Sunday seems like an appropriate day to post this photo of one of the world’s most famous and largest churches.

There are literally millions of pictures taken each year of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris and I am not even going to begin to try to illustrate this amazing structure.

Rather this is about the only shot I took while in Paris or Italy using the 14mm wide angle lens for the Fuji X-Pro camera that I took along for the visit.

Despite all the religious grandeur of Notre Dame I could not get over the fact construction of this enormous building began in the 11th Century.

The ceiling is around 200 feet high and any other lens would have been very limiting considering the vasty interior of Notre Dame.

This is the main alter area of the church but what you can’t see is the large number of people walking behind the altar area where there are other smaller chapels. Looking back in the opposite direction and to left and right is equally awesome.

As you can see here, the quality of the image is no less crisp and sharp than any of the other Fuji lens I use. The rendition of colour and the performance in low light is exceptional.

The shot is hand held at 1/30th of a second, Aperture 2.8. ISO 2,500

Off the beaten track…well the tourist track at least, are interesting places to dine along the streets of Paris.

This is where the small Fuji cameras I carried came in handy.

I sat on the stairs across the street in the Montmartre district and just waited until the chap had twirled the hot cheese on his fondue fork and raised it in the air.

Fuji X-Pro1. f8 @ 1/340 sec. ISO 800 minus 2/3rd exposure compensation.

A set of stairs in the famous Paris district,Montmartre. The lovers totally unaware of passing pedestrians.

I thought it strange. Normally, I would think, lovers in this situation would prefer the shadows for their necking.

However it was not uncommon to see such unbridled passion in public.

The stairs the lovers are embracing on are quite famous. A photographer by the name of Brassai portrayed them on a foggy morning in a picture entitled L’ Escalliers de Montmartre back between the First and Second World Wars.

Brassai, an Hungarian who spend most of his life in Paris is famous for the photograps he took of the city at night in the early part of the last century.

His landscapes, the Paris nightlife and the seedier side of the city were all captured by by Brassai over many years using equipment that would confound a lot of photographers in this modern digital world.

Anyone who studies photography and the masters of the art would do well to delve into his work. It is easy these days. Google has much on his life and a great array of his photos.

The above photos of the stairs are not Brassai’s but mine. Fuji X-Pro 1 f2.8, ISO 3200, Shutter 1/15th sec and 1/17th sec, -2/3rds Exposure Compensation

I found this an amusing scene.

All the Greek Gods or perhaps the architects of the French Revolution looking down from the parapets of the Louvre in Paris on a woman taking a bath in a truck.

Yep. Times have changed.

If I had waited another second I might have got the driver in a slightly better position. Damn!!

Even by Paris standards this couple were a standout.. I have no idea of who they were or their history even though my curiosity has been high ever since.

I spotted them walking along the Boulevard Saint Germaine…..several light years away from a K-Mart shopping experience…so I am pretty sure this was not a fancy dress get up.

So how to get a photograph?

The couple stopped for refreshments at a street-side cafe but still no opportunity. However when they continued their majestic stroll along the boulevard I moved some way ahead of them and just waited until they moved into the picture. A little forward planning worked wonders.

The shot from behind illustrated the luxury of Madame’s flowing cape.

The other striking thing about them was the total lack of expression on either of their faces.