Monday, July 11, 2011

Moon over Église Saint Roch


On the last night in Paris, I saw this view from the bed and jumped up to snap it before the moment escaped. I will be in Paris again and this scene plays out regularly each month, year after year. Why the urgency for this particular shot, quickly assembled and not a singular best? It totally captured the emotions of this April trip as I returned to familiar places that I count as mine and branched out for new discoveries.

This was the scene of the familiar, the rooftop of Église Saint Roch, with the new excitement of the full moon ascending through wispy clouds. It was the dénouement of moments which quickened my heart, took my breath away, and brought a veil of water to my eyes. How can one have such feelings about a single city, its people, its quotidienne? How cliché to say that one "loves Paris," and yet I do.

Église Saint Roch
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38 comments:

  1. Sylvia KJuly 11, 2011 at 2:19 AM

    And I can so understand the love that you feel! I had wanted to go to Paris as long as I can remember and when I had the opportunity to go while living in Europe years ago I was so thrilled! Paris was everything I hoped it would be and I will never forget the joy I experienced! That love of Paris is one of the reasons I enjoy your posts so very much! Thank you for sharing the beauty! Have a wonderful week, mon amie!

    Hugs
    Sylvia

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  2. Angelsdoor * PennyJuly 11, 2011 at 2:36 AM

    Genie
    You are quick on your feet... This photo is breathtaking!!

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  3. jbJuly 11, 2011 at 3:25 AM

    Truly a fine picture

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  4. PerthDailyPhotoJuly 11, 2011 at 4:05 AM

    It's because you love Paris so much that your pictures always tell a story and make us feel that we are there with you Genie, loved this post.

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  5. Gerald (SK14)July 11, 2011 at 4:08 AM

    a lovely cloudscape with moon

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  6. cocoa and coconut July 11, 2011 at 4:14 AM

    Oh Genie, what a great thing that you snapped this photo in time! I love the position of the moon and the statue. I completely understand how you feel....Oh Paris je t'aime!

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  7. diveJuly 11, 2011 at 4:30 AM

    Paris does that to everyone who visits, Genie. It puts an ache in your heart that follows you wherever you go and draws you back.
    I love the photo … very atmospheric.

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  8. Cezar and LéiaJuly 11, 2011 at 6:12 AM

    wow magnificent photography!You are very creative and talented, love this angle and composition!
    Léia

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  9. brattcatJuly 11, 2011 at 7:15 AM

    a haunting, ethereal image. a haunting, ethereal experience.

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  10. LouiseJuly 11, 2011 at 7:52 AM

    It is possibly crazy loving a city, but I love Paris too, so it seems normal to me to urgently need to capture the moment. Beautiful picture. I love Eglise St Roch too.

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  11. StarmanJuly 11, 2011 at 8:00 AM

    There are so many things like this in Paris to remember.

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  12. biebkriebelsJuly 11, 2011 at 8:12 AM

    It is a beautiful photo, almost mystic, the figure in the dark. Can imagine you were touched by seeing this.

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  13. AnonymousJuly 11, 2011 at 8:12 AM

    My dear friend Genie,
    Your photo today is lovely - speaking from one who really understands " that" feeling of love for another city. Yes I get it too - it every shape and form. I get if from the moment i set my feet on it's soil. It's overwhelming.
    I get it and I think I always will.
    x

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  14. Amanda SummerJuly 11, 2011 at 9:29 AM

    oh genie, beautiful words, stunning image.........i completely relate to your emotions. that powerful connection with place — and the rushed feeling of the photo? it actually makes it even more poignant, gives it a raw edge that matches the sensation you describe.

    thank you for sharing your favorite spot in the world and distilling it through your own singular lens. it is always a treat to visit paris through your beautiful site.

    xo

    and p.s.

    j'adore la lune comme ca!!

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  15. Rob-bearJuly 11, 2011 at 9:32 AM

    For some strange reason, Alfred Noyes poem "The Highwayman" came to mind when I saw this. There is something haunting about the picture.
    Great photo, Genie.

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  16. Janey and Co.July 11, 2011 at 9:37 AM

    Genie I took an escorted tour to Paris and celebrated my 21st birthday (many moons ago) and fell in love myself. Every trip I take now goes through Paris coming or going now....so many that I have lost count. Love the photo and especially the confession below!

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  17. VirginiaJuly 11, 2011 at 9:55 AM

    Thanks for the memories. I teared up too.
    V

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  18. BirdmanJuly 11, 2011 at 10:08 AM

    Looks some fantasy world out there.

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  19. RobJuly 11, 2011 at 10:35 AM

    Perfect moody image!

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  20. PeterParisJuly 11, 2011 at 12:18 PM

    What a fantastic "I love Paris" declaration, in photo and in words!!

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  21. Linda PoppleJuly 11, 2011 at 12:19 PM

    Your photographs are just beautiful!! I'm looking forward to exploring your blog further.

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  22. Carrie Waller WatercolorsJuly 11, 2011 at 12:35 PM

    So beautiful, thank you so much for sharing!! I love Paris too cliched or not:)

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  23. tHis is BelgiumJuly 11, 2011 at 1:31 PM

    who cares about "cliché"?
    i see what you are saying and feel what you are seeing...

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  24. MalyssJuly 11, 2011 at 1:42 PM

    I love the gothic mood of this picture! And I love the way you love Paris and France!..Thank you to you!!

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  25. nartJuly 11, 2011 at 2:34 PM

    Lovely Post.Gives me a kind of mysterious feeling.

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  26. AlexaJuly 11, 2011 at 3:15 PM

    Of course I know exactly how you feel (and it's not clichéd)—but you've expressed that feeling so beautifully and sincerely here, in both words and image!

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  27. UnknownJuly 11, 2011 at 3:52 PM

    Well spotted and so mysterious! I would call this shot 'Halloween in Paris'. :-)

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  28. AmandaJuly 11, 2011 at 5:20 PM

    Yes, very mysterious! Have you ever seen the original "La belle et la bête" with Jean-Marais? Somehow, this photo reminds me of that movie.

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  29. LoreeJuly 11, 2011 at 5:26 PM

    Somehow it looks so mysterious and other-worldly.

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  30. JillJuly 11, 2011 at 5:45 PM

    What a gorgeous post, in a picture and a few words. The photo is glorious, like something out of an Anne Rice novel, and in a very few words you captured what so many people feel about Paris. Beautiful and touching.

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  31. JackJuly 11, 2011 at 6:04 PM

    If you added a jazz pianist playing a slow sad song and smoke spiraling upward from a solitary smoker, many of your viewers would be bawling out loud.

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  32. RandyJuly 11, 2011 at 11:09 PM

    Looks like a scene from an old movie.

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  33. Genie -- Paris and BeyondJuly 11, 2011 at 11:55 PM

    To all, thank you for understanding and for your thoughtful comments today. Many of you let me know that you have "fallen" for her as well.

    Bear, I re-read The Highwayman and remembered studying it some (many) years ago... hauntingly appropriate with the photo today.

    Janey, I wish that I had come here for my 21st birthday... what a wonderful memory you have!

    Nadege, I have not seen that but will make a note to rent it on a dark and stormy night...

    Jack, if I had found a jazz pianist playing beneath the window that night, playing a slow sad song, I might have taken it as "a sign" and just stayed!!

    Again, thanks to all.

    Bises,
    Genie

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  34. beau gosseJuly 12, 2011 at 1:43 AM

    Enchanting photo and lovely words Genie....I, too know exactly how you feel.

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  35. JoeJuly 12, 2011 at 9:04 AM

    Genie - even if hastily captured what a wonderful photo with a haunting feel. Your narrative is one I will remember. Thank you.

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  36. Montreal Photo DailyJuly 12, 2011 at 4:43 PM

    It's awe-inspiring! Notable works of art are sometimes based on fleeting and dreamy moments as this. Yours is a very powerful image. Chapeau!


    PS: To think that I almost missed this! I had a very long "senior moment" yesterday. hehe.

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  37. HalcyonJuly 12, 2011 at 11:20 PM

    Cool effect. I like the black and white too. Perfect mood!

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  38. MJuly 12, 2011 at 11:27 PM

    Not a "singular best"??? Mais non! I think it is one of your best -- the angle is wonderful, the subtle glow of the moon as it peeks out through the wispy clouds that are mirrored on the stone of the statue and the church ... truly an artistic eye! I must have been doing my nightly ablutions and missed this hauntingly beautiful scene. So very glad you captured it for me! It does bring a mist to the eyes -- the angst of missing Paris -- the joy of having shared it with friends. Gros bisous ma chere amie!

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Merci for your comments!