Photos: Gay Pride, Paris 2012

It was indeed the mother of all parades I have seen so far in Paris. Before any parade kicks off in Paris, the participants occupy the streets preparing themselves while waiting for the green signal. The participants stretch from the starting point in the reverse direction of the parade. The hour before the parade starts incidentally is also the best time to shoot the stationary figures. Once the parade starts, it becomes difficult to shoot a good picture as everyone is on the move with wild abandon.

The starting point of the parade was Gare Montparnasse. I walked from there to take pictures of the paraders. Even after reaching Duroc metro station, I failed to hit the end of the paraders. Then I gave up and walked backwards in order to move along with the parade instead of against it. The parade ends in Place de la Bastille after crossing Luxembourg, Port Royal etc.

The mood was upbeat. The LGBT population of the city along with their supporters were thronging the streets making it difficult to either move or shoot. The most interesting part of the parade occured near Jardin du Luxembourg. The garden was closed. But when the crowds saw the Fountain of the Observatory or the Fontaine des Quatre-Parties-du-Monde or the Carpeaux Fountain, they went berserk. They jumped over the fence and rushed into the fountain. Soon, they were playing in the water. A couple of adventurous souls climbed on the top of the globe.

It was tough to walk and shoot. When I reached St. Michel, I gave up. I went to Saravanaa Bhavan using the RER for a much needed intake of food. Later, I wandered into Place de la Bastille. The energy of the parade was definitely missing at the end point. So I didn't stay long there. The scenes at Jardin du Luxembourg was the high point of the parade for me. It captures some of the spirit associated with the event. So I am sharing some of the pictures.

Tags: Photos