Remembering Notre Dame

Like most people, I too was horrified and saddened to see Notre Dame cathedral go up in flames earlier this week. I am glad that the damage done by the fire is less than first feared and that the magnificent cathedral will rise again. I have fond memories of visiting Notre Dame on my first visit to Paris back in 1984 –in fact it was the very first place I visited when I arrived. I was travelling about Europe on Interrail, excitedly discovering countries and cities and the wonders of the continent for the first time. My camera back then was a Kodak Ektralite 600 which I had received for my fifteenth birthday two years before and which I happily snapped away at on my travels. I didn't really know much about photography back then, otherwise I would of course have centred my picture of Notre Dame properly. I can only think I wanted to get the people in the foreground in, or perhaps the motorbike with its GB sticker on (I was not the only English person in Paris, it seems). I do remember being blown away by the cathedral, which I up until then knew only from films, and awe-struck by its beautiful stained-glass windows and hushed interior. I hope to be able to return one day, for I am certain the cathedral will rise again. When that happens I will photograph it again, more professionally and with more understanding of composition, but no less awe than when I first saw it at the age of 17.

Location: Paris, France

Spring Awakening

It's so nice to see a smiling, happy statue, but maybe that's a result of the joy of spring.Here we are in the grounds of the Kurfürstliches Palais (Electoral Palace) in Trier with the distinctive and ornate pink Hochschloss visible in the background, and beyond that the Basilica of Constantine. But the statue is the main subject of the picture. I don't know its history but it is one of many similar statues to be found in the beautifully kept grounds. Something about the expression on its face and the openness of its stance seem to say "welcome, and rejoice". I chose placing the statue to the side of the picture both to avoid conventional centring and so as to include the beautiful central facade beyond –without it dominating too much. The clouds are moody but the sky is blue, the grass green and all is well with the world.

Location: Trier, Germany

Letterboxes

With so much regulated conformity around us it is always nice to discover uniqueness –not everything has to be the same. These letterboxes could so easily have all been exactly the same, neatly lined along the wall, probably looking like the first box on the extreme left -efficient, practical, neutral but rather bland. Instead, we have here such variety that hardly two boxes are the same; each seems to have a distinctive personality, which is what gives the picture interest. We might like to speculate about the owners of the various boxes, what kind of personalities they have, and whether they correspond to the appearance of their post boxes. Other than that, there's something ordinary and urban about this photograph that I quite like; plus its harmonious diversity

Location: Oslo, Norway