On our first morning we met at 4am when Paris was still heavy in darkness and wandered through the beautiful cobbled streets of Montmartre, past the debris of last night’s fun and the many cafes that line the streets that are usually heaving with people. The winding roads and alleys (and many steps!) took us up to Sacre Coeur. We met people along the way – a group of French revelers intent on continuing the night, a painter I know who was out walking his dog, a few workers on their way home – and as is usual when there is no one else around, people were friendly and chatted to us along the way, curious to find out what we were doing up at such an hour and wanting to see out work.

The dawn didn’t disappoint. We stood on the hill by Sacre Coeur and watched as Paris was lit up by a red and yellow sun. The group were instantly inspired and a furry of activity, running up and down the steps, trying to capture the amazing dawn light as it changed rapidly. I was there to assist, giving tips and providing guidance.

Dawn gives you a tiny window of opportunity to see some of the most beautiful light of the day, you have to be prepared and you have to be quick. Every dawn is different, sometimes you might have an epic sky for a few hours or you can be waiting for hours and then suddenly for 30 seconds  the sky burst with incredible light, only to vanish in seconds. Be prepared or miss out on the best light of your life. It always gives me a thrill to wait and see what each morning will bring.

The next morning we headed down to Notre Dame on the Seine and Ile St Louis. Sunrise over any river, especially one that has so many beautiful bridges like in Paris, is a good opportunity for great photos . I really enjoyed introducing the group to these iconic places, even though I have been to these spots dozens of times, the beauty of Paris is so incredible that even I manage to get new shots each time I visit. This little stretch of the city is one of my favourite places to shoot, the little lamps by the river, the grand imposing Notre Dame, the pretty little bridges.

Our Parisian adventure also included lots of technical and composition sessions, and a 1-2-1 with each of  the photographers, for me to look over their portfolios and give them some advice about how they can each develop. I love getting to know each person’s body of work and it helps me when I am out and about to give advice that is specific to them.

We also took an afternoon walk from my apartment in Batignolles along Pigalle and the ‘saucy’ bit of the city (and past the Moulin Rouge, which looks much smaller in real life than one imagines), to Rue Barbes which is a heavily north and West African area with a great French and ethnic market and food shops, through the Sri Lankan area around the gritty Gare du Nord (where the smells of curries and parathas coming from the cafes make your mouth water) across Jardin Villemin, one of those pretty parks the Parisians do so well, and ending up at Canal St Martin a sort of London East-Endish cool area. Design shops, cool bars, a couple of galleries line the canal which is beautiful, especially in the morning with its high green bridges and tall trees. We stopped at Le Comptoir General, a very cool bar/cafe that’s down a little unmarked alley way, and had African street food and some much deserved beer.

The workshop finished up at my apartment on Sunday morning, over an indulgent breakfast of buttery croissants and chocolaty, custard pasties. We looked over the images the group had got, talked about our experiences and discussed any lingering questions. And then reluctantly, we all left to pack up and go home to our real lives. I found it incredibly inspiring to spend this time with these people who were so curious and interested in discovering Paris, taking photos and building their skills. Being with other people who share your passion is such a pleasure. Talking photos, taking photos, exploring, being together – it’s such a joy. We all came away inspired by each other and of course by Paris, at dawn.

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One thing that photography has taught me, probably the greatest thing, is to stop and notice. In the midst of the chaos of my life – the freelance whirlwind of juggling clients and family and life – I am still reminded through my photographic training to pause. A few nights ago it was hanging out my window with my son watching the far away full moan glow yellow, this morning on the train watching intense deep green of the trees as they get gently soaked in a summer rain. Those are the moments when I feel completely alive.

It is this ‘art of seeing’ that I think makes such a profound impact on people who come on my photo workshops. Of course I teach the technical side – because without that you can’t capture the interesting moments of life. Technical knowledge gives you creative freedom. But learning to see, learning to notice what is right there, waiting to be noticed, waiting to be captured, is a training that transforms your photography and if you’re like me, your life too. 

I have only four more London at Dawn workshops left this year with only the last few places now available. I am also thrilled that we started to bring in some of my other favourite cities that I’ve been photographing over the past few years – Paris and Venice.  I hope you can join me for one of these photo adventures. I love to share my experiences with people as passionate about photography as I am.

Finding those snail trails is what I consider to be mini-seeing project.  Think of  them as a little portfolio you can grow over weeks, months or years even.  I’ve done peoples bellies, weeds in cracks, street arrows (a la my favourite photographer Ernst Haas).  I have a colleague who likes to shoot abandoned couches and can see them around corners (must have something to do with smell.).  Doors, windows, mean dogs and fluffy cats are also under his purrrview…  The point is to search for them! And in searching you will learn to “See”.

One way to understand what Seeing is is to view the world around you in a way that is totally unnecessary to your survival.  To use your eyes in a creative manner and not for catching the bus, not stepping off the cliff, avoiding the speeding courier or generally staying alive. And it takes practice – not the survival part(you’ve learned that already or you wouldn’t be reading this) but the “seeing” part.  Mini-projects can be that practice.

When you purposefully increase your concern for something then your brain will reward you by growing that part of it that helps you to “see” creatively. Once it’s in your range of concern you will notice that it’s been all around you already, only now you’re noticing it.  Ever had a friend who bought a new car and now you see that car all the time!  Something like that.

So choose something.  Start looking for it.  Put effort into finding it…and a little more effort and compose a great shot!

When I found the group again(I knew where were headed to the bagel shop) I showed them my new mini-project of my snail trails.  They thought they were pretty cool, so did I, not because they were great shots or anything, but because you could only find them in a tiny angle of reflection at a certain time of day.

I am fascinated by Leake Street, off Lower Marsh in Waterloo.  You can stroll through everyday and see some new work or someone in the process of painting over another’s.  I met a guy, in the midst of creating is art, from Australia who came over here to paint and a guy from France who came and was just finishing his.  They were both beautiful and creative.

Lately though the artists have been far and few and mostly what is displayed now is gang tagging(definitely not art!).  Makes me wonder about graffiti culture.  I asked the Australian if he minded that is labours are soon defiled and gone.  His answer was levelled and honest, simply “Nah”.

My main camera is the Hasselblad 503, a film camera, but recently I’ve become a bit tired with the format so now digital is taking pride of place in my kit.  This is an image I shot last week, with my 5D digital camera, at Abney Park in Stoke Newington.  It’s a combination of 5 exposures and the colour was done in Lightroom.    I’m going to be adding select HDR images to the London at Dawn:2012 book.  If you like this image please retweet it.  Would be great to see it get around the net.  It’s a good size to make desktop wallpaper with, so if you like pretty cemetaries this image is for you!

Anthony

A lot has changed in photographic technology since 2002 when London at Dawn was first published.  I was thinking that the new updated book should reflect those changes.  Digital photography is awesome.  I love the kit, the quickness and the low cost of shooting.  Great stuff!  I was thinking of adding images made with High Dynamic Range(HDR), like the one above, to my upcoming re-release of London at Dawn, due out in June of this year(I still shoot mostly on film).  What do you think? Should I or not?

I promise more feel good photos (even cemeteries can be feel good!) to come this year, so clear those puppy pics off your desktop and make room for great London images.  They will inspire you to have a good day when your out in the hustle and bustle!

Hi All!