Photographers, Advanced Tips on Paris?

There is a market that hardly any tourists ever discover but on a Saturday morning it is where you will find hundreds & hundreds of Parisians shopping for their weekend cooking. There they all are with their shopping baskets & trollies and their little dogs, choosing cheeses and fish and magnificent vegetables and you envy them this wonderful array. Go well before noon, the earlier the better. Take the metro to Place de la Nation and then walk down the Cours de Vincennes to the market. It runs down the Cours for at least a kilometer. It is a photographer's delight.

The Seine near sunset is one of my favorites. To get an idea of what Paris has, I suggest that your mom look at some photo books of Paris. Maybe the best thing you can do is show her the city and how to get around for a day. She'll have her own ideas about the photography part.

I don't think you can go too wrong with any of the old bridges. IIRC there is a pedestrian bridge from Ile St. Louis to Ile de la Cité. If she can squat down and take photos of people on the bridge, standing or coming across, with the sunlight coming from the side, that might be rather striking.

Cafés and open-air markets are always good for people shots, too.

There are some wonderful photos to be had from the upper levels at the Musée d'Orsay, looking down into the museum. Also, I think it is on the restaurant level that you can take a photo through the giant clock, a remnant from the museum's railway station incarnation, across to the Louvre on the other side of the Seine. My photo of this is my pride and joy and took a prize in our local camera club.

As well, from the top of the Arc de Triomphe you can see all the avenues that lead into Étoiles and see why it is called Étoiles. That makes a neat photo, too.

I was just in Paris at Christmas time and I found that pictures taken from the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower at sunset were wonderful. I have some pictures that have the shadow of the tower on the landscape. Take Rick's advice and go just before sunset and then you get the sweet light of the sunset and the early evening lights. The Tower is wonderful when it is all lit up. After being on the tower, go across the bridge and take some shots of the tower from the other side. Another place that is commanding is Sacre Coeur in Montmarte especially in the early evening light. Any of the winding side streets are picturesque too. Paris has so much to offer the photographer!!

I recently discovered this woman's photos on Flickr, that are mostly taken in Paris, and not of the main tourist sites. She has inspired me for my photo taking when I go there tomorrow. Though I'm an amateur and a professional may have a different opinion... http://www.flickr.com/photos/88131075@N00/

We got some wonderful photos from the top of Montparnasse.

http://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/uk/

Paris is a dream for photography. Ile St.Louis on the south side is great for architectural and black and white shots as the light off the river and the shadows of the trees on the stone buildings can be spectacular. If you know Paris somewhat ask what your Mother is interested in shooting and there will be a place to go. I personally love action shots of river traffic and people along the Seine.

Hi. Go to pbase.com and search on "Paris". You will get an incredible amount of collections and photos that will give you and your mother some ideas of what other folks found of most interest and what they did in different light and weather. See what attracts her attention. You can contact many of the folks (many have websites) if you want more details from them. Whatever you do, enjoy.

In my opinion, Paris is one the best places to take picture anywhere in it, at any time.
You said you know paris quiet well. All you need to look is a for a sunny morning/day. You can not go wrong in Paris. Make sure sun doen't come toward your lense.

I took a lot of photos of doors and windows during my Paris and Provence tour. I took a lot of photos while the tour was walking through neighborhoods. I found a great long rectangular frame and plan to do a collage of these photos (if I ever get around to it). I suggest just wandering through neighborhood, looking at different angles for the photos. I love the real close ups. I did a bunch of door knockers in Arles.

If Mom is such a "high level photographer" i think she'll do just fine finding her own light and ideas....She won't need someones advice on doing cats or doorknobs or sunrises....She'll know it when she sees it.
......Of course, you could send her to the end of a Metro line and let her photograph her way home....though i would leave the tripod in the hotel
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I am a professional and all of the comments are good suggestions. Photography is about time. You have to have to time to wait for all of the elements to come together. Its hard to do quality work if you only have a day or two. What it gets down too is what does she want to do with the photos ? Are they for her wall ? a book? or just a memory ? If she knows the principals of photography she'll find her own images.

I captured some of my most dramatic shots at night, particularly in areas around le Champs Elysee. The main limitation I encountered was finding spots with unobstructed views that would support a small pocket tripod- basically, a flat surface at shoulder height or above. On the observation deck of L'arc de triumphe, there are two small "crows' nests" slightly elevated from the main deck that allow a photograher to snap pictures without having to worry about other tourists obstructing the view. Similarly, I used pilons located in small cross-walk areas in the middle le Champs Elysee that were large enough to support my tripod. Rather than trying to explain it, just look for them, you'll see what I mean. I found the second deck of the Eifel Tower less than ideal for photography because I could not find an elevated flat surface to place the tripod. You can find other good aerial views from the deck of the Orsay (closed in winter), and the top floor of the Pompidou Center.

http://troi.cc.rochester.edu/~tdip/tomsguidetoparis.htm

The above is "Tom's Guide to Paris" which contains some interesting advice from which you may profit.
Tom also invites you to contact him should you have the need [see the bottom of the site's home page].
b.voy...P.

Another good photo op suggestion- for the best unobstructed view of the Eifel Tower, walk across the river and climb the steps towards the Place du Trocadero (I forget the name of the building here). From this vantage point, you can appreciate the immense size of the tower (it's much bigger than it appears in most pictures), but you are at a sufficient distance that the entire height of the tower fits in frame. The famous picture of Hitler standing in front of the tower was taken from this position.