Paris Vignettes: Contrasts and Reflections

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Paris Vignettes: Contrasts and Reflections

Is there anything more beautiful than Paris in the rain? In photographing the city, a real pleasure is capturing reflections as they suddenly appear right after a spring rain. A few examples below: “la pluie” and “place de la Concorde.” Window reflections are also wonderful. I walked past the Accor arena in Bercy and suddenly the nearby building façade appeared in its windows (“reflets des maisons”). These opportunities arrive near sunset as you wander the streets (“vers la Bastille”) and see the shadows grow (“un couple”). Even inside a museum (“dans le jeu de paume”) these contrasts can make their mercurial appearance. One tip shared by a photographer is to always look up or down; sometimes you’ll see amazing contrasts (“toit de carreau du temple”). In this style, one of my favorites was captured while sitting on a bench inside the Ruinart exhibit at the Carreau du Temple. I glanced down and saw these amazing J’adior shoes.

Vers la Bastille, Photo credit: William O’Such

Un Couple, Photo credit: William O’Such

Toit de Carreau du Temple, Photo credit: William O’Such

Reflets des Maisons, Photo credit: William O’Such

Presque Fin de Hiver, Photo credit: William O’Such

Place de la Concorde, Photo credit: William O’Such

Nuit Dans le Marais, Photo credit: William O’Such

J’adior, Photo credit: William O’Such

Deux Pas Photo credit: William O’Such

Dans le Jeu de Paume Photo credit: William O’Such

Apres la Pluie, Photo credit: William O’Such

Lead photo credit : Contrast and Reflections, Photo credit: William O'Such

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William was introduced to silver halide photography by his father, Chester J. O’Such, via the family’s Ansco reflex camera and home darkroom. After college, William worked as a photographic engineer at Eastman Kodak, where he began to learn the art of photography. With his first SLR, a Canon AE-1, he photographed his inaugural voyage to Paris in 1982. This early spark turned into full passion when William became a Kodak expatriate in Paris from 1995-99. Before returning to the USA, William and his future wife Ineke bought an apartment in the Marais district. Inspired by Bresson, William continues to visit Paris at least twice a year to wander the streets, camera in hand, looking for the next vignette. His photos are available for sale by visiting www.osuchphotography.com