Lomography Writer @macasaett Explores Paris with the LomoApparat

Paris — globally celebrated for being the city of light and of love, the subject of the beloved soundbite that lives in all corners of the internet, and this year’s host for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

So, are we happy to be in Paris? Oui!

Last May, I visited Paris for a holiday with my family. The city is known for hosting major sporting events during the spring/summer season, starting with the prestigious clay courts of the Roland-Garros tennis Grand Slam in May, followed by the Tour de France finish line at Champs-Elysees in July, and currently, the quadrennial Summer Olympic Games set against the iconic backdrop of the Eiffel Tower. Abuzz with frenetic energy rushing from all the sporting events lined up and the fact that I come from a family that bonds through sports, experiencing Paris’ spring/summer of sports in full swing was a thrilling time!

With my LomoApparat in hand, I was determined to document and catalog special moments, meaningful sights, and experiences from my week-long trip. Putting the 35 mm point-and-shoot wide-angle lens to work, I chose to focus on the scalability of elements in the city, the spaces lived in, and the momentous events that unfolded — from the charm of the Le Marais in the 4th arrondissement, to the feverish tennis action of Roland-Garros in the 16th arrondissement, and over to the hilltop overviews from the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur in the 18th arrondissement. Here, I share some analogue vignettes and reflections from my 2024 visit to Paris.

Art in the Park

Visiting the city at the tail end of spring means longer days and lush green spaces matched with the cool breeze, sunshine, and occasional rain; strolling through the Parisian parks became a much more relaxing and recentering experience. Extended periods spent within these spaces are essential for the season, and that’s exactly what my family and I sought to do. We spent one sunny morning at the Musée de l'Orangerie — a former greenhouse transformed into a serene, sunlit museum widely known for exhibiting Monet’s impressionist masterpieces in expansive panels — which resides in the west corner of the Jardin des Tuileries. Walking around the park also felt like an extension of the l'Orangerie, with art installations spread across the park squares in full display for the sun to illuminate and for visitors to connect with, inquire, observe, and reflect on the pieces.

I packed two 35 mm C-41 film rolls for the trip and decided to play with the multiple exposure feature on the LomoApparat for the most part. By fully committing to crafted superimposed images, I could document the passage of time and squeeze in multiple sights from a space into a single frame. Behind the layers that make up the image, doing this can produce varied textures and interesting light gradients to the image set. Below, the two photos in the first row embody just that, with me capturing a scene on both ends of a 180-degree plane in hopes of vividly remembering the feeling and atmosphere around those very moments. The result of merging all these aspects into a single frame? Memories stacked over one another and frozen in 35 mm to last a lifetime.

Roland-Garros

At the 2024 Roland-Garros, emotions and energy ran high beyond the usual grand slam thrill due to speculation about this tour being the last time the legendary clay court king, Rafael Nadal, would compete for the coveted title. The prospect of a grand finale run generated great anticipation and nostalgia among tournament attendees (including myself!), making the experience of being at Stade Roland-Garros extremely exhilarating this year. I was lucky enough to catch a couple of matches from round one and capture the experience on film.

The first-round evening headliner match in Court Philippe-Chatrier saw Andy Murray of Britain and Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland battle it out on the Parisian clay courts that have kept them intrinsically tethered since 2016 — a connection that’s attributed to their storied rivalry. Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion and double Olympic gold medalist, faced off against Wawrinka, the 2015 Roland-Garros champion, in what was expected to be both of their final appearances at the French Open. Watching professional tennis players enter their flow state under the stadium lights and an open roof is quite special. With the adrenaline rush activated by the context of things found within a grand slam, I wanted to ensure I had photos that encapsulated the overall experience.

Now that photographing sports on film is having a resurgence in the media cycle, it’s all the more encouraging and exciting to take part in it. Miles Myerscough-Harris, the sports photographer behind expiredfilmclub has been traveling the world to photograph global sporting events on film. He has also made his way to Paris to photograph some notable matches from the French Open’s center court on the ever-versatile Lomography Color Negative 800 film.

What I valued most about my experience shooting with the LomoApparat's built-in wide-angle lens was that it allowed me to compose my images in such a way that openly envelops the audience and players within the stadium; having the feel of these matches existing in a vacuum.

Haussmann architecture

Street photography images around Paris wouldn’t be complete without a line of Haussmannian buildings in sight. In almost every arrondissement around the city, you’ll be greeted with buildings that stem from Haussmannian architecture, whose origins date back to the 19th century. With the spring/summer longer days of light, aimlessly walking around the city is an adventure in itself. The longer walks my family and I enjoyed were around Montmartre, Le Marais, and Saint-Germain. Looking to create new shapes and sizes around the city, where structures are warped on 35 mm film and establishments are viewed in different orientations, it was in these walks where I got to play around with the LomoApparat's MX (multiple exposure) feature.

The 35 mm film helped bring about soft and organic tones while still being elevated and dramatic, creating photographs on film that bring the images to life!

Spring/Summer in the city

Paris is a city that comes alive in the summer. The streets are constantly buzzing with art, culture, literature, and the like — museums, galleries, retail experiences, live musical performances, public community gatherings, film screenings, and more — the energy in the air is contagious, and you feel exhilarated by everything you see and experience. Everywhere you look, you'll find iconic imagery that reflects the nature and history of events, making it compelling enough to want to snap multiple photographs.

The photos that came from the two 35 mm film rolls I shot with on the LomoApparat adds a unique touch to my touristy first-timer film photographs of Paris. I liked how the built-in features and accessories allowed me to put my own spin on each image, splitzing and dicing elements found within the frame.

From the left bank to the right bank and beyond. The sweeping city views and elevated cobblestone streets from the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur, the Musée d'Orsay showcasing Van Gogh’s most celebrated artworks, and the grandeur of Avenue des Champs-Élysée which has the Place de la Concorde to the majestic Arc de Triomphe on bookends, all made for sights and scenes to be safe kept in 35 mm film negatives – the result of making the conscious decision to photograph on film and one of the things I love the most from this overall holiday experience. I'll always remember Paris in this light!

As the summer Olympics in Paris nears its finish line, how do you intend to capture and preserve these iconic moments? What is your favorite combination of sport and city to photograph on film?

See the complete LomoApparat film camera line over on our online shop and welcome in the summer season with the newest LomoApparat 21 mm Wide-angle Camera Paris Edition.

written by macasaett on 2024-08-10 #gear #places #sports #summer #splitzer #35mm #paris #multiple-exposures #2024 #lomoapparat