Category: France

The Ship Cemetery

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I can’t help but think about the men who sailed on these old ships that have been abandoned. Most likely, fisherman heading out to sea to bring back fish to sell at Ettel, a Breton port. They must be grateful not to be shipwrecks like their former vessels. And yet, when we contemplate them, we are filled with awe, realising that these fishing boats were the only defence these men had against the elements and the mighty waves.

Some of them are so decomposed that we can only just make out their skeletons and speculate about their previous states. Others have been turned into supports for street art. Maybe a more fitting tribute.

This maritime cemetery is just upstream of the Barre d’Etel, a most treacherous stretch of water with currents that will drag you out to sea, and sandbanks that will stop you entering the Ria D’Etel.

Bretagne – a story of sea and stones

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It has been a quiet week in Saint Hilaire… But it was a pleasant weekend in Brittany.  Some may accuse the Bretons of being way too preoccupied with being Bretons, similar to the Cornish in Cornwall, or the Welsh in Wales, when they can manage to forget about getting cuddly with sheep.  In that previous paragraph, I just irritated 6.9 million people.  That’s not bad for a single paragraph.

Say what you will about the Breton people, they do do a great line in standing stones, or standing lines of standing stones, especially near Carnac.  This gets me topq where my in-laws live, which is not far from Carnac.  It was the first afternoon of our stay, and I didn’t want to irritate my mother-in-law by just existing, breathing, and so on.  I seized the chance to go out with my camera and shoot some photos.  It’s one of the reasons I look forward to these visits.  It’s truly about getting away from everything and simply soaking in the scenery.

These stones have been standing for around 7000 years, so they must be getting exhausted.  Some have just given up on life and collapsed, or have they had too many parties and consumed too much alcohol?  Anyway, when I was travelling around the grounds of these lines of standing stones, or stones standing in lines, I observed a lady with dowsing rods sitting on one of the stones.  There’s nowt as funny as folk, as my father once stated…  Then the first lady’s companion came up and tried to hug the rocks.  Now, I’ve seen some unusual things in my life, as has the majority of Hull’s population, since it’s never dull in ‘Ull.

But this not only took the biscuit, but it almost took the tea as well!  They said that the Druids had placed the stones there to make the soil more fertile, and that each stone had its unique set of qualities.  I tried not to laugh as I thought about how fertile their imagination was.  After all, they were completely serious.  I know nothing about old stones, whether standing or not, but I patiently listened to them.

I explained how we had once been to Stonehenge and how there was something about the place that was less than ordinary, and how we had seen people kissing the ground and having moments.  They told me that of course this was because of the energy.  You must ask the stone for permission to use its qualities first then sit on it.  And were I to do this I would feel something.  The only thing I felt was a sore bottom!

Wait a minute! He mentioned the Sea, not simply stones. We want to see the marine pics!!! If you’re good and well behaved I might include them in an upcoming post. I can assure you that they are ready. I’ll be highlighting Ettel’s Boat Cemetery. Be patient already!

Clisson

Posted on Posted in Architecture, Café Culture, France, History, Landscape Photography, Street Photography, Travel photographyTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

Have you ever come across the articles named “The 10 Prettiest Villages in France,” “The 10 Prettiest Villages in Yorkshire,” “The 10 Prettiest Villages in Northumberland,” or “Some Other Dream Spot in This Beautiful World?”  No? The one closest to us, is about 15 kilometres away and not in the south of France, which I believe to be completely overrated. Like most contenders for this type of little town, there is a bustling market every Friday morning (which is actually pretty wonderful, if not a touch on the pricier side), a park that hugs the river and lets you unwind while taking in the gentle sound of the water.  A castle stands watch over the entire town.  Meandering streets wonder up and down hills as do the locals.  It is in wine producing country surrounded by vineyards who would be more than happy to flog you some wine…

Yes, it is one of “those” places, Dear Reader, but it is still beautiful. Clisson is also aware of this. Of course, I’m simply jealous because I don’t live there but wish I did.

In this series of photographs, I also chose to maintain the film-like appearance of my digital photography. It appears that summer is rapidly approaching. The days are already warmer and sunnier, but are not yet unbearably hot. And such weather is simply God’s way of encouraging you to go have a refreshing pint!

Watching people watching art

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Sometimes watching people watch art is half the fun. Especially modern art. It makes you question what art actually is. Sometimes you have to look twice. Sometimes you think a five-year-old could do the same thing, and maybe even better. Or, as in the case of the work “Comedian” by Maurizio Cattelan, your art gets eaten by a hungry student that skipped breakfast.

I always seem to put things off, so I’m obviously running behind schedule with this piece. Simply put, things seem to get in the way. I nevertheless believe that the idea has some merit. The exhibition itself ended on May 7th, and I’m writing about it now, 20 days later. Dear Reader, I am aware that you are understanding of your humble servant and that you are forgiving.

If I want to enjoy some art in the same manner that I have been known to enjoy a cup of tea and some cake, I think about going to the HAB Gallery in Nantes’ Hangar à Bananes. If you were in town last month, you could have seen the “Une ebauche lente à venir” show, which featured recent pieces by Léopold Rabus and Till Rabus, some of which were produced just for the event. This art helps you take a second glance and discover the fun and foolishness in art. You may see it in the images at the conclusion of this post. See if you can spot two mischievous dogs and two mischievous pigeons!

Still life and landscapes are combined and delve into the artist’s basic urge to paint. Léopold’s paintings are loaded with lovely and weird animals: cows, slugs, birds, flies, dogs, and deer in the snow; a mound of faeces; chicken coops; and fields. Till’s paintings, in baroque and extravagant compositions, are loaded with trash, people, and other consumer objects.

Léopold Rabus (born 1977) and Till Rabus (born 1975) are Swiss artists that pay close attention to the reality of the world around them, and their art is full of sarcasm and comedy, challenging preconceived notions of what is and isn’t beautiful.

This piece, however, is about those who are viewing art and absorbing it all in. Or are they simply devouring culture to appear fashionable? To be in, since who wants to be left out? The French and their elitism in culture!  Half the fun is watching those who make a concerted effort to “educate” themselves because it is trendy, a la Molière’s Bourgeois Gentilhomme, and those who take it all less seriously and enjoy watching the humour in the paintings and laughing at the absurdity of some of the pieces. I’m all for being an intellectual in intellectual settings where the study of art is academic, as opposed to the faux leftist intellectuals, yet at times art is about not being an intellectual. As Nike once tried to say, Just Do It!

The exhibition closed on the 7th of May.

A Breath of Fresh Air

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It’s 15h31 on a Monday afternoon, and I’m laying in my bed writing this whilst listening to Bach played on the guitar. Molly is sleeping (and snoring) next to my bed and has just had a belly rub. I was out this morning with the Fuji X100F, driving around the countryside. Why wasn’t I at work, I hear you say, Dear Reader. Because I’m on holiday for the week. The weather has been dismal and verging on English! But today, the sun was, and is still, out. It was lovely just being in the countryside, just soaking up the sun and being at peace with the world. Even if I wished to I can’t handle drama or conflict at the moment, so it’s a self-preservation thing.

If you follow me on Instagram could be forgiven for thinking that I only deal in Black and White Photography, which appears to be my natural niche, but over here I have the freedom missing from the ‘Gram, and don’t have to worry about staying on brand or faffing about thinking about the infamous algorithm, which is the “baddie” that everyone loves to hate. A little like our French Président!

I’m not watching as much YouTube as I used to and am thinking about going back to it, for instruction, inspiration, and as a resource for a way of advancing along my photographic journey. I’ve been getting back into using the X100F in a big way too. Lightweight, and gets the job done, and continues to be slightly less conspicuous when on the street. But I think I’m becoming guilty of rehashing the famous review of the camera that I wrote last year.

One of the reasons for getting the X100F was the film simulations. At the time, I was moving from film back to digital and remember loving the results people were able to achieve. Those desaturated colours, warm tones, and a feeling of timelessness. I think I have mentioned Fuji X Weekly, and their recipes that one can use to get a feeling of various film stocks. You can tell me what you think looking at the photos below.

Photo Editing

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Sometimes you have a friend that wants a photo taken for whatever reason, and the friend in question was a schoolmate from my days at the Conservatoire de Cholet. We both still play and now play in the same orchestra. She wanted a photograph of herself with the said violin. She was expecting me to whip out my phone and Bob’s your uncle. Little did she realise that this was just not an option. As somebody who dabbles in photography with cameras and not camera phones, I suggested that I bring the studio to her and that we would try to get something half-decent.

We set up the rendez-vous, and up I turned.  I was offered tea, which as you now know, Dear Reader, is something I have a great affection for, and this girl knows how to make a lovely cup of tea!  Her husband arrived from getting their little boy from school, and we started setting up the studio.  He was a good sport and let me use him for my test shots to get all my camera settings in order.

Then onto the serious business of getting some portraits!  Now that’s the easy bit.  The slightly less easy bit is where the magic happens.  Photoshop is my editing software, and yet is far from being worn, or soft!  The idea is to keep everything looking natural, and the premise “less is more” is my goal.  If my editing is obvious, then I have to go back to the drawing board.

Before / After

This is the first edited shot from the session and gives you an idea of what the result can be.  See what you think and tell me in the comments how “you” might have done it!

As you can see, the poor girl is a violin player and not a horn player like Yours Truly, but we have to make allowances. Not everyone has the chance to play the most beautiful instrument in the world.