Advice for photography in London & Paris

[01steven]

Hi

Am just about to take delivery of a Canon EOS 400D Digital SLR camera (print SLR and compact digital user up to now!).
Over the Xmas period we're taking 2 weeks holiday- spending a week in London and a week in Paris.

It will be some rare quality time with my family (wife and 2yr old son) as I'm working long hours these days.

Have visited London and Paris many many times before (lived in London for 13 years, been to Paris about 20 times!), but this trip we're going to unashamedly be tourists.

In London we plan to visit:
London Eye, Aquarium, Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, Changing of the Guard, boat trip on the Thames, Greenwich etc.

In Paris we plan to visit:
Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Pompidou Centre, boat on the Seine, la Villette etc.

So I'm interested in peoples' thoughts on the following:
- how best to juggle photography and family? I can't be hanging around setting up tripods, altering settings too much with family in tow.
- any interesting perspectives on familiar landmarks? want some interesting and unusual shots- don't just want a set of picture-postcards
- any particular suggestions for places to visit which will satisfy both my photographic hunger and my family's needs
- best way of backing up photos from memory card and freeing up more space while away from home?
- generally any advice/thoughts!

All responses greatly appreciated in advance...

Regards

 

[mobilevirgin]

Don't take a tripod. This will **** everyone off. Especially your family. But its likely to bring unwelcome attention from plod and miscellaneous security people in London. (Don't know about Paris).

Just look for a different take on familiar things - get low, or high. There's a few of the London Eye in my flickr London set that may give you some ideas. Or see the description on the Shibboleth ones as to why I thought they were an interesting set of pics.

Maybe give yourself a task or a theme - take only photos of postboxes, or only at night, or only of people having lunch, or ... well you get the idea. I've got a book here called "Experimental Travel". It suggests turning your back on familiar landmarks and taking photos of people taking photos.

The best way to back up on the road - take a laptop or get something like one of these - that's what I've got. There are similar, cheaper alternatives too.

Most of all, have fun. If its not a dedicated photo trip, then you are bound to find you don't have a lot of time for photos. Keep it that way, but if the others are in on ideas too, then it could become a group thing. Although I take the photos when I'm out with my g/f, she sometimes "directs" my shots. That way she doesn't get bored and start wandering off in search of shoe shops, or whatever.

 

[spannerdude]

It's a few years since I was last in Paris but I doubt it has changed much.
When travelling on the Paris Metro be very security conscious.
It is rife with criminal gangs.
Try to keep your bags in front of you at all times and move everything of value to inside pockets. If you are in a group, look out for each other.
Be particularly carefull when funelling into the turnstiles to get on or off the platform, on escalators or anywhere that people have an excuse to get up close to you.