John Fowler
Advanced Photographer

First Place - Advanced Color Print

I have a 42 year relationship with a French family. I worked in their camera shop, Odeon Photo, on the Blvd St. Germaine in Paris. I took my first image in 1969 while working at the shop. Today I travel back and forth to France for work and to teach five to six times a year. I stay in the same hotel a block from Notre Dame. After work I grab my camera and tripod and walk the streets looking for photo opportunities. The streets are alive with old buildings, markets, flower shops, cafés, street entertainers, the tour boats on the river and much more. I often get a shot I like but know it can be better. Next trip I go back and try again. On the last two trips I have been working on a night shot to match a day shot of the Seine River.

Fire Eaters at Notre Dame was shot about 11:30 pm in the evening on a Friday night. The plaza in front of Notre Dame comes alive with people, entertainers, music , and roller bladders strutting their stuff. I was making my way back to the hotel and came across these fire eaters blowing flames up in the air. I just cranked away in continuous shot mode. Then this gentleman took center stage. He had two balls on a tether loaded with oil. He lit them and started swing them in a circle. Fire started spewing out the holes in the balls. My shutter is clicking away. Then the magic moment-fireworks started going off around him. It was spectacular. I previewed the images and I knew right away I had something special.

In Paris I like to think of myself as an urban-life photographer. I enjoy photographing mountains, wildlife, flowers with small insects flying or crawling on them. I shoot with a T1i on aperture priority. Making the switch from film to digital I now shoot in Raw with really nice lenses I could not afford in college. I consider myself pretty lucky and blessed.