Stuck In Customs » Lyon http://stuckincustoms.com Unique photography for unique people. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:04:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 en Alone around 10 PM - Just me and this tempting French creperie http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/08/25/alone-around-10-pm-just-me-and-this-tempting-french-creperie/ http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/08/25/alone-around-10-pm-just-me-and-this-tempting-french-creperie/#comments Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:53:09 +0000 tratcliff http://stuckincustoms.com/?p=1690 It is my favorite thing in the world to wander around foreign streets at night… all alone… just me and my iPod. I’m much too weak to avoid passing by these little creperies without stopping in for a fresh French pastry… I mean, who in their right mind could avoid that?

Alone around 10 PM - Just me and this tempting French creperie

]]> http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/08/25/alone-around-10-pm-just-me-and-this-tempting-french-creperie/feed/ The river than ran through Lyon at midnight http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/08/04/the-river-than-ran-through-lyon-at-midnight/ http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/08/04/the-river-than-ran-through-lyon-at-midnight/#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:07:04 +0000 tratcliff http://stuckincustoms.com/?p=1669 I walked around Lyon at midnight with a Russian friend. We were so busy at the conference most of the time that the first chance we had to shoot together was when the streets were almost empty and the river was black.

He saw me walking with my camera attached to my tripod and the strap hanging down. He winced, saying he saw one of his friend’s cameras just drop off the head and crash to the ground. He forced me to wrap the strap around the tripod just in case… and I still do that to this day, thinking about is disapproving Russian scowl. I don’t need to see that it my mind’s eye…

The river that ran through Lyon at midnight

]]> http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/08/04/the-river-than-ran-through-lyon-at-midnight/feed/ Le Magic Horoscope http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/08/03/le-magic-horoscope/ http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/08/03/le-magic-horoscope/#comments Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:27:19 +0000 tratcliff http://stuckincustoms.com/?p=1668 I was in the back alleys of Lyon, the old district, when this little fortune teller in a purple box appeared. The machine was making rather scary ambient droning sounds intermixed with a screeching mechanical whirring that rumbled from the inside. I was rather nervous while taking a shot of it, but I kept my wits about me then moved on.

Le Magic Horoscope

]]> http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/08/03/le-magic-horoscope/feed/ The Grandeur of Notre Dame http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/05/20/the-grandure-of-notre-dame/ http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/05/20/the-grandure-of-notre-dame/#comments Wed, 21 May 2008 02:45:14 +0000 tratcliff http://stuckincustoms.com/?p=1589 This is the tiny little hillside chapel of Notre Dame de Lyon. It was a healthy walk to the top all by my lonesome with my tripod and ipod. It was once again one of those places where you are not supposed to use tripods. But I simply state that I am on a mission from God, and then they generally back off either in awe or confusion.

The Grandure of Notre Dame

]]> http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/05/20/the-grandure-of-notre-dame/feed/ The Extravagance http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/01/23/the-extravagance/ http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/01/23/the-extravagance/#comments Thu, 24 Jan 2008 03:11:33 +0000 tratcliff http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/01/23/the-extravagance/ The interior of the Notre Dame was vast, golden, and could not possibly fit through the eye of a needle.

The Extravagance

]]> http://stuckincustoms.com/2008/01/23/the-extravagance/feed/ Dark Matters of the Church http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/12/dark-matters-of-the-church/ http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/12/dark-matters-of-the-church/#comments Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:30:04 +0000 tratcliff http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/12/dark-matters-of-the-church/ Seen at the cusp of night in Lyon.
Dark Matters of the Church

]]> http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/12/dark-matters-of-the-church/feed/ The Festival of Lights in Lyon http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/10/the-festival-of-lights-in-lyon/ http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/10/the-festival-of-lights-in-lyon/#comments Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:53:07 +0000 tratcliff http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/10/the-festival-of-lights-in-lyon/ Every year around this time, Lyon lights up with a festive light celebration. All over the town, they erect unique light sculptures, torches, lasers, candles, light shows, projections, strobes, and anything else you can think of.

This shot is very unusual and the light did unexpected things to the lens, but I quite like it!

The Festival of Lights in Lyon

]]> http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/10/the-festival-of-lights-in-lyon/feed/ Bistrot de Lyon http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/08/bistrot-de-lyon/ http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/08/bistrot-de-lyon/#comments Sat, 08 Dec 2007 14:19:36 +0000 tratcliff http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/08/bistrot-de-lyon/ I went out to dinner with a bunch of cool Russians after the conference on Tuesday. We went down one of the most popular streets in Lyon to have some seafood. Afterwards, the founder of this other company and I went out to shoot photos.. I think we walked the streets for about 3 hours until 2 AM. It was a big mistake since my flight left early the next morning! Although, it is better than going out drinking with the Russians…

Bitrot de Lyon

]]> http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/08/bistrot-de-lyon/feed/ Notre Dame of Lyon - aka How to Take Clandestine Cathedral Pictures in 10 Steps http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/02/notre-dame-of-lyon-aka-how-to-take-clandestine-cathedral-pictures-in-10-steps/ http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/02/notre-dame-of-lyon-aka-how-to-take-clandestine-cathedral-pictures-in-10-steps/#comments Sun, 02 Dec 2007 22:22:07 +0000 tratcliff http://stuckincustoms.com/2007/12/02/notre-dame-of-lyon-aka-how-to-take-clandestine-cathedral-pictures-in-10-steps/ I arrived in Lyon today for an upcoming game conference and went to the old medieval section of the city to grab some shots before dinner. This is the interior of the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière. It is probably the most lavish and beautiful cathedral I have ever been inside. It beats the other Notre Dame in Paris by a mile. I’ve never been in the Sistine Chapel, which is probably more lavish. I was going to visit it on my last trip to Rome but the Pope died the day I was there… so that one was… busy.

My method for getting tripods into cathedrals and shooting is this:

1. Go in the exit and act like you are lost if someone asks

2. Wear a long matrix-coat and stuff your tripod up inside like a shotgun. Try not to walk with a limp.

3. Stride confidently through the crowds like you are in a hurry on a photo assignment.

4. Work your way into the pews and have a seat. You can even pretend to be Catholic and say a few Latin words as you sit down. I suggest "Pater Noster (My Father) or Quid Pro Quo (Rub Beads and go to Heaven)"

5. Slide out the tripod and assemble along the ground, When other parishioners look at you suspiciously, give them the sign of the cross.

6. Watch for old people in the main aisle, because they have trouble getting around tripods. Jump out, take your long exposures at 100 ISO, then sit back down.

7. If securty comes to get you, blame Stuck In Customs and that will confuse them long enough so you can make a getaway.

8. Don’t worry about getting caught. The church is much more leniant than they were during the Inquisition. Most big cathedrals do have crypts, but they are full of dead saints and they have never put a photographer in there.

9. If you see a tourist with a tiny camera taking a picture with the flash on, please tell them to stop. The flash does nothing in that situation. It’s just embarassing for them, really.

10. If you want some post-processing techniques, check out my tutorial at stuckincustoms.com/2006/06/06/548/

Notre Dame of Lyon - aka How to Take Clandestine Cathedral Pictures in 10 Steps

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