Riding through the Fog – Urban photograph in La Défense, Paris
Discover: A poetic urban photograph capturing a surreal foggy morning in Paris. A cyclist moves through mist and light, transforming the scene into a dreamlike vision.
Riding through the Fog is an urban photograph taken on the Esplanade of La Défense in August 2019, during the art festival Les Extatiques. The immersive installation spanned the entire Takis basin: at regular intervals, a giant misting system released thick clouds of fog, turning the architectural landscape into a surreal, cinematic backdrop.
I took advantage of this suspended moment to shoot a series of backlit photos using an ultra wide-angle 11 mm lens. In this particular image, a cyclist slowly rides through the fog, his silhouette almost ghostlike as it emerges from the mist. The morning’s low-angle sunlight bathes the scene in a striking glow, reflecting off the surrounding glass towers.
The contrast between everyday life — here a man on a bicycle — and the supernatural atmosphere created by the fog gives the image a tone that’s both poetic and cinematic. The alignment of pavement lines, the cyclist’s dynamic posture, and the precise framing enhance the photograph’s graphic composition.
This scene echoes another photo from the same series titled Walking through the Fog, where a passerby steps through the mist in an equally symbolic gesture. Together, these two images invite the viewer to rediscover the La Défense district from a fresh and artistic perspective.
As a photographer of urban atmospheres, I aim to reveal the hidden beauty of familiar places through the play of light, geometry, and human presence in space. Riding through the Fog is an invitation to slow down, observe, and marvel at the fleeting moments that arise from ephemeral installations.
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All the photos displayed on this website are copyright protected © Sebastien Desnoulez. No use allowed without written authorization.
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Author: Sebastien Desnoulez is a French photographer specializing in urban photography and atmospheric compositions. He captures the fleeting beauty of cities by exploring light, human presence, and poetic geometry. Learn more.
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