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Vadim Ghirda takes a closer look at his AP photo of the sunset framed by the Arc de Triomphe.
Why this photo?
All photographs are unique but this one has an extra element of “uniqueness” attached to it: There are only a few days in a year when the sunset is framed by one of the famous landmarks of Paris, the Arc de Triomphe. This year it happens during the Olympic Games. It’s a small but worthy piece in the huge puzzle of photographs produced by all of my AP colleagues, which, in the end, will paint the BIG picture of an historic event, taking place against the backdrop of iconic sites in Paris.
HOW I MADE THIS PHOTO
I tried to make the photo on Aug. 1 but was out of luck. It was a cloudy evening. Trying, however, is the first step to achieve anything – I met an enthusiast photographer sporting an old classic film camera, a “veteran” of this sunset picture, who said he tries to shoot it every year. I learned that next day the position of the sun will actually be better. He also pointed out a better position for taking it. I arrived more than 2 hours before the sunset on Aug. 2, thinking I will have time to move around and find the perfect place to shoot. Dozens of enthusiast photographers with tripods, tourists or locals with mobile phones were already crowding the “perfect spot” arguing with police officers, who were trying to move them away, concerned for their safety as traffic was quite busy at that time. I barely found a space to squeeze in the center of the Champs Elysees and wait.
I am not a fan of technical details, I’ll just say this was shot on a long lens, to achieve that compressed perspective that would focus the attention on the sunset, yet capture the bustling Champs Elysees avenue below. The ideal moment was extremely brief, to the extent where, with all the pushing around for the ideal angle going on, I was not sure I got it.
Why this photo works
The simple answer is: It’s in Paris and includes worldwide known landmarks and a rare occurrence sunset during the Olympics. But that’s not why it works for me. I see a symbol in almost everything around me. (It’s exhausting). Capturing this was, to paraphrase Elton John, a way to not let the sun go down on the world. Photography is a time stopper – who doesn’t want this superpower? I am happy I had the opportunity to stop yet another fascinating moment.
