I’ve already written several times about my work trip to Paris in 2018 which yielded an absolutely incredible evening of photography after a solid day of rain. After taking two sunset photos of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel and its statue on top, the evening continued with blue hour providing a benedictory backdrop for the Musée d’Orsay at twilight. This was the final photo I took on that evening, closing out an extraordinary day of weather and photography.

I previously posted my photo of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel from my trip to Paris last May, and I loved the combination of the arc and the crazy sunset behind it. After an earlier rainstorm, the clearing clouds provided a gorgeous canvas for a sunset of bright colors. I had already taken several photos of the arc as a whole (my previous post), and I was looking for another photo that made good use of the light and color in the sky.

My day in Paris had started off typically enough. The air traffic controllers were on strike, just not the ones controlling my United flight landing at CDG. The rail conductors were also on strike, but fortunately for me the Ubers at the airport were running just fine. I arrived at the office on a sunny morning without incident (despite ominous reports of riots in some far flung arrondissement), worked for a few hours, and then checked into my hotel for a quick shower and nap. It was during my shower that my jet lagged brain realized the weather had profoundly changed when I heard the din of loud raindrops on the roof of the hotel above me – loud enough to drown out the sound of the shower I was taking.

When we traveled to France in 2010, we made sure to include a visit to Versailles on our itinerary. So much of Versailles is extraordinary, but the Grand Trianon château stands out as one of the more beautiful. This section of the palace was roped off, allowing one to view it but preventing entry. There was a crowd of people all taking photos, so I only had a brief moment to slide in and take a few shots handheld.

When I had the opportunity to visit Paris on business, I made sure to allocate time to take photos. Even though Paris is one of the most photographed places on the planet, you can always find something new with fresh light, color, and weather. On this trip, I decided I didn’t want to get mixed up with the tourists in some of the usual spots like the Eiffel Tower, so I took a walk from my hotel to the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur instead.