The red beret

Monday, November 28th, 2016
  • romance in paris

    It’s a crisp autumn day as a couple walk along the pont de Bir-Hakeim, a bridge that crosses the Seine River in Paris. The wind is whipping up leaves as the couple walk between the columns of the bridge that carries line 6 of the metro.

    I came here today to take a picture between these columns. I stood for ages waiting for a moment when there was nobody walking, which in the middle of the afternoon meant I had to wait a very long time. First a group of Korean girls spent an unfathomable amount of time taking pictures of themselves, then a man carrying a camera simply stood in the middle of the pathway doing nothing, for ages. I thought he might be waiting for a clear view shot like I was, so I stepped out of his frame for a while, but no, he was just standing there contemplating life or maybe just trying to mess with my shot.

    In the end I got my clear view photograph, then as I turned to leave this couple were walking toward me. They passed and I turned and shot this picture with one hand not even looking at the screen. Later, when I reviewed the pictures to choose one for today, there really was no contest, which bugs me a little given how carefully I framed all the other photographs I took, but that’s often what happens when I go anywhere with a specific shot in mind.

    You might recognise the bridge from Hollywood movies. Formerly called the pont de Passy, this it’s been seen in a number of films, notably Last Tango in Paris and Inception.

    Stand where this picture was taken using Google street view.

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