The colourful people of Paris

Paris, often the people more than the place, has long been a photographer’s paradise. The colour and beautiful landmarks such as those in my previous post, Getting an Eiffel, often take centre stage. Equally delightful, are the little things. The hefty price tag for a table on a crowded terrace, is often a small price to pay for ring-side seats to the great people-watching spectacle. Great heroes of mine have often portrayed a romantic and exciting image of vibrant Parisian streets.

I thumbed through a book in one brasserie, which showcased the work of Doisneau, Bresson and Sieff among others. Paris Mon Amour now rests on my bookshelf, as I was so inspired by the images inside that I immediately bought a copy. Admittedly, I was a little disheartened that the images were so sublime, but I think it’s always good to be able to reference what you want to aspire to, and the photographs within its pages certainly do that.

I’d love to create my own book one day, full of intense images of interesting and dynamic people. A collection of all of the wonderful faces I’ve seen along the way. My very own book of faces! Talking of which, if you’d like to connect with me on Facebook that would be great. Some of you already have and I love seeing all of your amazing work and being inspired. Bon soir!

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186 thoughts on “The colourful people of Paris

  1. Beautiful beautiful beautiful! I love this black and white set. You have such a wonderful eye for photojournalism and capturing feeling and movement. Love!

  2. Thanks for sharing those photos. Morgan Wiltshire certainly knows how to capture his subject. I love that sense of movement and space he projects in his pictures, as well as, a moment in time in the life of another. Sublime, dreamy and transportive. Beautiful.

  3. This is the must stunning collection of pictures of Paris I have seen! You capture all the wonder, all the detail, all the quiet moments of such a beautiful city. Your pictures truly made my night, thank you.

  4. oohh…stunning…gorgeous…splendid…
    amazing shots…loved them all… afew of them which i liked a lot – the shadow of people climbing the stairs, couple kissing at the eiffel, the tree lined up on either side, the grand staircase…i think am going to end up mentioning all 🙂
    superb clicks. congratulations and thanks for sharing.
    oh, and good luck for your book.

  5. This was a wonderful treat! I am from Paris and it is my favourite place in the world! I am proud to be French and especially Parisian 🙂 I loved your view points of our gorgeous city and it made me nostalgic and happy. I am also an artist and photographer and my latest series was of Paris, I understand not only how delightful it is to look at gorgeous images of the city but also the creative abundance the city brings to any artist. Thank you!

  6. Hi, I liked your pictures collection, they are very beautifully captured, it would be awesome if you create your walls on ogleogle.com and share them all at one location, may be organized in different categories

  7. Loved the photos! I especially liked the ones of the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and street at night and how everything was lit up in the dark. I also liked the fountain picture a lot!.

  8. In black and white, the texture sings. Beautiful memories of my honeymoon there, way too long ago now. You’ve inspired me to go back again soon!

  9. I was in Paris in January and simply fell in love with the city. Your photos have me falling in love all over again! Great captures…awesome photography. Love your work.

  10. Love the B&W photos and title irony. Especially the Moulin “Rouge” picture… quite an interesting title for this collection.

  11. you should publish your own photography book, whether it’s about faces or not. your works here prove it already. my faves are the angle you captured la tour eiffel, especially when it’s hidden among the bald trees and it becomes less dominant / faded since you focus on the statuettes in front of you. millions have captured paris before, but what you did is much less ordinary – et c’est magnifique!

  12. Beautiful! I just published a fashion post about Parisian looks! Check it out at noranord22.wordpress.com

    – Nora Nord

  13. Great photography. I love your attention to detail and congrats on being Freshly Pressed. I am a big fan of Paris and these black and white pictures just add a dramatic element to the

  14. What a lovely post! I looked through the photos before reading the text and was going to say that some of them reminded me of Doisneau. 🙂 I like that you titled it the colorful people of paris b/c despite being in black and white, the ‘color’ certainly shines through. Congrats on being FPd.

  15. I used to work at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego, Calif. I love a picture that tells a story. My favorite of ur pics are : the waiter smoking on his break, the child pushing the other child on a swing, the woman sitting rigidly in a white coat alone in a park, the old man with his cane going for a stroll (who reminds me of Jasper Johns), and that hot guy seated leaning back in a park with his Ipod (I might marry him) oozing confidence, youth, and innocent sexuality. All stellar…THx for sharing!

  16. The photo of the little girl in the coat sitting in fornt of the table is just so gorgeous!!! (As are all of these images!) I’m very excited for my upcoming trip to Paris after seeing your photos 🙂

  17. Reblogged this on For all those who wanderlust… and commented:
    Have a look at this beautiful piece on Paris by photographer Morgan Wiltshire. I love the way the black and white intensifies the emotion in each image and the contrast between the description of the Parisian’s as “colourful people”! Simply stunning images.

  18. This is all very beautiful! My family’s moved there and I went to see them in December and I was taken by the beauty of the old buildings, the streets and everything in between. I’m going back in June and I’m really excited to see it all, in summer sunshine hopefully 🙂

  19. These photos are beautiful. I spent last summer studying in France and I was able to spend a few days in Paris. You captured the atmosphere of the city splendidly! Elle me manque.

  20. Fantastic photographs! So much so, that they have inspired me to write a post: “Hipster: A Unique Breed” – if you have time for a quick read . . .

  21. You’ve done a good job here and I have no worries that you’ll be able to have your own book one day. I’d like to know how you can “steal” pictures of people in the streets and not have problems. One day, as I was circling around Notre Dame at night using my tripod to take night HDR pictures of the monument a gentleman came to me and threatened me because I was taking his picture! Even though my camera was well pointed to the Cathedralas a matter of fact. Some people can get pretty incensed when they see a camera and that doesn’t make it easy to do Doisneeau-style pictures. Having said that, Doisneau did use actors a lot. Do you ask people permission? Do you run into the same problems in London? I usually find London more busy than Paris and it’s a bit easier to hide in a crowd.

    Interested in your thoughts. In the meantime ill add your blog to my blog roll.

    • I didn’t have any trouble in Paris, as I generally try not to encroach on people. If they look uncomfortable, ask me to stop or delete the photos then of course I oblige. The place I had most trouble was in Morocco. People would cover their faces, or approach me and ask me to pay for the photo I had taken even if it wasn’t them I was photographing. I think as photographers, we all know how to read a situation and whether or not it’s safe or acceptable to take our camera out and start shooting. I also think, from my experience, people are a lot more accepting if I look and act like a photographer and like I belong there. I think if I was trying to covertly take their photo with a small camera or mobile phone they might feel a lot less comfortable, as would I in that situation. If I make eye contact with somebody I tend to ask permission, but then if somebody knows you want to take a photo they change their stance and posture to a less natural one so the photo becomes less real.

      • Thanks Morgan, glad you haven’t run into any legal issues. Thanks for your tips.

  22. Stunning, Stunning, Stunning! Fantastic artistry, inspirational Morgan..thank you for making me want to keep practicing in the hope I can one day produce something like this

  23. Awesome! I love Paris! I wish I could live there..btw, would you mind to visit my blog? I put some landscape photography in there, I hope you could share some thoughts about my work..Thanks 🙂

  24. I love how the title for this post in “The colorful people of Paris” but yet all the photographs are Black and White. All of this images are unique and very beautiful. Great work!

  25. These are stunning. I have always wanted to visit Paris not just for the touristy things but to see what it’s like to actually become part of the culture and you gave me a glimpse of that.

  26. Breathtaking shots! You’ve captured the magical Paris. I literaly went “Whaouh!” to each photo. Loved ’em all, esp those with people in it, you make many great parisian portraits. I am trully inspired.

  27. Paris, beautiful Paris. It’s been more than a year since I was last there and I have to wait nearly six months until I go again. You really captured the essence of it, and colours were not even needed. Great, great, great job! I scrolled through each and every photo and enjoyed them all very much. Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed, you deserved it!

  28. A lot of memories and your photos are full of nostalgic, you always want to return to the city of lights. . .Awesome photos.

  29. Excellent images, I miss Paris so much and yearn to be able to walk the streets there with my camera again. Hopefully soon. Thank you for sharing these lovely images and telling your story.

  30. Every photograph made me want to go back to the beautiful city of Paris. Love your work. It’s honestly breath taking I must say!

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