Author Archives: Harold Davis

Eiffel Tower from Sacre Coeur Dome

By Harold Davis | Published May 18, 2013

Up about three hundred claustrophobic steps in a narrow, winding staircase lies the gallery around the exterior of the dome of the Basilica of Sacre Coeur in Montmartre. This place is anything but touristic—perhaps because to get here one has already climbed the famous stairs to Montmartre, then proceeded up to the top of the [...]

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Chateau de Nazelles

By Harold Davis | Published May 16, 2013

The Chateau de Nazelles is located a few miles from Amboise in the Loire Valley. Built by some of the same craftsmen that constructed Chenonceau Chateau, today it is a wonderful bed and breakfast that I used as a base of operations. This image, in monochromatic HDR, conveys the feeling that being there is like [...]

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Eiffel

By Harold Davis | Published May 15, 2013

Reviled when it was built as a fun house rocket ship and aesthetic monstrosity, it’s amazing how the Tour Eiffel in fact manifests visual grace with decorative flourishes and curls in the ironwork. Seen from a distance with the lights of Paris turned on, the spectacle is a bit amusement park—but up close there’s an [...]

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Katie Rose is Five

By Harold Davis | Published May 14, 2013

Yesterday we celebrated Katie’s fifth birthday with parties at Step One (her preschool) and at home. Katie Rose is a charming, wonderful little girl—and living proof that there are miracles. How time flies! Five years ago we were caught in that country where the boundaries of life and death come close. How reassuring it would [...]

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Au Sauvignon

By Harold Davis | Published May 12, 2013

Across the street from the hotel and down the block, Au Sauvignon, a modest brasserie offered simple food and seats to watch the world go by. In the back, these narrow and steep stairs, lined with framed etchings, led to the toilet. This iPhone shot is looking back down towards the main floor and good [...]

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La Tour Eiffel

By Harold Davis | Published May 3, 2013

At night, the area under the Eiffel Tower turns into an exciting display of lights, colors and people—as you can see in this iPhone shot of this small carousel in the shadow of the Tour Eiffel, the king of all amusement park rides!

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Harold Davis Photo Workshop at Giverny

By Harold Davis | Published May 2, 2013

Here we are after a very satisfying session photographing Monet’s famous gardens at Giverny. The happy but tired group is shown sitting on the steps of Claude Monet’s house. Thanks to Marianne Glosenger for shooting this group portrait. Our guide Valerie is shown on the lower left.

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Parc de Sceaux

By Harold Davis | Published May 1, 2013

Andre Le Notre is the Frederick Law Olmsted of France. Like Olmsted, Le Notre is the essential landscape designer of his country. In Olmsted’s case, much of the inspiration came from park-like wilderness such as the floor of Yosemite Valley, while Le Notre’s creations—including the gardens at Versaille, Fountainebleau and the Tuilleries—are formal, and involve [...]

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San Sulpice

By Harold Davis | Published April 30, 2013

San Sulpice is a marvelous, unfinished baroque church. It’s a few blocks from the Paris hotel my workshop group is staying in. The interior of this church was in an important scene in Dan Brown’s peculiar but popular book, The Da Vinci Code, which is largely set in Paris. The obelisk shown in this iPhoneograph [...]

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Luxembourg Gardens

By Harold Davis | Published April 26, 2013

I am staying around the corner from the Luxembourg Gardens, a fun place to photograph with its harmonious straight lines of trees and flowers in their springtime bloom. This is an example of iphoneography, shot with my iPhone 5, showing one of the aisles of trees. I processed it through Lo-Mob and Plastic Bullet while [...]

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Opera Garnier

By Harold Davis | Published April 26, 2013

The Opera Garnier in Paris is baroque and magnificent. It’s mostly not used for opera any more as they’ve built a modern opera house (I’ve heard, however, from several people who’ve been to the opera here). It does host ballet performances. This is a shot of an ornate reception room. Since tripods are not allowed [...]

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City of Light

By Harold Davis | Published April 24, 2013

Paris is often called the “City of Light”—perhaps it should also be called the City of Lights. Plural. As in many. You can see in this photo that everything is lit at night, like a giant playground for adults. But wait! There’s more. Every hour on the hour la Tour Eiffel starts giving off sparks [...]

Posted in Digital Night, Paris | 2 Comments

Beside the Seine

By Harold Davis | Published April 22, 2013

Amazing that one can leave San Francisco and in one day be photographing in Paris! This is a view of the Seine River from the Ile St Louis in the center of Paris.

Posted in Monochrome, Paris, Photography | 2 Comments

Piggyback Waterdrop

By Harold Davis | Published April 20, 2013

The simple pleasures of waterdrop photography can be entrancing, and there is often ample complexity close to home, as in this composition of a waterdrop on a leaf, piggyback on yet another leaf!

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Keeping in Touch

By Harold Davis | Published April 18, 2013

I wanted to touch base before I leave for France on Sunday. As you likely know, I will be leading a photography workshop in Paris. This is one of my dreams come true! My plan is to keep in touch by posting photos and stories from Paris about the ongoing adventure. You can also check [...]

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