The Parc D’Asson
A quiet morning in Montaigu, HP5+ pulled to 200 ISO, and the Sunny 16 rule. Sometimes the best places to photograph are the ones you’ve been ignoring.
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Capturing Time: A Photographic Journey Through Château de la Preuille
Discover Château de la Preuille through stunning black and white film photography. Explore this 11th-century Vendée estate’s vineyards, towers, and moat reflections captured on HP5 film. Learn about gîte accommodations, wine tourism, and analog photography techniques. Experience timeless French heritage where history meets hospitality in Saint-Hilaire-de-Loulay.
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YOU CAN’T BUY HAPPINESS, BUT…
“You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy good wine.” A philosophical photo essay exploring what Nantes, France teaches us about the good life—beauty as democracy, the right to solitude, and pleasure as infrastructure. Discover how black and white street photography reveals the architecture of everyday happiness in one of Europe’s most livable cities.
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Birdsong in Black & White: A Morning at the Jardin Extraordinaire
First visit to Nantes’ Jardin Extraordinaire meets first roll of Ilford Pan 100. Shot on a Nikon FE, developed at home in Ifosol 3, scanned on Opticfilm 8100. A slower pace, a Panama hat, and the Grue Titan in the distance. Why analogue photography still matters in 2026, and how film helps me be more authentic.
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Part 3: The Grind — General Rehearsal on HP5+ 3200
The grind continues. General orchestra rehearsal without soloists, shot on Nikon FE with HP5+ pushed to 3200. Heavy grain, raw aesthetic, iterative work. Part 3 of a trilogy documenting the Symphonique des bords de Loire through lunch, concerto rehearsal, and general rehearsal.
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Part 2: The Work — Rehearsing a Double Violin Concerto on HP5+ 1600
After lunch, the work begins. Documenting rehearsal of a double violin concerto with two Chinese guest soloists. Shot on Canon AE-1 Program with HP5+ pushed to 1600, these grainy black and white images capture collaboration between soloists and the Symphonique des bords de Loire. Part 2 of 3.
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Let’s Connect: Mentorship, Prints & Collaborations
Let’s Connect: Mentorship, Prints & Collaborations A brief and practical note. After six years of writing here, I’m formalising something that has been happening informally for a while…
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The HP5 Plus 100 ASA Experiment: A Happy Accident?
“Accidentally shot HP5 Plus 400 at ISO 100? Discover how this film photography mistake became a happy accident. Learn pull processing techniques, shadow detail retention, and highlight control using Ilfosil 3. See stunning black and white results from a Nikon FE. Your guide to film latitude and overexposure experiments.
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Making the Ordinary Less Ordinary: Rollei RPX 400 at Pont Caffino
After 40 years behind the lens, still learning. Explore Rollei RPX 400 shot handheld in flat light at Pont Caffino, France. A honest look at dodging, burning, and making ordinary prints less ordinary in Lightroom.
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February 2026 — Clisson with the Nikon FE
Maybe I’m a little stubborn, just maybe, but I’m insisting on using my Nikon FE and for my health I have to get out. I had some Tri-X…
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More Light Than We Imagine
Night street photography in Nantes with HP5+ and Nikon FE—how city light surprises after dark, even with shaky hands and tired eyes.
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Waiting for the Light: Reclaiming the Cathedral with Ilford HP5+
Ian’s contemplative journey through Nantes’ Saint-Pierre Cathedral, captured on Ilford HP5 Plus film with a Nikon FE. This black and white photography essay explores reclaiming sacred space from municipal spectacle, celebrating grain, silence, and winter light. A meditation on film photography as spiritual practice and architectural reverence in France’s historic cathedrals.
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