Some of the most beautiful natural images in the world are on display right now at the Jardin des Plantes. While enjoying a summer stroll in this picturesque park, guests staying at the Hotel Louvre Marsollier can see these impressive photographs for themselves, including award-winning shots of the biggest mangrove forest in the world.
This free photo exhibition, titled ‘Photo Par Nature’ (‘Photos by Nature’) is a presentation of a collection of twenty finalists of a photo contest that was held by National Geographic magazine and Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (the French Natural History Museum). The shots have been blown up and affixed to a railing going along the interior of the Jardin des Plantes, enabling anyone who goes to the park to enjoy them.
The winner of the competition is a photograph by Xavier Desmier called Life in the Sundarbans, depicting a large mangrove forest located in India and Bangladesh called the Sundarbans. It depicts the sometimes surprising clash between nature and modernity, between old ways and new.
This clash is showcased in many of the honored shots, with most of them presenting scenes of local residents interacting with their natural environments. By seeing this exhibit, visitors can therefore get a glimpse into the daily lives and local economies of distant lands that they never knew existed. Certain photographs also present the disturbing effects that the threat of pollution and deforestation can have on these local, natural economies.
Both beautiful and thought-provoking, the ‘Photos par Nature’ exhibit should not be missed by anyone who finds themselves in Paris before September 12, 2012, when the exhibition will end. Because the exhibition is located out in the open at the Jardin des Plantes, admission is free.
Photos par Nature
Jardin des Plantes
Entrances at 57 rue Cuvier / 2 rue Buffon / 36 rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, 75005
Open from 7:30 a.m. until 7:45 p.m.
Free entry
