Leading Lines, Montmartre – Paris, France

I framed this scene a few ways by varying the focal length and decided on this middle level at a 79mm equivalent. I had a wider one, and one zoomed in all the way to 120mm.

The challenge was to remove the distracting elements while still maintaining the S-curve of the road. The wide took in too much detail, while the longest telephoto lost the curve of the road and the dome on the left side. Unlike a painter who can optimally position elements for maximum aesthetic balance, we photographers have to do their best given the constraints.

Not that I didn’t somewhat manipulate the photo. I removed a few distracting branches near the top left and right. Still, if I had advanced photo-manipulating AI tools that don’t exist yet, I would shift the bottom right tree more to the right and remove the white pile of garbage just below the people.

I suppose with more effort and time, I could’ve shifted my position to reduce the tree’s impact. However, given the constraints of bad weather and a wife wanting to move on, I’m happy with what I produced.

Blog readers, you’ll love my free monthly photography magazine. Signup for the free magazine to get articles and topics not discussed on the blog.