Above Paris

All I can say is Wow, Mr. Cameron is such a talent, people just have no idea the skill it takes to get photographs of this quality, much less hanging out of a helicopter. I love Paris and this book lets you see the hidden gardens and the wonderful lay out of this singular city. Paris has NEVER looked so good, and eventhough this book was first published in the late 80's the photographs still capture the present city, after all Paris, thank heaven, does not change that much, that is a big part of her charm. Though she ages she never really shows her age, she is truly eternal. I highly recommend this book, it is just quite frankly unparalleled.

This is a stellar exploration of Paris and its environs via aerial photographs. Armed with a map and this book, you can take a wonderful tour of Paris from a bird's-eye perspective, becoming familiar with the layout of the city, the location of the most famous spots in relation to other structures, and a feel for how the city is built around the various physical landmarks, including hills and the waterways. There is also a wealth of photographs from the surrounding areas of Paris.The photographs are of the greatest imaginable clarity, with a wealth of detail in every picture. Although it is possible to flip through the book, the best approach is to take it and carefully study each picture, teasing out all the details that each one can reveal. I will confess that I have never been to Paris, but thanks to studying this as well as other books enabling one to study the layout of the city, I honestly believe that I could negotiate between the landmarks if I were suddenly plopped down in the center of the city.I have only two complaints with the book. First, the first section of the book features both historical and modern views of the same areas. I would have liked to see a lot more of that. For me, these were by far the most interesting photos in the book, and I wouldn't have minded if this constituted the bulk of the book. Second, while the pictures are of the highest imaginable quality, most were taken from approximately the same elevation. If one compares the photographs here to those in Jan Morris's OVER EUROPE, you will find in the latter a much greater variation in elevation. In the Morris book, they were able to many instances to use a remote control balloon with a camera to get much, much lower than Cameron was in this volume. Pierre Salinger's intro details some of the difficulties they had in getting permission for low-level photographs. Minor quibbles, but I do believe that more variety in the book would have increased its attractiveness and value.

Really, it is rather rare and pleasant to come across the books devoted to aerial photos of Paris. I have only one more. And it is twice pleasant to have such a solid and interesting book. Besides it contains good and well done photos, this book is intersting because you have the chance to compare Paris of 80-s and present Paris if you have been there. If not - no way, it will help you to get more about Paris when you'll have the chance.

A correction to the correction: There are, in fact, several books containing aerial views of Paris. The operative words in my previous review were "low level." It took Salinger and Cameron months to get permission to make a single low level flight over Paris. Some of the photos were taken from altitudes as low as 1200 feet. It is these shots which make ABOVE PARIS unique. And believe me, it is unique.

Because I love Paris and because ABOVE PARIS is the only existing book of low-lever aerial photographs, I want to review it. There is a problem with reviewing a book of photographs, however. Certainly the photography is breathtaking, but can't this be said of a myriad of other books? In fact, there's really nothing I can say about the quality, clarity, or beauty of these photographs that would make this book unique. And yet, there's some way that this book plays into my psyche that insists that I review it.Conceptually, of course, ABOVE PARIS is unique. Because low-level helicopter flights over Paris are forbidden by law, no other book of photographs from this perspective exists. For that we have Cameron and Pierre Salinger to thank for their perserverence in getting permission, against all odds, to make the necessary photographic flight. That's background, but it's still not reason enough to review ABOVE PARIS.I want to write about ABOVE PARIS because these photos fill in the missing piece of the puzzle of Paris for me. I have spent weeks wandering the streets of Paris. I've seen her sights and sipped coffee in her cafes. I've absorbed the atmosphere in the neighborhoods that hold no attraction for most tourists. I've gotten to know her from below ground; the Metro, the sewers, and the catacombs. I've seen her from boats on the Seine and from atop the Eiffel Tower and the Samaritaine. Still, until this book, I haven't seen her rooftop by rooftop. I haven't seen panoramic views from the right bank across the Isles to the left bank. That was what was missing, and ABOVE PARIS pulls it all together for me, completing the picture.If you've been to Paris, this book should bring back a lot of memories. If you haven't been, but might go, it's a great way to visualize the city before you set out. And if you haven't been and aren't planning to go, ABOVE PARIS might just change your mind.