Paris in the springtime

In theory, Jean-Michel runs the Café Descartes deep in the latin quarter, but everyone knows that René "Le Chat" is the real boss!

Greeted daily by all the local patrons, René has been minding his café stool for years and has become quite partial to Jean Michel's food!

I love Paris in the springtime and here are a few impressions on how you might spend a late spring day in the city of light and love.

You might begin with breakfast on the shaded terrace of a left bank cafe, watching the city wake up and come to life.

Then go for a gentle stroll along the river, hoping to spot a bargain in one of the bouquiniste stalls that line the quays.

You will be just in time to pop up to rue Jacob, stopping for tea and a macaron in Laduree and picking up a few goodies for lunch before getting on your "velo" and..

..heading for a "dejeuner sur l'herbe" (picnic), in beautiful Place de Vosges, just across the river in the Marais.

As art and beauty are everywhere, perhaps you might want to spend the afternoon by taking an art class or visiting a gallery, or even combine them both in the "Musee de l'Orangerie". This is where Monet's eight beautiful cimemascopic impressions of waterlilies fill two of the most beautiful gallery rooms in the world.

To finish your day, stroll across the romantic bridges where you and your loved one can add your inscribed padlock to the thousands that decorate the Pont des Arts and the Pont de l'Archevêché. Here, you can throw the key into the river to symbolize that your love is sealed and that you have left a little of your heart in Paris,....until you return to reclaim it!

Family Portrait Photography - On Location

With all of this wonderful spring weather that we are having, now is a great time for shooting outdoor family portraits. This recent session with the O'Loughlin family is a good example of the experience that you can enjoy on a photo-shoot and end the day with beautiful portraits that capture the spirit of the family.

Photographing teenagers can be challenging, but it is always great fun. Often young people have very set ideas about how they look and any photographer has to earn their trust. Just like with parents and younger kids, the best way of doing that is to produce beautiful photographs and to show them just how good they look. Here it is obvious that Amy and a camera are made for each other.

Attitude is so important and Ian has the type of laid-back coolness that I wish I had had when I was his age!

I usually try to photograph indoors as well and always try to produce some images in my own portrait style. In this photo of Amy, it was a simple and quick set up using the beautiful natural light coming into the family kitchen.

For this portrait of Ian, we used a shaded doorway to contrast nicely with his skin tone and his Chelsea shirt. (It may have been a red door!)

There are always plenty of breaks between shots, though you never know when a strong image will present itself. Over a two hour shoot, I aim to produce between 50 and 100 images from which a family can choose their favourites for framed prints, folder prints and albums.

It is very important not to forget parents portraits during a family shoot. This portrait of Grainne and Noel was enhanced by the comments coming from Amy and Ian who were behind me as I was shooting.

As this whole family are big music fans, I thought that it might be nice to end with a family portrait in the style that a band might adopt for an album cover! It was a wonderful afternoon and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. The family were very happy with their photographs and I'll post some samples of the framed portraits and album from this session at a future date.

If you like these images, then you can find more examples of family portraits at www.noelhillis.ie.

By the way, all of the images were photographed using natural light except for the first one which was lit using off camera flash.

Corporate portrait photography in Dublin

These corporate portraits are from a body of work produced for Dublin based international conference managers, Keynote PCO.

Rachel and Brenda were photographed during a very busy conference at the Burlington Hotel, using a simple natural light set-up.

PR photography in Dublin

Please don't drop the ball!

A favourite image produced a little while back, during a photocall for "Tractor on Tour's" successful drive to raise funds and awareness for a children's hospice in Ireland.

For more information please visit LauraLynn House at the Children's Sunshine Home.

Steve McCurry at the Gallery of Photography

There are few living legends in the world of photography, but Steve McCurry is one.

As part of his exhibition of iconic colour photographs in the Gallery of Photography, Steve was in Dublin last week to deliver a talk about his work. I was very fortunate to be there and to catch up with him later at his book signing.

Probably the most outstanding photographer working in colour today, Steve McCurry has influenced a generation of photographers. For me he is the master of natural light portrait photography, with a unique ability to capture the humanity and the very soul of his subjects.

Most people are familiar with his portrait of "The Afghan Girl" for National Geographic Magazine, which was described recently as "the Mona Lisa of the 20th century".

Every image in this exhibition is a work of art. Give yourself a real treat and drop in to see this world of colour at the Gallery of Photography in Temple Bar. The exhibition runs until April 24.

If you can't make it to Dublin, you can have a look at his work for Magnum or on his Website.

Family Photographer Noel Hillis

As children grow up so quickly, then producing beautiful photography that genuinely captures their personality, is really important for me. When you get invited back to photograph a family for the second, or third time, then it is a real bonus!

As well as being a sign that both parents and children enjoyed the experience the last time, it also gives me as the photographer, a chance to get to know everyone a little better and as a result to produce even more meaningful images.

Take for example, these two children's portraits. I couldn't believe how much Kate had grown up in the 18 months between these photo shoots. Still the same young lady, but now with an even bigger personality!

It is just great to be able to document something so fleeting as a child's look and mood at that one particular time of their life and then to compare the changes that have occurred in such a short time. So many memories come rushing back and you realize just how precious those memories are.

Noel Hillis Travel Photography - Singapore's Little India

Perched behind the wafting incense and his caged birds, Mr. Muniyappan is one of the last parrot fortune tellers in Singapore. As an institution along the covered footpaths on Little India's Serangoon Rd, Mr Muniyappan has told fortunes with the help of his prized parrots for more than 50 years. Throughout Asia his parakeet, Mani, became as famous as Paul the Octopus, with his prediction accuracy during the last world cup.

This colorful part of Singapore is full of such characters. You can get a real flavor of India here and between Serangoon Rd and Arab Street, you can experience the noise, colour and exotic smells of the sub continent, just minutes away from the air conditioned shopping malls for which this island is famous.

Here ceremonial garlands of flowers vie with the spectacular painted Hindu temples in a colorful assault on the eyes, while the 30 degree heat and tropical humidity, add to this sense of being in another world!

Friendly street hawkers, bazar owners, sweet and spice sellers compete to get your attention in these vividly animated streets.

Little India is also home to Singapore's famous wet market, where the range of seafood is amazing - as are the smells!

The rich colours and huge variety of silks available for saris at world famous stores like Nallis, literally takes your breath away.

Traditional crafts are everywhere. Henna tattoos appeal to a lot of visitors and the speed and skill of the artists makes for entertaining viewing.

The rich colours linger in the mind long after leaving as do the scents of dried chilies, turmeric, cumin and the hundreds of other spices that fill the air.

Even the architecture in this part of the island, has held on to its traditional colourful look and while many of the more modern tower blocks may not be as pleasing on the eye, their colours will certainly get them noticed.

Little India is well worth a visit on a Singapore stopover and given its heritage, it makes for a great introduction to Asia.