circular polarizers in for each lens, a small reflector and a sunshade (it adds a bit of shade where the lens hood leaves off). To tripod or not to tripod? That was the next question. I have a nice compact one. Sure, take it. I can carry it out at night for night shots. I put it in my carry-on. I had to be responsible for one large checked bag, a carry-on duffel-like bag and my “camera bag”. I was maxed out.
​Hartford to Newark, Newark to Paris.
Stay tuned for Part 2.