Here are a few high-angle shot photos from my archive. Because staying on top of things is often very conducive to impressive pictures.
Of the high angle shot
We often go to Blois in the Loire Valley. Almost each time I get there, I gad about town taking pictures with my tripod. This high-angle shot is one of the nicest views of the ancient city of Blois. I took it from the top of the stairs behind Denis Papin’s back. Papin (22 August 1647 – 26 August 1713) is celebrated in Blois (he was born nearby, a little further south) for having invented some of the principles leading to the harnessing of steam power.
About Blois and London
Being a Protestant in 17th-century France and beyond until Napoleon put a stop to this nonsense must have been a challenge (here’s for those in need of a reminder). Papin had to escape to Britain and Germany. He died in London. It has never ceased to amaze me how some people who were originally rejected for their ideas can become the object of jingoism. As an aside, I’m currently reading The Pillars of the Earth.
High Angle Shot at Nationalism
One of the main characters at the beginning of the book is King Stephen, aka Étienne de Blois, a brief reminder of those days when the kings of Britain were from Norman and Angevin descent (and vice versa for certain areas of what later became France). Nationalists should always go back and read history; they would learn something. By the way, what country recognises Dieu et mon droit for its motto? (spoiler alert, it’s a country where French is no longer spoken).
I took the above shot from the top of the rampart in Antibes. I find Antibes much more authentic than some of the other places on the Riviera.
Titlt-shifts and wide angle shots
If you are a faithful reader of the Antimuseum, which I do not doubt a single minute, you already know everything about tilt-shifts and miniature effects made with photography. This one was made directly on my then Nikon D7000 camera. I took it from the top of the castle at La Roche Guyon. As it happens, tilt-shifts are especially effective when applied to high angle shots.
You do not need to climb on hills to take wide-angle shots; a simple footbridge will do, as in the above shot taken in the 12th district of Paris of a speeding car. You may point out that I didn’t need to go that far to shoot a speeding car, and you would have, unfortunately, a very valid point.
For the above shot we climbed to the top floor of the newly built tour Duo where you may catch an amazing view of the City while sipping a refreshment. Well and truly recommended.
From above, almost anything would look good, even the good old dreaded Stinky Peripherique. A high-angle shot view of this urban motorway from the top of one of Jean Nouvel’s Tours Duo.
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Je suis photographe et aquarelliste. Je pratique la photographie depuis l'enfance et la photographie numérique depuis 1995. J'en ai fait mon activité principale en 2021. Je possède un studio photo dans le 15e arrondissement de Paris
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