Home to some of the most well-known Belle Époque artists, this hill in the 18th arrondissement is full of inspirational scenes and Parisian charm. The views from Sacré-Cœur Basilica are stunning.
Continue reading “Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur”In civil engineering one of the classes you take in college is called “statics“.
In statics you learn to visualize 3-dimensional objects from the real world as simplified, idealized models of lines and symbols called free body diagrams. Simplification of complex real-world objects to facilitate analysis is used throughout engineering practice.
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Walking along the Seine from the 16th back to the center of town at dusk felt like a quintessential Paris experience. As the sun sank down the riverbank came alive with people and music. Boats glided by.
The boats, bridges, people—and of course the Eiffel Tower—provided plenty of interesting subject matter to pair with the sky and river in my photos.
One of the great joys of Paris is simply to walk around the city observing the vibrant street life. The neighborhoods are full of activity, light, color, and charming architecture.
Here are some scenes from a stroll across the Seine to Luxembourg Gardens. At the fountain on the south side of the palace kids can sail small toy boats for about €6 per 30 minutes, which is money well spent.
As a lifelong Disney parks fan I was excited to check out Disneyland Paris for the first time this summer. Despite the familiar layout, especially of the Disneyland park itself, I found it whimsical and charming in unique ways. Beyond the rides there is a world of wonderful detail and depth to discover.
Made a couple photos while I was waiting for the plane to roll back from the gate.
So, there’s room for improvement in my timeliness when it comes to posting to this site. I’m working on it. Slowly. Sort of.
Anyway, I was in Quebec over Christmas this past December. I started most mornings around dawn walking up to the Terrasse Dufferin overlooking the St. Lawrence River for sunrise before warming up in a coffee shop (mostly Café La Maison Smith).
I found this boardwalk area to be a photographer’s dream. Here are a few of my favorite images from those early morning expeditions.
As a lifelong perfectionist I can tell you there is no joy to be found in that pursuit. Instead, seek functional imperfection and let peace and harmony ensue.
I’ve found that it’s not enough to simply accept imperfection as a reality of life. That still leaves a feeling of settling, as if perfection would be great if only it was achievable.
Harry, there is never a perfect answer in this messy, emotional world. Perfection is beyond the reach of humankind, beyond the reach of magic.
Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Far better is to embrace and seek out objects, solutions, goals, and results that represent functional imperfection.
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Matt Copeland 