Carsten Rühlemann

The second Paris race: a start at the Mairie du 14e, four themes from the Left Bank to a photography barge in the 13th, and a jury that could not separate two third places.

The second Urban Photo Race in Paris started at 11:00 sharp in front of the Mairie du 14e, with photographers from France, the Netherlands and Germany, expat Parisians among them, newcomers next to regulars. Newly-weds were coming out of the village hall as the race left.

The route crossed the city south to north. The first two themes, Unexpected and So Parisian!, were in the bag by the furthest checkpoint, Jardin Villemin by the Canal Saint-Martin. From there the third theme, Délice, took a loop past the Opéra and the Grands Boulevards to the slightly hidden Place Édouard VII. A demonstration around République, so Parisian after all, cost some participants a metro connection and gained them a double challenge.

The final theme, Duo, led to the fourth and last checkpoint: Quai de la photo, a barge given over to photography in the 13th arrondissement. The autumn weather held, with sunny spells and a few drops of rain, and the day closed with a drink on the terrace of the péniche. Racers then submitted their twelve photographs for the jury.