Posted in Paris, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged Arc de Triomphe, Armistice Day, Armistice Day 2019, Avenue des Champs-Élysées, canon 55-250mm, Canon SL2, Paris, paris france on November 11, 2019| 5 Comments »
All of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées was blocked off today to permit French President Macron unimpeded access to the Arc de Triomphe, where he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and made a speech in honor of Armistice Day. I did not make it all of the way down to the Arc de Triomphe, but captured a few photos of the ceremonial guards as they made their way past my vantage point on the Champs-Élysées.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Architecture, Landscape, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged Armistice Day, Armistice Day 2011, canon 18-55mm lens, Canon Rebel XT, Eiffel Tower, fog, Paris on November 11, 2014| 5 Comments »
Three years ago on Armistice Day, the top portion of the Eiffel Tower was hidden in the fog, giving this familiar landmark a feeling of mystery. I really liked the look and got shots of it from both sides of the Seine River
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Architecture, Landscape, Photography, Travel, Urban, tagged Arc de Triomphe, Armistice Day, Armistice Day 2011, canon 18-55mm lens, Canon Rebel XT, Eternal Flame, Paris on November 11, 2014| 11 Comments »
On this date three years ago, I was in Paris and I was struck by the degree to which the French celebrate Armistice Day (Armistice de la Première Guerre mondiale). There were flags all along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and a huge flag was hanging inside the Arc de Triomphe. It was a cold foggy day, which somehow felt appropriate for a solemn day of remembrance.
I too was celebrating and remembering, though in a personal way. I was in the midst of a two week trip to Paris, commemorating the end of almost thirty-four years of working full-time for the government, including twenty years in the US Army. I was on a journey of discovery, though in many ways it was a journey of rediscovery. Although I already owned a Canon Rebel XT DSLR, I had rarely used it, but somehow I decided to take photos every day that I was in Paris and to post ten of them every day in my Facebook account. That experience rekindled my love for photography and I started taking photos regularly, which led to this photography-oriented blog.
When I was in college, I majored in French language and literature and spent a year studying in Paris. Several of my friends noticed that my personality and even the tonality of my voice changed when I was speaking in French. At that time I was quiet and introverted, but when I switched languages, I somehow felt freer to express my emotions and grew to love 19th century romantic poetry, for example. Over the years, my personality has shifted and I have become more like that original French personna.
I sense that a similar process is taking place with photography, as my senses become much more attuned to the natural world and I am experiencing life in a deeper, more self-aware way. I am thankful to Leanne Cole, a delightful Australian photographer, who started me thinking along these lines when she asked me the simple question of why I take photographs as part of an interview that she did in a posting introducing me.
As you celebrate and remember on this day, no matter if you call it Veterans Day, Armistice Day, or simply 11 November, take a moment and ponder this personal question, “Why do you take photographs?”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 