One for the Francophiles
f/5.6 ISO 200 1/250 -0.67ev 18-200@200mm
Here is one for the Francophile followers. I find that one of the most creatively challenging aspects of my travel photography is capturing an image of a subject that has been “photographed to death”. I normally first attempt to take the requisite “scrapbook, been there” type image, then try to get a little more creative or unique. This image was taken on a rainy and dreary weekend in Paris when it was best to stay indoors. We headed to the Pompidou Museum (which if you have not seen is a MUST VISIT), and while walking through one of the outdoor glass tunnels , I spotted this view of the Tower hidden in the mist over the Parisian rooftops.
This shot is from late 2010, before I started shooting RAW, so this JPEG has had almost no adjustments. I hope to get back to Paris soon for some more great food/wine/photography!
My Glass is Half Full…you?
f/18 ISO 200 1/40 -0.67 ev 18-200@200mm
Life is TOO SHORT to travel around with a half empty glass all you life.
Cassis, French Riviera
f/11 ISO 200 1/400 18-200@70mm
Another pic from the French village of Cassis on the French Riviera. Cassis is a village situated east of Marseille in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southern France. Read more about Cassis here.
Reflections of riches lost…
f/6.3, ISO 200, 1/640, -2ev, 18-200@95
This is another image of the Monte Carlo Casino, this time of the reflection in the fountain in the front of the building. I used Aperture to sharpen and enhance the colors in the reflection. I then subtly desaturated the remaining image which was outside of the circular reflection (except for the flowers) to really give it a little “pop” and crispness.
Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France
f/4.5, ISO 200 1/50 10-24mm@22
Please refer to the first “Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France” blog entry for a description of this series.
This is another shot from Vaison-la Romaine, France. I edited it with Silver Efex Pro, then touched it up in Aperture.
This is the last of the images from the “Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France” blog entry series. I have additional images from these locations that don’t fit this category, so stay tuned for more. This is an absolutely stunning place to visit, and I would be glad to answer any travel questions that you may have as well.
Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France
f/4 ISO 200 1/60 18-200@20f/5.6 ISO 200 1/800 10-24mm@15f/8 ISO 200 1/250 10-24mm@15
Please refer to the first “Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France” blog entry for a description of this series.
Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France
f/6.3, ISO 200 1/160 18-200@34.
Please refer to the first “Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France” blog entry for a description of this series.
This is another shot from Vaison-la Romaine, France. I edited it with Silver Efex Pro, then touched it up in Aperture.
Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France
f/6.3 ISO 200 1/400 10-24mm@24
Please refer to the first “Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France” blog entry for a description of this series.
Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France
f/11 ISO 160 4s 10-24mm@12
Please refer to the first “Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France” entry for a description of this series.
Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France
f/7.1 ISO 200 1/2200 18-200mm@30
Please refer to the first “Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France” blog entry for a description of this series.
Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France
f/7 ISO 200 1/80 10-24mm@14
Please refer to the first “Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France” blog entry for a description of this series.
This image is an HDR from the village of Lacoste. Three handheld images were bracketed at 2 f stops and then merged with Photomatix and fine-tuned with Aperture.
Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France
f/6.3 ISO 200 10-24mm@19
Please refer to the first “Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France” blog entry for a description of this series.
This is another shot from Gordes, France. I edited it with Silver Efex Pro, then touched it up in Aperture.
Stones and Cobbles in Provence, France
f/6.3 ISO 200 1/125 10-24@13
Happy New Year to ALL!
Recently I took a trip with my family to the Provence region in Southern France. While there, we spent a bit of time visiting many of the hill-top villages in the Luberon countryside. The Lubron is a spectacular collection of vineyards and orchards, fascinating perched hill-top villages, and outstanding rolling vistas which has inspired artists such as Van Gogh and Cezanne. The region is famous for its comfortable and easy way of life as well as its rich history.
The stone architecture of the hilltop villages was fabulous, so of course I returned home with hundreds of photos. I will try to post a few of the shots today in a series I will call “Stones and Cobbles”. When possible, I will try to recall the exact village where the image was captured.
This first one is an HDR image from the village of Gordes. It was captured as 3 handheld images and merged with Photomatix Pro, then touched up with Aperture.
Monday Blues, French Riviera style…
It is Monday and I am at work. I can think of a few other places I would rather be right now….
This shot was taken on a warm fall evening from the patio of the Chateau de Cassis, high atop the cliffs in the French village of Cassis on the French Riviera. Cassis is a village situated east of Marseille in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southern France.
Cassis makes for a wonderful alternative or much needed break from the larger and more tourist infested Mediterranean coastal destinations of Marseille, Cannes, and Nice. In addition, it makes a PERFECT jumping off point for driving adventures in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southern France. Stay tuned for more pics form the coast and from deeper in the Provence region! Have a nice Monday…
Try breaking THIS bank…
…I couldn’t!
This is a picture of the Monte Carlo Casino. The casino is designed in the Neo-Baroque-inspired style, popular during the Beaux-Arts period in France, by the French architect Charles Garnier. Construction of the casino was completed in 1863.
I visited this casino back in 1976 with my family when we lived in Europe. My siblings and I were extremely disappointed to find out that children (us) were not allowed inside. From the steps I noticed that there was one slot machine that we could see from outside, so I asked my dad to go and play that one…and damned if he didn’t hit the jackpot on about the third coin! Lights were spinning..bells and whistles blaring..attendants even brought over a bucket to collect all the coins that were spewing from the mouth of the machine! Unfortunately, the layout of the casino has changed since 1976. The slots are no longer viewable from the outside, or surely history would have repeated itself when I visited this year with my family!
This shot is composed of three handheld bracketed images at 2-stop intervals. I processed HDR with Photomatix, and touched up with Aperture.
Plains of Provence from Les Baux-de-Provence
This is the view looking west over the beautiful plains of the Provence Valley region in southern France. This shot was taken from the ruined castle of Les Baux-de-Provence and its spectacular position on a rocky outcroping in the Alpilles mountains. This view has been enjoyed for millenia, and human habitation has been documented here dating back as far as 6000 BC. The town flourished in the Middle Ages and reached its Golden Age during the Renaissance , only to have the castle and portions of the village destroyed during a revolution in the 1600s.
This is an HDR image that was created from three handheld images bracketed by 2 stops. I deviated a little from my normal workflow by tweaking the midrange image wjth Aperture BEFORE merging the three images with Photomatix. My usual workflow is to merge and process the images with Photomatix first, then fine-tune the merged image with Aperture. My reasoning was that the merged image that was edited in Photomatix was NOT a RAW image, thus now had LESS dynamic range, making it less amenable to color and tonal adjustments in Photomatix as well as in Aperture once it was re-imported back for final adjustments. I was much happier with this version than another version that I processed normally.
For all of you HDR protographers, please let me know if you have experienced similar workflow variability and results, and also if your workflow differs friom mine. I am relatively new to HDR, and still trying to figure out the details.
Thanks for visiting…
Delicate Steps…
ISO 200, f5.3, 1/50 sec, 75-200@157mm
Delicate steps with tenous balance on early morning, rain-slicked cobbles.
This image was taken in Beaune, France, the wine capital of the Burgundy region. I took this shot while attending the annual wine auction of the Hospices de Beaune. During this event, the entire city is transformed into a celebration of all things wine. Perhaps this contributed to his unsteady gait?
This was one , if not the first, image that I manipulated with Silver Efex Pro, which I am finding is a wonderful program for creating B&W images.
Pont du Gard Aqueduct
ISO 160, f11, 1/40 sec, 18-200@18mm
This is the magnificent Pont du Gard aqueduct in Southern France. It is a short segment of the 50 km aqueduct which carried water from Uzes to Nimes. This engineering marvel was built by 1st century Romans and is listed as a UNESCO heritage site. It is the second highest Roman structure built, only bested by about 3 meters by the Roman Colosseum. It also contains the largest arch span ever built by the Romans, about 80 ft. I find the most amazing aspect of the structure is that it was built with no mortar! Held together only by friction, it has weathered storms and floods for 2000 years.
This shot is composed of three bracketed images at 2-stop intervals. I processed HDR with Photomatix, and touched up with Aperture. I really like this image for a few reasons, one is simply the majesty of the subject. In addition, I have recently been working with HDR and am impressed with the outcome of this shot, and lastly, I have been focusing on taking images that incorporate water, either flowing or with reflections.
Lightbox3D 