I vividly remember the day I took my Eiffel Tower Reflection photo as one of the best days of the summer in 2019.
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| Eiffel Tower Reflection |
First, just being in Paris made it a great day, but on top of that I achieved a goal I had set - getting a photo of the Eiffel Tower reflected in a puddle. Puddle photos caught my attention multiple times over the years, but I knew Paris was having a hot and dry summer. If the weather presented an opportunity, I knew I would have to move fast.
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| Eiffel Tower Reflection |
My son and I left the Musée Marmottan (Marmottan Museum) and discovered a downpour going on. We changed plans on the spot, bought an umbrella at the museum, and decided to go to the Eiffel Tower for perhaps the 3rd time that trip. There were no metro shortcuts, so we literally started to run to the Eiffel Tower so I could "get my shot".
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| Me and my umbrella |
When a fit 20-something male decides to move fast, it can be quite a fast pace. We basically ran what google maps claims is only 2.4 km (Personally, I think google might be wrong - it seemed like much farther).
Then we looked for puddles and waited for the rain to stop.
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| Eiffel Tower in different puddle with raindrops |
The wait was made much nicer by eating crepes from the now very uncrowded concession stand near a carousel.
(At least I ate crepes. Nathan ate the kind of lunch a 20-something eats after a delayed lunch and running for a half an hour. So, maybe two sandwiches, a couple of snacks, then crepes...)
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| Food Stand near Eiffel Tower |
Gray and rainy doesn't necessarily bring me down, in fact it can be sometimes quite nice. Even if your shoes are soaking wet. (The vendors and crowds near the Eiffel Tower must melt in the rain - they seemed to disappear, especially the vendors.)
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| Decorative flavoring containers at the food stand |
We people watched as we waited - the wedding couple below and their photographer were fun to watch as they tried to ignore the rain as well.
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| Wedding Couple at the Eiffel Tower |
I might not have achieved my ideal "puddle" shot, but I love the memories it brings back. The size of the "puddle" was mammoth, which somehow seems appropriate for the Eiffel Tower - dwarfing the cars and motorcycles and people with umbrellas.
(Ideal shot: Eiffel tower lit up at night reflected in the puddle - a goal for next time?)
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| Eiffel Tower Reflection 2 |
We had to wait for traffic to stop and the puddle to "settle" between photos, and I never caught a good shot of the cars splashing through the puddle still reflecting the tower, but there still is an energy in the in the photo above, and I love the way the cobblestones show through.
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| Eiffel Tower Reflection |
That evening we met my daughter after her classes, went grocery shopping, and cooked a family meal in her dorm's kitchen, achieving one of her summer goals as well. Overall, a great day in a beautiful city.
Fun note: Puddle shots are trickier than I thought - you have to find the puddle, the best angle for reflection (that is safe and not in the middle of a road), figure out where to focus, (which basically means what you want to have in focus), and how you want to compose it given the limitations of your lens and the geometry of the distances involved. If you get too low to the ground, the reflected object becomes squashed. So perhaps I should have considered practicing before I went, but there aren't a lot of Eiffel Towers back home where I live.
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I
think about the French people during this Coronavirus pandemic. I think
about the few I met, and the ones that assist and rely on the tourists, which I so
enjoyed being. I think about the beautiful museums, restaurants, and stores, and their
staff, and I hope they are healthy, and will come out of this
summer doing fine.
I
hope the same for you as well. May you find great
moments in what surely will be the weirdest summer of many people's lives.
Click on the images to see them enlarged.
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I am linking up to these parties:
Poinsettiadr: Classy Flamingos 95 Tue (l Entry 8x)
Mersad photography: Through my Lens (Entry 25)
Our World Tues: Our World (Entry 72r)
Image-in-ing: Weekly link up (Entry 62)
Sharon Wagner: Sharon's Souveniers (Entry 6r)
Nicholasjv: Travel Tuesday (Entry 10)
Across the Blvd: Beautifully Made Tue 8a (Entry na)
My world Thru My Lens: My Corner Wed (Entry 31)
Peabea: Pictorial Tuesday (Entry 11)
Jesh studio: All Seasons Tues (Entry 24)
Thistlekeylane: Tuesday Turn About (s Entry 1)
Also My Wee Abode: Tuesday Turn About (s Entry 1)
My Random: Anything Goes 239 (s Entry 42)
Lindas lunacy: Making-a-home Tue 166 (m Entry 20)
LeCultivateur: Wonderful Wed (m Entry closed)
Stonecottageadventures: Tuesday with a twist 370 (l Entry 31)
Lets Add Sprinkles: Keep in Touch Tue 4p (m Entry ??)
Gingersnap crafts:Wow me 456 Tue 7p (Entry 11x)
Girlish Whims: Whims 461 Tues 8:50p (Entry 5)
Applestreetcottage: Party-in-your-pjs (Entry 14)
Flusterbuster: Creative Muster 386 Wed (l Entry x of x)
Chas crazy creations: To grandmas house 194 Wed 4p (m Entry 67)
French Ethereal: Share Your Style 258 Wed 6p (Entry 18) I was featured here!
Imparting grace: Grace at home 381 (Entry 10)
Artsy mama: Artsy party 294 Th 7a (Entry 22 of 70)
My Slices of Life: Hearts+Home Handmade Th 6a (Entry x of x)
Pieced Pastimes.gr: Saturday Sparks 377 Th 8a (L Entry 18)
Eclectic Red Barn: Thurs Favorite Things Th 7a (Entry 32)
Also KatherinesCorner: Th 7a (Entry 32)
Also Follow the yellow brick: Th 7a (Entry 32)
Life beyond Kitchen: Creatively Crafty 225 Th 4p (Entry 80)
Kathleen: Bloggers Pit Stop 223 Th 8p (L Entry 7 of 89)
Coastal Bohemian: Funtastic Thur 8p (i Entry 2 of 102)
The Painted Hinge: Embrace your Style 156 (L Entry 11)
Petals pies + otherwise: Handmade Weekly Fri (s Entry 1 of 76)
Firemanswife: Fri at the fire station 168 (m Entry 12)
Ohmyheartsiegirl: Friday Feature Party 208 (s Entry 136 of 151)
Cottagemarket: A morning cup of joe (L Entry 23 of 69)
Shabby art boutique: Create-bake-grow-gather 421 (L Entry x of x)
Busy Being Jennifer: Fri Favorites 82 (m Entry 46)
Our mini family: Our mini party 280 (s Entry x)
Funkyjunkinteriors: DIY Salvaged Fri (Entry na)
** Eye Love Knots: Snicker Doodle 337 Sat 5pm (m Entry 99)
Pams Party: Dare to share 419 fri 11p (m Entry 1)
Weekend Reflection: reflections (Entry 5)
Creative Mom: Craft Schooling Sunday (s Entry x?)
Finding Silver pennies: Silver Pennies 361 Sun 6a (m Entry 91)
Life and Linda: Love your Creativity Sun 3p (l Entry 64)
3 little buttons: Dream Team Linky 206 Sun 6am (Entry 15)
April Harris: Hearth and Soul Sun 10p (Entry 28)
Faeries and Fauna: Waste not Wed 198 (l Entry x)
Create with Joy: Inspire me Mon 437 (m Entry 77)
My Random: Anything Goes 240 (Entry 11)
Good Random Fun: Good Random Fun Mon 4a (m Entry 43)
BNOTP: Metamorphis Monday 6a (s Entry x)
Uncommon Slice: Inspire Me Mon 2-4p (m Entry 42)
* Stroll Life: Inspire Me Mon 550 3p (l Entry 4 of 33)
Maria Elena: Tue at Our Home 362 Mon 12p? (l Entry 13)
Loulougirls: Fabulous-party 322 Mon 7p (l Entry 39)
Anitaojeda: Inspire Me Mon 4p (s Entry 34)
Paris Emily Tour
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