Even with just a camera phone, the City of Lights can yield great shots. Look around your hostels in Paris – there's always a subject.
If you're planning to visit France to stay in one of the excellent hostels in Paris, it won’t take you long to realise the city really is a photographers’ delight. With so many interesting sights and scenes surrounding you every day, getting out and about to create your own personal photography tour is one of the best ways to explore the city on a budget. You don’t need expensive equipment, as the City of Lights is so utterly photogenic you'll even be able to capture memorable images with just a camera phone.
No matter which of the excellent hostels in Paris you choose to stay in, there's a world of subjects right on the doorstep. Here are just a few ideas to whet your appetite.
Buildings and Architecture
The wonderful lines and curves of the city's architecture translate beautifully in photographs. Both the old and the new buildings make for excellent subjects, and the juxtaposition of the two can also create a striking effect in silhouette. With a mix of ornate detailing and streamlined contemporary features, the opportunities to get creative are limitless.
In this most beautiful of cities, a simple stroll will yield a creative bounty, and while you'll find endless inspiration within easy proximity of any of the hostels in Paris, there are, of course, the timeless subjects of the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees and the pyramids of the Louvre.
People Watching
People are also an excellent source of photographic material here. With the unique style Parisians are known for, and the panache with which they carry themselves, you’ll have no end of interesting subjects. Hang out in some of the more out-of-the-way street markets, cafes, boulangeries and train stations and you'll undoubtedly be able to capture some classic shots.
Parisian Sunsets
With a reputation as the most romantic city in the world (and certainly one of the most photographed), a Parisian sunset has a lot to live up to! One of the best places to capture the last rays of the day over the city skyline is Montparnasse Tower, which has an outdoor roof terrace on the 59th floor. With views out far beyond the city limits, you'll be able to create a portrait of the setting sun with a foreground of the Eiffel Tower. A walk along the Seine also yields wonderful sunset photos, especially when the water is tinged from the evening lightshow.
The Lights of the City
It isn’t called the City of Lights for nothing! Even from the humble windows of any of the hostels in Paris, the enchantment of this city at night is unrivalled. After dark, the streets of the Rive Gauche (the Left Bank) are vibrant, exciting and incredibly photogenic. Wander down the cobbled lanes and tiny darkened back streets to capture poignant images of a city a night. On the other side of the city, the famous Moulin Rouge in the seedy Pigalle area makes for a very different set of after dark photographs. And, of course, while stunning at any time of the day, the silhouette of the Eiffel Tower takes on an even more magical appeal as it twinkles under its cloak of a million lights.
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