The Glow of Paris: The Bridges of Paris at Night, Hardcover

Independent Publisher Book Awards

Europe Nonfiction

Already we're expecting something special. And that's exactly what Gary Zuercher gives us in this gorgeous collection of photographs. Over a period of five years, he took his cameras out into the Parisian night to capture stunningly evocative images of the bridges that span the Seine. Using his artistic eye and sophisticated photographic technique, he created these glorious black-and-white photographs, rich with detail and possessing a clear, luminous, quality. This collection is unique, and remarkable. No one else has ever photographed all the bridges that cross the Seine in Paris in this way. We don't see crowds of people, or heavy traffic. Nothing obscures the beauty and strength of the structures, the romance and symbolism of the bridges. Shooting in black and white allows the details to shine: the architectural elements, artwork, nearby buildings, trees on the riverbanks, and starry lamps casting paths of light across the water.

Gary Zuercher's career path has been quite different from that of most professional photographers. He has simultaneously combined a highly successful business career with a successful career as a professional photographer. As if that isn't enough, he is also a commercial, multiengine, instrument-rated pilot with over 2,000 hours logged as pilot in command. Over a period of thirty years, he has provided photography for numerous companies and advertising agencies needing commercial images for publications, advertising, brochures, media, and marketing. During the same period, he produced fifteen company and product promotional films, in which he worked as editor or co-editor and as cameraman and photographer. While doing this, he successfully founded, built, and developed both the WaveTek group of companies that pioneered the development of the water-park industry, and the Rain Drop Products company.