Interior Details, Opéra Garnier – Paris, France

For some reason, I’ve been talking about staircases for the last couple of days. And, after teasing about the main staircase, here it is. Unfortunately, I only had a 24mm equivalent, so you don’t see it in its full glory from this angle. Since much of the building is symmetrical, the grand staircase goes up the middle and splits to the right and left.

I shot a few angles of this structure, but none of the images were ultimately satisfying. Today’s picture is the best I could muster from this angle. A good part of the challenge is the other visitors on the stairs, who detract from the architecture and the photography. I could do nothing about that, and I didn’t have time to wait. I used a slow shutter speed to create motion blur, which somewhat reduces the impact of the people.

Imagine well-dressed patrons, especially women with flowing dresses, gliding down this staircase, surrounded by all this opulence. It must be quite the scene at the opera.

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