In honor of Fete de la Musique 2012 (21 June)

According to Friedrich Nieztsche, "Life without music would be a mistake". The worldwide celebration known as Fete de la Musique attempts to be an assurance that at least one day during the year there will be no chance of such a mistake. Celebrated in more than 100 countries across Europe and around the world, every 21st of June (which corresponds with the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere), citizens can enjoy free concerts and organized musical events of every genre throughout their participating localities/countries.
Here are just a few images which I shot while in Paris a few years ago during the Fete de la Musique celebration.

Prints & products featuring images of travel destinations & nature

New Store Item: Paris by Night Journal, $23.99

(Paris by Night journal, front cover)

What do you do when you love a work of art so much that you don't want to be separated from it for even a moment? I've received so much feedback about my photograph of the City of Lights sparkling at night that I've made it possible for you to take it with you all the time by featuring it prominently as the cover design of this journal.
Buy Paris by Night - Journal
Each journal measures 5.5" x 8.5" and comes with 40 lined pages for you to fill with your ideas, thoughts, travel notes, song lyrics, love poems and anything else which strikes your fancy.
Get some for yourself or buy in bulk to present to your loved ones as stocking stuffers!

(below left: inside front cover; below right: sample lined page)

*New* Framed Paris by Night Photograph

Buy Paris by Night (w/Mat & Frame)

Musee d'Orsay Boxed Sets (Gold & Silver)

Each card depicts an original B&W photograph of the interior clock of the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. The big hand, number dials and peripheral facets of the clock have been embellished with fine glitter powder. Each card is blank on the inside and comes with a plain cotton A7 envelope (4 cards & 4 envelopes in the set). Each boxed set is presented in a clear sturdy plastic box and wrapped on the outside with a coordinating color bow. Keep and use for yourself or give as a gift to the Paris lover in your circle.

The gold and vintage silver sets are featured below with links to purchase as well as larger images of each set. To see more unique products, visit the ArgenticVision gift shop.

Musee d'Orsay Boxed Set of 4 (Gold Embellishments)
Buy d'Orsay Gold Boxed Set of 4



Musee d'Orsay Boxed Set of 4 (Vintage Silver Embellishments)
Buy d'Orsay Vintage Silver Boxed Set of 4

Video: B&W Fine Art Images of Paris

Afternoon on the docks of the Seine

Every time I look at this image I'm transported back to the moment when I shot it. I'm able to enjoy reliving the peace and tranquility I felt when I composed the shot. On this particular afternoon I had just finished doing some shooting around the area of Notre Dame and decided to go down to the docks to take a break to just hang out and relax. The natural light and shadows were so beautiful I had to take out my camera to shoot a few frames - the icing on the cake was that the boat in the foreground came cruising by so I included it too.

Nighttime Explorations: Paris after Dark

One of the master photographers whose work I admire and draw great inspiration from is Brassai. He produced a great range of work during his lifetime but the thing he is most widely known for is his night photography of Paris. Apparently he was a night owl and from sunset to dawn he roamed the streets of Paris (during the 1930's) with his camera capturing on black and white film those aspects of Paris which he loved, admired and felt amused by, etc.
In fact one of my prized possessions is the Pantheon edition of "Paris by Night" which contains full-page images taken by Brassai, each one having been printed in heliogravure using Brassai's original plates.
When I'm in Paris, I love to spend every moment exploring and experiencing the city on foot accompanied only by my camera, and this is true especially at night because of the beautiful contrast that you can capture on black and white film from the lights all around the city.
I like to shoot what I find visually interesting, or quirky, etc., in fact the composition often changes depending on my mood, my surroundings, and so on. Although I'm not conscious of it, I think that deep down inside me, when I'm shooting, every now and then I try to evoke inspiration from the masters whom I admire.
On the particular night I shot this image, I think I was aided by the spirit of Brassai, or at least I would like to think so. That's one of the beautiful things about Paris: whether in the 1930's or now, the city has so much charm and character that the passage of time hardly matters at all, especially when viewing a black and white image.

Argentic Adventures in Europe: A Slideshow

Entre Ombre et Lumiere

I love so many things about Paris, in particular, Le Marais (3eme & 4eme arrondissements), one of my favorite parts of the entire city. As you stroll along the crooked streets you might be able to sense what Old Paris may have been like since many buildings in this area were not modified by Napoleon's great civil planner, Baron Hausmann.
A historic district, part of the charm of this area is due to the diverse mix of cultures, architecture, etc.
I was intrigued by the shadow cast by one building upon another just across the way one sunny spring morning while I was walking down the street, so that's what you see depicted in this image.

Passage Souterrain

Night shot taken in Paris at the bouche de metro just off of Rue de Rivoli, near Jardin des Tuileries.

The Louvre: From Impregnable Fortress to Palace & Museum

The Louvre is one of the most well known and important museums in the world but long before it attained such a status, it was a fortress built to protect the King and the inhabitants of Paris. The modern-day Louvre traces its architectural origins to the 12th century and was built by King Philippe Auguste. The medieval fortress included a thick cylindrical dungeon surrounded by towered walls.
Over the course of the centuries since it was first constructed, the Louvre has been transformed by events of French history as well as by the architects and decorators who have left their mark on it.
One of the things I like about this depiction of the Pavilion Denon is that it appears to be reminiscent of a haunted house. Who knows...perhaps it was influenced by the ghosts of the dungeon captives who are rumored to inhabit the Louvre, a belief which is held by some Parisians to this very day.

I Like What I See In Your Rear View

During my visit to Paris last year I had made it a point to make time to shoot the sculpture at the Palais Royale-Musee du Louvre Metro station, known as Le Kiosque des Noctambules (created by the artist Jean-Michel Othoniel). The entire bouche de metro is enveloped by two huge crown-shaped sculptures made of aluminum and colored glass. While it’s a bit odd-looking it’s incredibly cool at the very same time.

When I finally got there I encountered huge masses of people gathered around to watch a group of street performers. I made numerous attempts to maneuver around the crowd for quite some time in the hopes of getting a clear shot of the sculpture but it became pretty obvious that it just wasn’t going to happen.

As I walked away from the crowd to head across the street for a coffee break, I had to pass by a row of scooters and motor bikes which were parked along the curb. I caught a glimpse of part of the sculpture reflecting in the rear view mirror of one of the parked scooters and I decided to take the shot so that’s what you see in this image.

Aside from being a fun experience it was a learning lesson too because it taught me that there is more than one way to get the shot you want, you just have to be creative, patient and persistent. As it turns out, this is one of my favorite images and each time I look at it, I remember the circumstances that led me to be able to capture it.

Scrabble a la Francaise

There are many interesting and quite beautiful metro stations all throughout Paris and none more so than the Concorde metro stop (Metro Line 12). While you're standing there hanging out just waiting for the train to pull into the station, it's doubtful that too much thought is given to the seemingly endless alphabet soup that appears on the tiled walls of this station.
In fact, a lot of thought did go into this design which was the conception of the artist Francoise Schein. The text on the walls is actually that of the Declaration of Human Rights from the French Revolution of 1789, a juxtaposition that is very apropos considering that Place de la Concorde is the very location where King Louis XVI was beheaded in 1793 during the French Revolution.

Pigeons care about time management too!

This sculpture is located right outside Gare St. Lazare (train station) in Paris. I remember wanting to venture to that part of town just to shoot this sculpture which is the creation of Armand Pierre Fernandez titled "L'heure de tous". When you get up close to it, it's hard not to notice the significant amount of urea from the birds which is all around the sculpture itself as well as on its base. I was trying a few different angles to get a clear shot of the sculpture as well as of Gare St. Lazare in the back and at that moment a pigeon flew into the shot (center foreground).

My photo exhibit: (Groupshow) Universal Art Gallery, Venice from June 13-July 12 2009

I'm one of 13 photographers being featured in a groupshow at Universal Art Gallery in Venice, CA. The opening reception was this past Saturday, June 13th and the exhibit will run until July 12, 2009. The evening of the opening was a great experience full of awesome art and it was quite well attended by invited guests as well as locals from the Venice/Marina del Rey/Santa Monica area.
I have 12 works on display (hand-made archival silver gelatin B&W fiber prints) featuring images of Barcelona, London, Paris and Venice, which were shot over the course of the past three years (2007 to 2009).
I had a great time talking to guests, customers as well as the other artists. who were exhibiting. The range of talent in the show is extremely diverse and all of the photographers are awesome, both in terms of their photographic skill as well as the fact that they are just amazingly nice and gracious people.
If you are in the area and have a chance to stop by, I would encourage you to do so as there is likely to be something to suit every taste/photographic aesthetic, etc.
Enjoy!

Back in the US after Shooting Europe....

I've just returned from a wonderful trip to Europe. I visited several cities and had a chance to do quite a bit of shooting so I will be sharing some of the images from the recent trip on this blog over the course of the coming weeks.

Also, a quick plug for an awesome camera shop, ProCamera in Thousand Oaks. I was so busy prior to my scheduled departure that I didn't have a chance to take my camera equipment in for a good cleaning until literally the Friday afternoon just before my trip (I was leaving early on Tuesday). I've gone to this camera shop before and they've always been wonderful but in light of the pressing schedule, they managed to provide their usual exemplary service in an expedited fashion without charging me the equivalent of highway robbery prices. I'll add them to my list of favorite photography resources (Los Angeles/SoCal)...if you happen to be in the area and need your camera repaired, cleaned, etc., stop in and ask for Wayne.

In the interim, I've posted a few images...I will upload more images from my recent trip as often as possible.

Nighttime in Paris - Seductive Reflections...

Paris is truly beautiful in every season. There is a natural visual splendor about this most wondrous European capital that transcends time, space, weather, etc. The city holds a unique charm during the daytime but it has a particularly seductive power after dark. The Seine plays a major role in giving this city an air of mystique beginning at sunset and continuing into the night. The elegance of this famed city of lights is enhanced further by way of the positioning of reflecting pools near many of its magnificent architectural sights. The resulting luminous glow reflecting in the water leaves the observer with an unforgettable memory. I am fortunate to have captured such memories on film...in sharing the resulting images I hope that I can impart my good fortune with others. Enjoy!

(all images copyright of Lili Rahmati; http://www.argenticvision.com/)

Celebrating the Year 2568: Naw Ruz (Persian New Year)

In celebration of the 2568th anniversary of the Persian New Year I am posting a video which I created comprised of images I shot while visiting Musee du Louvre, Ancient Near East section, Ancient Iran & Mesopotamian Art.

I was born on Iranian soil and left at a young age - in my heart I wish for the day that I can return, as an adult and as a photographer, to capture the magic and mysteries of this rich and ancient land on film and share them with whomever may be interested.
Until that day comes, the section of the Louvre which houses the arts, artifacts, and architectural art history of the Great Persian Empire, is the closest I can get to the magnificent splendor that Iran has to offer.
To all Iranians, in Iran and in the diaspora communities around the world, I send my most sincere wishes for a healthy and Happy New Year. As we say in Farsi: "Eid-e-Shoma Mobarak".

For more of my photography, please visit: www.argenticvision.com

(images on this blog are copyright of Lili Rahmati)