Carla's Top Ten Paris Photo Suppliers

Even though I will be leaving very shortly for one of my favourite places on earth, Greece, (see photos above) Paris is a great place to be in summer, especially if you love photography. It is a city that gave birth to the humanist movement of the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s and has celebrated its love affair with photography ever since.

As the traditional methods of photography fade so do the valued suppliers. I recently scoured the city for rolls of black and white Neopan 1600 and as I called one number after another with a negative response my panic mounted. This exercise made me realise that the suppliers that have remained are a small tight group of experts whose phone numbers and addresses we all desperately need! There is nothing worse than being caught out in a city this size, you can spend a whole day chasing your tail!

My gift this summer is to open my little black book of my favourite suppliers in Paris. I have used them often over the years and if you are in Paris this summer and into photography check out the following:

Prophot
37-39 rue Condorcet
75009 Paris
www.prophot.fr
+33 1 42 80 58 41

These guys have everything. Prophot is a mini warehouse of photographic supplies. Products for the darkroom, black and white and colour films in professional packs or individually, silver gelatin papers, tanks. They have a great range of reflectors, umbrellas, lighting equipment and camera bags.

Cirque Photo Video
9 Bis Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire
75003 Paris, France
01 40 29 91 99
http://www.lecirque.fr

Cirque is one of those rare French photography stores were you can get a great range of all digital cameras and videos. Leica, Canon and Nikon are all equally well represented, professional cameras and semi-professsional including a wide range of lens. They also carry seamless paper backgrounds, gels, good range of camera bags and portable lighting solutions.

PICTO Bastille
53 bis, rue de la Roquette 75011 Paris
Tél : 01 53 36 21 21
Tél service courses : 01 53 36 21 04
Fax : 01 53 36 21 00
E-mail : bastille@picto.fr
Ouverture réception : lundi - vendredi 9h à 19h 30

This was the first professional lab in Paris. They handle all the magnum photographers developing, need I say more. Picto offer traditional black and white silver gelatin prints, lambda and archival ink jet printing services. They carry a small range of colour film.

Toroslab
20 Rue Marie Stuart
75002 Paris, France
01 40 26 00 50
www.toroslab.com

They call Toros ‘the magician of silver’. Toros has been printing black and white images for forty years and if you have an exhibition project he will allow you to work side by side with him in the darkroom. Could we ask for more!!

Negatif Plus
108 rue Lafayette
Paris 75009
www.negatifplus.com

This is my ‘cheap and cheerful’ (without being very cheerful). Sometimes we don’t want to spend a fortune on a print but all the same we want an ok print. Negatifplus is a photo supermarket and considering the prices for Paris the quality is good. They have a self service boutique where you upload everything yourself and also an online upload (which I personally love). One less metro to take and that is a good thing!!

Matphot
36 rue René Boulanger
75010 Paris
01 43 47 20 25
http://www.matphot.com

Need to hire lights, cameras, lens, digital backs, umbrellas reflectors, stands or pocket wizards in the centre of Paris? I go to Matphot because it is located at Republique which is rare to find a photo hire in the centre of Paris. The guys are friendly and they get a thumbs up from me.

RVZ
17 rue Hoche
92240 Malakoff (France)
Tél. : +33 (0)1 47 46 17 00
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 46 13 00
E-Mail : location@rvz.fr

These are the big guns in photography hire. They have it all including Leica lens, Leica digital and film cameras, lights, cameras, digital backs and trucks. Their catalogue is huge but the downside is you have to schlep out to the edge of Paris to get your gear.

SALA
5, Passage Piver
75011 Paris
Phone : 00 33 (0) 1 49 23 02 22
Fax : 00 33 (0) 1 49 23 03 33
www.salaprod.com
I love this studio, it is an old artist’s studio in Paris and has loads of atmosphere. Great daylight studio used by Mr. Lindbergh. Like all studios in Paris it doesn’t come for nothing but it is gorgeous.

Pin-up
23 avenue Jean Moulin
75014 Paris
www.pin-up.com
This is the big kahuna of Parisian photo studios. All the world’s best photographers have shot here over the years. Numerous different studios, decor rental, restaurants, retouchers, printing services and trucks. All you will need is a cheque-book.

Last but night least is a street!
Boulevard Beaumarchais
75003

This boulevard is a photographers dream. Imagine one photography shop after another, one that sells second hand polaroid cameras and another that specialises in Leicas, another that sells used Nikons and has old canon lenses lined up in the window like delicious pastries. Shops that specialise in Medium format and large format cameras sit next to film shops and second hand experts. If you are stuck for something try this street, if you are dreaming about an old camera try this street and if you love photography and all the bits and pieces that come with it stroll down boulevard Beaumarchais and it may turn out to be the most beautiful street in Paris for you!!!