Photographing Paris - "Part Deux"

Photographs taken January 31, 2018

Lion and man are locked in an eternal battle at the Louvre. Nikon D5300 at f/4.5 @ 35mm, ISO 800, 1/20

Note: This is Part 2 of the Paris series; for Part 1 please click here.

After visiting the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower it was time to head to the Louvre art museum. As we approached the Louvre we were treated to a variety of outdoor sculptures in the outdoor sculpture garden.

A bird perches on a statue outside the Louvre. Nikon D5300 at f/5.6 @ 55mm, ISO 400, 1/1.6k

The South Wing of the Louvre. Nikon D5300 at f/5.6 @ 55mm, ISO 400, 1/800

The Louvre itself is an absolutely gigantic museum. The entrance is a glass pyramid and the wings of the museum encompass multiple stories and surround the entrance in a U shape.

The North Wing of the Louvre. Nikon D5300 at f/4 @ 18mm, ISO 400, 1/2k

We walked around the museum for hours, seeing Ancient Roman sculptures, classic Italian paintings, and even the Mona Lisa. We felt the Mona Lisa was fairly small and underwhelming compared with the detail and size of some of the other paintings on display, the largest of which ("The Wedding Feast at Cana") measured over 21 x 35 feet. Again, the black and white treatment worked well as it brought out the rich details of the sculptures.

A collection of figures adorn an ancient Roman tomb at the Louvre. Nikon D5300 at f/5 @ 42mm, ISO 800, 1/8

A man and serpent do battle at the Louvre. Nikon D5300 at f/4 @ 18mm, ISO 800, 1/15

One of the most impressive sculptures in the collection is the "Winged Victory of Samothrace", which was built in the form of the Goddess Nike around the 2nd Century BC to commemorate a naval battle.

"Winged Victory of Samothrace", The Louvre. Nikon D5300 at f/5.3 @ 48mm, ISO 400, 1/50

The details on some of the statues made them incredibly lifelike, and even more amazing is the fact that these were done thousands of years ago with only basic tools at the sculptor's disposal.

An Elder's Wisdom, The Louvre. Nikon D5300 at f/5.3 @ 48mm, ISO 800, 1/25

After hours inside the museum, we had only visited two out of the three wings but it was time to move on. Night had fallen as we left the Louvre and we headed to our final destination, Notre-Dame de Paris.

The Louvre Museum at Night. Nikon D5300 at f/4 @ 25mm, ISO 400, 1/4

Notre-Dame de Paris is hard to miss, its Gothic architecture lit up each night. We ended up eating at a nearby cafe (a must when you are in Paris) overlooking the cathedral. It was a great ending to my trip.

Notre-Dame de Paris lit up at night. Nikon D5300 at f/4 @ 24mm, ISO 800, 1/10

As we were heading back to the hotel we caught a last glimpse of the Eiffel Tower's spotlight sweeping across the city as it does each night.

The Eiffel Tower's rotating spotlight frozen in time. Nikon D5300 at f/5.6 @ 55mm, ISO 800, 0.8

I hope you've enjoyed some of the photos of Paris and that you get the chance to visit the city if you haven't already. Feel free to leave a comment and for more photos click over to "City Life".

Stay tuned for the next Travel Notes entry covering my trip to Japan...