Above Paris: A New Collection of Aerial Photographs of Paris, France [Hardcover]

Pierre Salinger (Author), Robert Cameron (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1984

Above Paris. Pierre Salinger writes, "Paris, in its entirety, has never been portrayed like this. The view of the Ile de la Cite with the imposing Notre Dame; the Eiffel Tower, seen from above the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees all give an entirely new deminsion to France's capital." His word picture of the world's romantic center matches Robert Cameron's stunning photography.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Cameron has been a photographer since 1921 when his father gave him a "Brownie" camera and encouraged him to use it. Cameron is now in his 90's and has published 16 of his "Above" books. He was a photographer for the Des Moines Register in the 1930's. Cameron learned the art of aerial photography during World War II, while shooting pictures of military installations for the War Department.

Cameron is a member of the Royal Photographic Society and a member of the Presidents Council of the International Center of Photography. His work has been exhibited in Paris at La Bibliotheque Historique and the Foundation Mona Bismarck. In New York at the International Center of Photography, the New York City Municipal Arts Foundation. In San Francisco at the Vision Gallery, City Hall and the Pacific Center for Photographic Arts. In Chicago's O'Hare airport. In China at the New Gallery of Art in Shanghai and at the Forbidden City. Cameron is currently working on his highly anticipated new book "Above Mexico City".

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Cameron and Company; 1st edition (December 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0918684196
• ISBN-13: 978-0918684196
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 14.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #460,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Completes A Picture Puzzle, June 12, 2000

By 

Loren D. Morrison "amateur_reviewer" (Los Angeles County, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Above Paris: A New Collection of Aerial Photographs of Paris, France (Hardcover)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ACTUALLY THERE ARE SEVERAL!!, October 24, 2000

By 

Loren D. Morrison "amateur_reviewer" (Los Angeles County, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Above Paris: A New Collection of Aerial Photographs of Paris, France (Hardcover)

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.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A marvelously produced book of Paris from Above, May 31, 2003

By 

Robert Moore (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Above Paris: A New Collection of Aerial Photographs of Paris, France (Hardcover)

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.