Paris IS the City of Lights, but even with all of the spotlights accentuating the ancient wall and bridges along the Seine, you need a higher ISO – usually 400 or above. I try not to go over 800 ISO to avoid digital noise (or a grainy look to the dark areas). In this photo, I was able to set the camera on the wall of another bridge to fill in for a tripod.(ISO 500, f4, 1/8th of a second) I love the way the curved wall leads viewers into the shot, and the romance of a Parisian evening made me use a sepia tone filter, which I added later with Photoshop. Some cameras have a black and white or sepia setting, but once it’s shot in the camera, you can’t get the color shot back. I would shoot it both ways and then you always have a choice.

© 2008 Kathy Tarantola, Boston DPA Instructor