visiting Paris, France

[DanielOB]

Had intention to visit England, but after reading what police doing to photographers in that country, forget.

Instead, planning to go to Paris, France.
Anyone from Paris here on Apug? Can one get in the streets and use his camera without police interventions...
Thanks
Daniel OB
www.Leica-R.com

 

[Trask]

I'm in Paris frequently, going around with a variety of different cameras -- as are about a million other tourists, though I'm the only one shooting film. I've never been instructed not to take a picture of something, though I wisely avoid photographing the President's palace (though others do all the time). So I'd say you can pretty much shoot to your heart's content. The only restriction I've heard of regards the Metro -- no tripods.

FYI, November is photography month in Paris, with a Salon de Photo etc. Avedon is on display at the Jeu de Paume, and a new Walker Evans/Cartier-Bresson exhibit opens soon.

 

[mooseontheloose]

I lived in France for two years and visited Paris frequently. I never had a problem taking pictures (nor in London for that matter) and I often used tripod, although never indoors or on the metro. There are so many tourists there that unless you are dragging around a LF camera I doubt you'll have any problems.

 

[AutumnJazz]

Parlez-vous anglais? Is all you need to know.

 

[ajmiller]

I'm in Paris frequently, going around with a variety of different cameras -- as are about a million other tourists, though I'm the only one shooting film.

No you're not! I was there in July with my FM2n loaded with film - great city for photography. Saw the Avedon - impressed, and Miroslav Tichy at Pompidou Centre - ok....
Back in November for ParisPhoto.

Have a great time Daniel.

- Tony

 

[Steve Smith]

Parlez-vous anglais? Is all you need to know.

I wouldn't bother trying that in Paris!


Steve.

 

[nze]

You're allowed to take a photography with a tripod and a model without any authorization in most Paris Street , it is quite different in Park

 

[jkowal]

Hello,
I was on time in Paris, July 2008.
I never had a problem taking pictures in Paris.
Look at this:
http://www.photosig.com/go/photos/view?id=2229981

 

[Windscale]

Parlez-vous anglais? Is all you need to know.

I wouldn't bother trying that in Paris!
Steve.

I agree. The minute a Frenchman knows you are English, or even speak English, you will probably get a load of sh__!!! Historically the French and the Brits never got on too well. Sometimes I do wonder how they can sit together in the EC - and with the Germans as well!!! Moderation and tolerance must be taking effect.

 

[Windscale]

Parlez-vous anglais? Is all you need to know.

I wouldn't bother trying that in Paris!
Steve.

I agree. The minute a Frenchman knows you are English, or even speak English, you will probably get a load of sh__!!! Historically the French and the Brits never got on too well. Sometimes I do wonder how they can sit together in the EC - and with the Germans as well!!! Moderation and tolerance must be taking effect.

Please note: this note is only intended as a joke and not in any way inciting racial hatred. I love English cheese, French wine and German sausage.

 

[Robert Hall]

I'll be there in a week or so. I will have my 6x7 and a tripod. Then off to Spain. The wife is getting a little tense, but I am getting excited. I hope I bring enough film.

 

[Steve Smith]

Parlez-vous anglais? Is all you need to know.

Originally Posted by Steve Smith: I wouldn't bother trying that in Paris!

I agree. The minute a Frenchman knows you are English, or even speak English, you will probably get a load of sh__!!! Historically the French and the Brits never got on too well. Sometimes I do wonder how they can sit together in the EC - and with the Germans as well!!! Moderation and tolerance must be taking effect.

Please note: this note is only intended as a joke and not in any way inciting racial hatred. I love English cheese, French wine and German sausage.

I was being more specific to Paris than France. I have found Parisians to be very intolerant of the English. My experience of the rest of France is more positive so long as you try a bit of their language.

I have had some great conversations with me speaking French and the French person replying in English. Seems odd at first but each party is hearing his/her own language being spoken slower than usual. The problem with most foreign languages is not the speaking but the listening. This method eliminates that!


Steve.

 

[Windscale]

I was being more specific to Paris than France. I have found Parisians to be very intolerant of the English. My experience of the rest of France is more positive so long as you try a bit of their language.

I have had some great conversations with me speaking French and the French person replying in English. Seems odd at first but each party is hearing his/her own language being spoken slower than usual. The problem with most foreign languages is not the speaking but the listening. This method eliminates that!


Steve.

Fine if you can go that far with your French. I know barely enough to read most menus, train and bus timetables and to rent a room in a hotel. Apart from these, it would be impossible to find a Frenchman to understand my French!!!

 

[mooseontheloose]

Actually, my experience has been the opposite. No matter how much I tried to speak French to Parisiens, they ALWAYS spoke English with me. Even when I responded in French. It was very frustrating to me, as I wanted to improve my French. That being said, perhaps the locals would rather speak your language than hear their own being butchered. English, after all, is a very easy language to speak poorly (and we are generally quite tolerante of it). However, outside of Paris I found that I HAD to use French because so few people were comfortable speaking it (this is outside of tourist centres).

The real problem was being in Spain, trying to speak Spanish, and having a mix of French and Japanese (I used to live in Japan) come out instead. Oy!

 

[Robert Hall]

Wow, Im glad Im not the only one. I keep spitting out German when I try to respond to the French. I don't know how that will go over.

 

[Steve Smith]

Actually, my experience has been the opposite. No matter how much I tried to speak French to Parisiens, they ALWAYS spoke English with me. Even when I responded in French. It was very frustrating to me, as I wanted to improve my French. That being said, perhaps the locals would rather speak your language than hear their own being butchered.

Perhaps they were trying to get me to speak English too for the same reason. As I was still learning French then (I'm hardly fluent now) I wanted to persevere with it.


Steve.

 

[Steve Smith]

Wow, Im glad Im not the only one. I keep spitting out German when I try to respond to the French. I don't know how that will go over.

I find that I can think in French much better in France than when I am in England. I have a friend who is a teacher of French in one of our High Schools. When she tries to talk to me in French I get confused but I know that if I was asked the same questions by a French person in France I would be more likely to understand.

I sometimes come out with the odd bit of German during French too. Luckily, I don't know much!


Steve.

 

[Robert Hall]

That must be it. I can think in German, but certainly not in French. I suppose I won't starve if I can still point.

(quasimotoly yours)

 

[DanielOB]

Thanks guys a lot.

Daniel OB

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Actually, my experience has been the opposite. No matter how much I tried to speak French to Parisiens, they ALWAYS spoke English with me.

No kidding. You know what's even more insulting? When you are a NATIVE FRENCH SPEAKER but your accent is not exactly like theirs, they will start speaking English to you.

"Cousins Québécois" my a**! They can't make a bloody effort to understand French that's not from Paris.

 

[benjiboy]

I'm surprised on the continent how many people speak English, it seems to me a hell of a lot more French people speak English than English people speak French, on a recent visit I made to Amsterdam a Dutch lady I met who had an English degree from Amsterdam University , told me Dutch children learn English from the age of five.

 

[Steve Smith]

For non English Europeans, the choice of English as a second language is fairly logical as they probably hear and/or see some English language every day.

For us in the UK, the choice of a second language is wide with French, Spanish German and Italian being the main choices.

French was traditionally the second language taught in UK schools but my son has just started high school and is learning Japanese. Something which was not an option for me 30 years ago.


Steve.

 

[Windscale]

The English used to be very arrogant. They had all the reasons to be so since after the Spanish Armada, they have become the top power in the world for some 300 or so years. In the WWII they won the war and liberated France and defeated the German (all because they had the Americans on their side). So everyone else should speak English. Things have changed since then and the English are beginning to learn more foreign languages. On the other hand, in many parts of Europe where I have been to, many people spoke English to a respectable standard.

English would probably get by in most towns in western Europe. But not quite in more remote villages. I once went to a village in Austria and no one spoke English. Ordering food from a pure German menu was surprisingly difficult, even with sign language. That was the reason why I decided to stick my finger out and learned enough in French, German and Italian so as to be able to understand most ordinary menus and to read bus and train timetables and to rent a room in hotels. Beyond these....Well....No comment!

 

[Windscale]

For non English Europeans, the choice of English as a second language is fairly logical as they probably hear and/or see some English language every day.

For us in the UK, the choice of a second language is wide with French, Spanish German and Italian being the main choices.

French was traditionally the second language taught in UK schools but my son has just started high school and is learning Japanese. Something which was not an option for me 30 years ago.


Steve.

Does your son go to Eton? I don't know many schools where Japanese is taught.

 

[Aurum]

Does your son go to Eton? I don't know many schools where Japanese is taught.

You'd be surprised these days. Some of the more differently thinking schools, especially those who want to become an academy, or those that have a 6th form, often teach Unusual languages. Theres one in the Midlands that teaches Chinese.

I think if you're in a European country, the urge for the locals is to try English as it is the most widely spoken "Second" Language.
English evolved for exactly that purpose.

Lass I went to college with was learning degree level German, and went to Germany for a year. She found that if her accent slipped a little, she would never get the chance to use the language she was learning, as the locals wanted to practice their English on her!
Trouble is that in English she spoke with a BROAD Brummie Accent.
I just have this picture in my mind of an outpost of Germany where the locals sound like Jasper Carrot
when they try English