Peter Fenech joins Thomas Speck on the streets of Paris to learn the secrets to capturing classic black-and-white city scenes

Pictured Sacré-Cœur “I have nothing against people, but their presence needs to add something to the photo,” says Thomas

All main images ©Thomas Speck

I recently learned of a phenomenon called ‘Paris Syndrome’. This describes a feeling of deflation among the millions of tourists who flock to the ‘City of Lights’ every year – a sense of severe culture shock upon discovering a living, working, modern metropolis that is, in many ways, far removed from the picturepostcard vignettes we often see of the French capital.

Of course, this could apply to almost any famous location we have become familiar with through a continuous stream of photographs that romanticise certain characteristics of the place. However, as photographers, it’s our job to find the ingredients that combine to form the atmosphere of a place and to communicate that to our viewers. As any seasoned traveller will confirm, this is as much about what you leave out of the story as what you choose to capture within your image frames.

Today, I find myself among the quaint streets of Montmartre, the famous Artist’s Quarter of Paris. I’m here to meet Thomas Speck, an expert on the city’s many different faces. As we walk in the footsteps of Van Gogh, Matisse, Renoir, Degas, ToulouseLautrec and others – the list of artists who were inspired by these cobbled streets is a long one – I hope to learn how Thomas distils his timeless city scenes. “I’m a very visual guy,” he says as we meet in the beautiful old square of Place du Tertre. “I like to observe the world and I think that helps – taking note of the light and shadows and how this affects the colours around you.”

Thomas Speck

Originally born in Germany, but having lived in the Paris region for many years, Thomas is an expert in capturing the atmosphere of the French capital. He specialises in cityscape, landscape and travel photography, focusing on the emotional connection and contrasts between nature and the urban area. As a certified ‘Qualified European Photographer’, Thomas also offers tailored online mentoring to upcoming photographers. To find out more about these sessions, contact him at: info@thomasspeck.com

@thomasspeckphotos thomasspeck.com

Though originally from the German-Swiss border region, his decades living in and around Paris have given Thomas an intimate knowledge of the city’s pulse – the ebb and flow of the traffic and the pace of life. I ask him what he looks for when seeking images of the urban environment.

“I imagine the photo I want to take and the emotion I want to convey and then I try to find the scene that matches that concept”

“Cities like Paris can have many characteristics so I like to explore these and find out what they are,” he says. “I’m influenced by the contrast of nature and cities and I think of myself as both a landscape and cityscape photographer. I love to capture the characteristics of the location, whether it’s a city or a landscape.”