I don’t know how I forgot to post these night shots from our trip to Paris, Brandon actually had to remind me to do it. I guess I got too excited about our next trip to Berlin or maybe, as usual, life and chaos just got in the way. Anyway, here are a couple of night shots at the Louvre from our last trip to Paris. The Louvre is amazing during the day, but it is even more beautiful at night when most of the tourists have abandoned it.
I took this photo from the second tier of the Eiffel Tower looking down at one of the legs of the base. Instead of fighting the long lines to ride the elevator up, Brandon and I took the stairs up (don’t worry, we didn’t go all the way to the very top) and I think we both realized how out of shape we are. With our burning lungs, the only thing that made us feel better was the fact that no one passed us. The climb was definitely worth the gorgeous view of the city. I also loved being able to see the tower from a different vantage point; it really is an amazing structure.
This is my favorite photo of this week from our trip to Berlin. This was taken at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin at sunset. These concrete blocks vary in height and in the center are around 12-15 feet (?). Looking from the outside the memorial doesn’t look like anything really spectacular, but as we walked through I was really taken by the enormous size of these blocks. Walking through the 2,711 concrete blocks was pretty powerful.
Brandon and I headed to Berlin for Labor Day and were greeted by amazing weather, a wonderful city and some truly memorable sites. Due to the history of East and West Berlin, the city is fairly spread out, but we just put on our comfy shoes and had a great time walking all over the city to the various Platz’s (city squares), sites and monuments.
I’ve been in a slump these past few weeks and have hardly picked up my camera. I’m feeling a bit homesick lately and even though I am grateful for the opportunity to live overseas, I am ready to move home and be closer to family. Homesickness, lack of inspiration, and other life events had gotten the best of me lately and photography was not on my priority list.
But, what better way to get out of the photography slump then to head to Paris to celebrate our 2 year anniversary! Both Brandon and I have been to Paris before, but this was the first time that the two of us have gone alone. We hit most of the major tourist attractions, but decided to make this Parisian vacation a relaxing one. The first photo pretty much sums up our vacation. We wandered around Paris and made several stops along our adventure to lay on the grass, chill in the park or dip our feet in the fountains. This was exactly what I needed.
I’ve been playing around a bit with HDR and decided to try it with the scene below. The lighting and shadows were extremely harsh with the mid-day sun so I was hoping that the HDR would bring back some of the detail lost in the blown highlights and dark shadows.
No matter how many times I go to Paris, I always love to visit the Louvre. Even if we don’t go into the museum, I love the scene outside. The gorgeous architecture and pyramids still amaze me with their beauty; and I absolutely love watching all the people relaxing and walking around outside.
Maybe it is the rain that we have had lately, I’m not sure. But lately I’ve been a bit uninspired to pick up my camera. I’m pulling out some photos from earlier in the summer and hoping that it will motivate me to get out and take photos. Enjoy, and hopefully I will be back soon with some new ones!
June was such a busy time for us with traveling and other little side trips. It is hard to pick a favorite photo from June, because I have so many photos that make me smile and think about the great summer we have had so far. Since I have already shared quite a few of my favorite photos, I’ll share one of Brandon’s favorites (and mine too). This was taken at Schwetzingen Palace earlier in June.
