Merci, Paris!

My recent trip to Paris has already made me think of another trip to Paris soon again. Apparently there are so many places to visit, museums, cafes, and even bookstores…

I don’t really speak French. All I know are just Bonjour and Merci. My friends in France told me just say “Bonjour” whenever you enter a new place, a restaurant or convenience store, and that will make your life much easier. I guess that is the magic, or we may be lucky?

We met many nice waiters/waitresses, especially at those local cafes in your hotel neighbourhood. My favorite during the last trip is the one near Le Bon Marche, the famous department store in Paris, and the cafe is already a three-generations family business, which is not unusual in Paris.

The waitress of Au Sauvignon (est. 1954) in the 6th district was in my grandma age but she remained very elegant. We took her advice for the home-made croissant and omelette and they were just très bien!

As my friend Shavkat Toshev, a Uzbek diplomat based in Paris, reminded me that the whole city of Paris itself is like a huge gallery. Every corner is so beautiful that you have to walk every street to see the whole and different beauties and charms of Paris on your own.

And yes, the best way to explore Paris is by foot and it will be also such a good exercise especially after you eat many delicious croissants.

Oh, if you go for brunch or coffee at Au Sauvignon, try its omelette, one of the best I’ve ever had. Miss it already.

Paris, till the next time!

Paris, first roll on my Contax T3

I tried to acquire a Contax T3 film camera in good condition last year and it did take me some efforts. I don’t just want to be an owner of T3 because T3 already has many celebrity owners like Kendall Jenner and Jisoo of Blackpink but it is such a beautiful camera. So is the quality of photography shot on T3.

I acquired my T3 in almost mint condition from a local private film camera specialist. It was not cheap but T3 in good condition (i.e. coming in full box set and original leather case, not to mention it’s the “double teeth” model if you know what it means) is just rare in the market. I jumped on the deal and brought it home, few days ahead of my trip to Europe.

Contax was a Japanese brand but its famous Carl Zeiss 35mm F2.8 lens was made in Germany. T3 is known as the most advanced compact film camera to this day and it does live up to its fame as you can tell from the shots (#nofilter) I did with Fujicolor Superia X-Tra 400 film. The color, light, and balance were all right. If I don’t tell you this is T3, you may guess it could be on a Leica?

Of course there are still many limits when you shoot with T3, compared with Leica M models. But T3 offers you a lot of freedom and gets you back to the basics — remember the No.1 golden rule of photography? Don’t over-think. Focus on the moment and catch it.

I’m very glad to have T3 as my new travel companion. I guess Kendall Jenner and Jisoo of Blackpink may also agree with me.

View more photos shot on my T3 here.