Ironic Jungle

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Ironic Jungle ~

Ironic Jungle, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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I'm forever in awe of the accomplishments of modern engineering feats, and nowhere more so than in the bridges of Paris.

Their undersides are often just as impressive as their top sides, and sometimes more so.

The intricate ironwork here, on the Alexandre III bridge, is highly reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower, perhaps because it was built in the same era, around the turn of the last century for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, as were the Grand Palais and Petit Palais over on the right bank.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Poor Old Fish Face

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Poor Old Fish Face ~

Poor Old Fish Face, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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Not a fantastical Notre Dame creature, high up on one of the twin towers, no. He's much closer to the lay of the land, or rather the rippling of the river.

He's a huge fishy-faced concrete monster at the base of the Alexandre III bridge, looking out wistfully over the Seine whence he seems to have been eternally banished.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

_________________________________________________________________________________
© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

The Hole Story

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ The Hole Story ~

The Hole Story, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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There's an astonishing facade somewhere around the Jardin des Plantes on the left bank of Paris. I think it's might be part of the university, although it echoes the amazing opening and closing apertures of the Arabic cultural centre a bit further along the Seine. Maybe they're linked somehow.

There's another strangely clad building in the 13th I'll have to show you sometime, just as you come out of the Bibliothèque François Mitterand RER train station. It's a huge block of offices completely covered in randomly placed wooden stakes like giant toothpicks. Go figure. Whatever next?

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

_________________________________________________________________________________
© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Walk This Way

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Walk This Way ~

Walk This Way, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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Just a bit of urban infrastructure we don't particularly register consciously although we use it, vitally, every day.

Did you notice the spooky tall white-clad figure in the bottom right? A living statue gazing unblinkingly over a typical streetscape of magazine kiosk, public toilet, open air exhibition and RER station, complete with bemused pedestrians looking lost.

And half a green man inciting you to walk, as well you should. You see so much more when you do.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

_________________________________________________________________________________
© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Time Sensitive Tapestry

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Time Sensitive Tapestry ~

Time Sensitive Tapestry, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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On the day the first homo divorce was announced the gay mag Têtu asks if the same-sex marriage will boost the economy with a vaguely Freddie Mercury lookalike on the cover.

Vanity Fair has the strangely androgynous Charlotte Gainsbourg gazing out from under a floppy hat. On the other side of the stand it's the usual mix of gossip, politics and porno mags to regale the population.

I'm a big fan of the seemingly utterly random mix of magazine covers like a time-sensitive tapestry snapshot of today's society. Check out your local high street kiosk and you'll see what I mean.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Paris Lying Low

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Uplifting Underlings ~

Paris Lying Low, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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It's funny to think back a few years to the days without the free papers. How the litter collectors must rue the day those things appeared for the first time.

Now they're everywhere. 20 Minutes, Direct Matin, Metro, not to mention all the associated freebees that appear from time to time. There's a certain poetry to them though. Sometimes they echo the heartbeat of the city, just occasionally.

Here's Paris in the grime and grit, waiting to be tidied up before the next batch comes along to clutter up the place. But I'm always pleased when I find a recent copy gracing a train seat. Just dispose of responsibly, or I'll take more photos like this one.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Diana Dues

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Diana Dues ~

Diana Dues, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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I haven't seen the film nor do I have an overriding desire to see it, although I'm sure it might be entertaining, especially if you were into the princess in question.

Which, you might have guessed, I wasn't particularly, but that doesn't mean I didn't like her. I was just hovering.

The poster plastered about the tunnel at the Pont d'Alma where she died was removed, apparently on grounds of good taste.

I like the French flag and the Eiffel in the background. It was a grey day, as you can probably see.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Red Car Blues

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Red Car Blues ~

Red Car Blues, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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I'm publishing this, not because I think it's great, but because I spent a certain time on it and don't want to let it get away without at least a namecheck.

Without the red car it would be practically worthless.

Having said that, I like the angles of the bus shelter. Which was the reason I took the shot in the first place. All I needed was something interesting to go past. Ideally a bus screaming 'Paris Tours' or something like that.

Unfortunately, all I got was this red car. That'll have to do.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

_________________________________________________________________________________
© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Uplifting Underlings

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Uplifting Underlings ~

Uplifting Underlings, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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Combining other people's photography with my own has no interest for me if it doesn't seem to add something new or unique.

In this photo I like the people hurrying by this uplifting image, only half seeing in a certain lethargy while the photo's subject itself seems to be in a state of semi-ecstasy.

All this on the banks of the Seine on a sunny Sunday afternoon. As if we didn't have anything better to do. Lovely.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Fortune's Waiting Room

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Fortune's Waiting Room ~

Fortune's Waiting Room, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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No no, it's not a self portrait, although it almost could be, the amount of time I spend scattered around Paris benches.

This huge walled flowerscape caught my eye. In a fairly central Parisian square - you have to keep your eyes open for them, mind you.

And as for our chappy there, he's symptomatic of many of the itinerant members of our community. Where he sleeps is anyone's guess.

But he's got a nice garden while he waits...

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Papapapapapapapa... Parisman!

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Papapapapapapapa... Parisman! ~

Papapapapapapapa... Parisman!, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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Ahh, boys will be boys.

I could tell you who this is, but this isn't a history blog. Sometimes the mystery is more interesting than the minutiae.

Besides, I can't remember.

Messing around. You've gotta love 'em. Until they bring the whole thing tumbling down.

Did you see those idiot scout leaders last week laddishly toppling a timeless rock formation from its tiny pedestal in the name of safety, and whooping and hi-fiving as though they'd done something admirable? Safety was their excuse. Stupidity was their saviour.

At least they haven't painted him scarlet or chopped his head off. Although it wouldn't be the first time someone had perpetrated such effronteries.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

N.Y. Loves Me

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ N.Y. Loves Me ~

N.Y. Loves Me, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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Can't believe I haven't officially published this one yet, it's ancient history!

What a lot of my favourite photographic elements it contains. A nice twist on an old theme: I love New York, but no! NY loves ME...

And the angles of the drain cover and the wall. It's totally me.

Then the colour... splodged blue on red and white, symbolic to an extent, although of what I know not what.

The cigarette ends, the glistening bitumen, the imprinted concrete, all of these things are part of the Parisian pavementscape, for those who care to look. Not that there are many. But this is the way. Twists on old themes.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Paris, My Paris

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Paris, My Paris ~

Paris, My Paris, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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He he. Even on a banal works hoarding you can find hints of a greater calling.

Good old Paris. She'll be there long after I've gone, and all the better for my passing, hopefully.

In the meantime she will have to suffer my usurping her every namecall and pointing out all of her faults.

This isn't a fault but a namecall, and that'll do for today!

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Destination Oblivion

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Destination Oblivion ~

Destination Oblivion, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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Stern sentinel for a forgotten cause, here he stands, impassive and unblinking, staring over a stony Seine.

Such is the destiny of a thousand such statues.

We can only wonder, about their lives, about our own and about the value of being cast in bronze or alabaster to gaze upon who knows what vista until the next revolution.

Luckily, I know my destiny. And it ain't particularly pretty.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

_________________________________________________________________________________
© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Green Triptych 3

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Green Triptych 3 ~

Green Triptych 3, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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Autumn draws in on the lush lawns of the city. Leaves are lying low. People are scuttling by. Paris is pampering the pavements.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

_________________________________________________________________________________
© 2013 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.