Champs-Élysées during the daylight hours... 35MM Ektachrome color slide film shot through Pentax Camera with 50mm f 1.4 lens: Champs-Élysées during the daylight hours in the 60s Hello, The new age Olympics have begun and it looks more crowded than these photos show from many years ago. As a means to remember something that could have gone wrong in many different ways, I am lucky to still be around remembering these stories from our past. My wife and I were 20 somethings and she wanted to travel in Europe. It was a do it or else, as it was a one time deal we made a long time ago. On our last stop before heading home during our 40 day vacation touring in Europe, we stopped in Paris, France. It was all anyone reading about Paris could offer. Little to no people, a great underground train service and it only got crowded when we went to the big attractions, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, The Louvre and strolling down the River Seine at night. But, one incident will forever last as a memory that could have had bad consequences. My wife and I had walked down the Champs-Élysées during the daylight hours shopping when we could. But, one night, I wanted a photo of the famous Arc de Triomphe at night. So, while we were walking around the Place de Concorde city center attraction, I decided to run across the street to the center island display to get a clear shot toward the Arc de Triomphe. I knew it was going to be a timed shot, so the island center concrete walls would make a good tripod secure base. My wife stayed on the sidewalk on the outside lane. There were cars coming from several streets ending up on this circular roundabout. I turned and ran across the street towards the center island. Then, out of nowhere, a little car came rounding the curve and came within inches of me. Luckily, I had stopped to look to my right, but the direction of the traffic was circular and coming from the left. The little car was going fast and I barely had time to turn my head to the left, when he came zipping by. I then took several steps to get off of the roadway and had to sit down. Across the street, my wife almost had a heart attack and thought she was a 20 something widow. But, I waved and told her to stay there in a safe spot. I hurried to set up the 35mm film camera, set the exposure and took several shots. I needed time to calm down and thank someone for keeping me alive to live to tell the story. Jnaki My wife was mad and happy at the same time. We walked slowly towards the Arc and now, it had lost some luster as an attraction. We stopped at a café and had something to eat and drink to calm down. Champs-Élysées In Paris, France The previous day photo with a 85mm 1.8 lens on a 35mm film camera. The attractions are/were located in the 8th Arrondissement of Paris Photo shot from the Place de La Concorde... No tripod, but a low concrete fountain wall was used on a time exposure photo. Photo taken with a fast 50mm f 1.4 mm lens on a time exposure rated at different “seconds” shots. (1 sec, 2 sec, 3 sec, etc.) The Arc De Triomphe at the end of the dual rows of street lights. A little over a mile to the Arc through the Champs-Élysées Place De La Concorde where I almost did not make it… YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
