It's our last afternoon in Paris. Where to go to watch the sunset? The Pompidou Center. On its west-facing side, an outdoor escalator system, enclosed in large, transparent plastic tubes. And the top floor is high enough to give a vantage point over all of Paris.

This picture was taken with a disposable cardboard camera with a built-in flash. (In France, it would be called a "jetable.") Just one problem -- there was no way to turn off the camera's flash. It fired with every picture and the reflection from the plastic in front of me would be reflected back at the camera.

What to do? I had a small French dictionary with me. Carefully positioning the dictionary in front of the camera's flash, I took my pictures. And this is the result. A dreamy look at a beautiful subject.

The moral of the story is quite simple: if you are a photographer, you should always carry a small French dictionary with you.

You never know...