Description: A tall, tapering tower constructed of iron beams interconnected in a complex and regular way stretches skyward against a blue, cloudless sky. The tower is the brownish color in the late light of day. The four pillars at the base approach each other as they rise to a first platform about 15 stories off the ground; they then continue tapering to a second, smaller platform twice as high off the ground, and then converge into a single, narrow column that rises all the way to the summit of the tower, 100 stories above the ground. The individual structural components are so small compared to the tower as a whole that the structure seems semi-transparent at some points; the overall impression is of a delicate, graceful model constructed of fine metal wires painted brown. Beneath the tower and beyond it is a long, narrow park lined with trees, covered with grass and pedestrian paths, and leading to an official-looking building in the distance. In front of the tower is a bridge crossing the river; tiny, dot-like figures moving across the bridge make it possible to appreciate the scale of the tower. The stone bases upon which the pillars rest alone are several stories high. On either side of the tower, tall trees are visible and, further out, a multistory buildings, but they are all dwarfed by the tower itself. At this distance it is almost impossible to see individual people standing on the platforms, but we can see very tiny figures beneath the tower, as people wait in line to ascend to the platforms.
Technical Details:
Body: Hasselblad 501CM medium-format SLR
Lens: Hasselblad (Carl Zeiss) Planar 2.8/80 CFE
Film: Fujichrome Provia 100F professional color reversal film
Exposure/Focus: manual focus, f/5.6 at 1/250
Web preparation: Photoshop 5.0
Miscellaneous: on tripod
Date: September 13, 2002
Location: Parvis du Trocadéro, Paris, France (N 48°51’43” E 002°17’20”)
Photo ID: Eiffel Tower H1C8020020913P1F
Photo Credit: Copyright © 2002 by Anthony Atkielski. All rights reserved.