authentic photography

Birdsong in Black & White: A Morning at the Jardin Extraordinaire

I’d never been to the Jardin Extraordinaire before. And I’d never shot Ilford Pan 100.

Honestly? I wasn’t sure what to expect from either.

What I found was a place that felt alive — birds everywhere, water cascading down massive rock faces, people just being there. Reading on rocks. Walking along paths. Letting kids splash in the shallow pools. And if you look closely at a few of the wider shots, you’ll spot the Grue Titan across the Loire at the Hangar à bananes. It’s not in the garden, but it’s in the photographs. I like that. A small nod to the bigger story of this city.

The Jardin Extraordinaire is built on an old granite quarry in the Prairie au Duc. You can still see the rock faces where they cut into the hillside, metal walkways clinging to the stone, plants reclaiming what machines once carved out. And that waterfall — 35 metres of water pouring down the old quarry walls. Dramatic and peaceful at once, if that makes any sense.

What I didn’t fully register while I was shooting is how the garden fits into Nantes’ wider landscape of transformation. The Hangar à bananes, the Machines de l’Île, the whole Île de Nantes redevelopment — they’re all part of the same conversation about what to do with industrial space. The garden is the quiet, green chapter. The crane across the water is the bold industrial punctuation. When I got the scans back and saw the Grue Titan peering into a few frames, that clicked.

Full disclosure: I was the older gentleman in the Panama hat, moving slowly around the paths with a cane and an analogue camera. Taking my time. Stopping to frame things. Not in any hurry.

I watched the Nantais doing their thing while I did mine. A parent reading on a rock while children scrambled nearby. Couples strolling. And me, clicking through 36 frames like I had all the time in the world. Which I did. That was rather the point.

I did spot one other photographer — shooting with a very modern, very impressive DSLR. And I had to consciously stop myself from slipping into smug film photographer mode. Oh, you’re chimping your screen? How… digital. I held it together. Mostly. The honest answer is we were both just doing the same thing with different tools, and there’s room for all of it.

As for the Pan 100 — I’d heard it was contrasty, fine-grained, sharp. What I didn’t expect was how well it would suit this particular place. The Jardin Extraordinaire is all about contrasts: dark rock against bright sky, rough stone against smooth water, industrial metal against wild greenery. Pan 100 didn’t fight any of that. It leaned into it. I shot mostly between f/5.6 and f/16, trusted the FE’s meter, and when the scans came back I was — pleased? Surprised? Both. The images feel like the day felt.

My favourite shots aren’t the big dramatic ones. They’re the clusters of berries photographed close enough to see their star patterns, the metal butterfly on a gate, a single log on the path casting a long shadow. The things you almost miss when you’re moving too fast. With 36 frames and a roll that costs money, you look. You wait. You notice things. And then those become the photographs you actually care about.

I developed it at home, as always — Ilfosol 3 at 1:9, scanned on the Opticfilm 8100. No lab, no outsourcing. Just chemicals and patience. The smell of the developer, the little thrill of seeing what’s on the film. It’s all part of the same story.

I’ve got some Kodak Ultramax 400 in the fridge. Expired 2022. No idea what it’ll do. I think I’ll take it back to the Jardin and find out.

All photographs shot on Ilford Pan 100, Nikon FE. Home developed in Ilfosol 3 (1:9), scanned on an Opticfilm 8100. Jardin Extraordinaire, Nantes. The Grue Titan at the Hangar à bananes appears across the river, uninvited and welcome.

P.S. If you’ve been to the Jardin Extraordinaire, shot Pan 100, or you just love Nantes — drop a comment or send a message. Always happy to talk shop.

P.P.S. And if you’re curious about home development or scanning, ask away. Happy to share what’s worked for me.

P.P.P.S. And if you ever spot me at a photo spot with my FE and a Panama hat? Please gently call me out on the film snobbery. I’m working on it.

Black and white film photograph of a tree-lined path leading toward an industrial building in Nantes, shot on Ilford Pan 100 with a Nikon FE

Black and white film photograph of a woman reading on a granite boulder at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, a modernist building visible behind her, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Close-up black and white film photograph of dark reed stems crossing and tangled with cobwebs, backlit, at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of a winding path through granite boulders and sparse trees at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph looking through wire garden sculptures toward rock climbers on the granite quarry face at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, a man resting on a bench in the foreground, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of rock climbers in harnesses at the base of and ascending the granite quarry face at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph looking up at the granite quarry rock face at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, a metal footbridge at the summit, climbers on the stone below, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of families and children playing on granite boulders at the water's edge at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, the quarry cliff and metal walkways rising behind them, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of a person lying on a granite ledge at the water's edge in the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, trees and an urban building in the distance, shot on Ilford Pan 100 with a Nikon FE

Black and white film photograph of the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes seen through tree branches and leaves, people and boulders at the water's edge visible in the distance, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of the granite quarry rock face at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, vegetation in the crevices, a metal walkway railing at the top against a pale sky, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of a wood chip path bordered by log rounds and post fencing in the wilder section of the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, bare trees and an urban building beyond, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of a wood chip and stone-edged path in the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, large log sections and an urban building in the background, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of a couple walking away down a sunlit path through the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, a fallen log in the foreground and the quarry rock face beyond, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of a wide sunlit path through trees at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, two figures walking in the distance and a person seated on a log to one side, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of dense undergrowth and bare tree trunks with early spring buds in the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of dramatic metal staircases and walkways clinging to the granite quarry face at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, small figures ascending, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of the granite quarry cliff at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes with a decorative installation on the rock face, the Grue Titan crane at the Hangar à bananes visible across the Loire, a lone figure seated on the grass in the foreground, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of a narrow stream winding through reeds and marsh plants at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, sparkling in sunlight, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of a still pond with reeds in the foreground and a granite boulder beyond, ferns and vegetation reflected in the water at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of a shallow water channel winding through granite boulders, marsh plants and grasses at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, shot on Ilford Pan 100 with a Nikon FE

Black and white film photograph of a woman with a backpack walking away along a path toward the granite quarry cliff and decorative rock installation at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of a large-leafed fatsia japonica plant in sharp focus at the edge of a garden path in the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, trees and foliage soft in the background, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Close-up black and white film photograph of dark berry clusters with distinctive star-shaped calyxes on fatsia japonica leaves at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, shot on Ilford Pan 100 with a Nikon FE

Black and white film photograph of a wide view across the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes from higher ground, bare branches in the foreground, granite quarry cliff and garden paths visible beyond, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of fatsia japonica plants with large lobed leaves in bright sunlight at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, layered foliage and tree trunks in the background, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of a garden path curving under a dense green canopy of trees and shrubs at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, shot on Ilford Pan 100 with a Nikon FE

Black and white film photograph of the waterfall at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes partially visible through dense foliage, ferns and climbing plants in the foreground, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of the 35-metre waterfall cascading down the granite quarry face at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, ivy and trees clinging to the rock on either side, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of water from the quarry waterfall hitting granite boulders in the pool below at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, mist rising from the impact, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of the full height of the waterfall on the granite quarry face at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, ferns and vegetation at the base, a still pool below, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of a shaded winding garden path at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, cobblestones edging one side, a log bench to the right, dense tree canopy overhead, light visible at the far end, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Close-up black and white film photograph of a single new leaf bud just opening on bare tree branches at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, the quarry and garden softly out of focus behind, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Black and white film photograph of two people walking away along a garden path toward the granite quarry cliff at the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, a residential apartment block visible on the hillside above, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Close-up black and white film photograph of the decorative metal entrance gate of the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, featuring cut-out starburst and organic shapes, the garden visible through the bars, shot on Ilford Pan 100

Close-up black and white film photograph of a cut-out butterfly motif on the decorative metal gate of the Jardin Extraordinaire Nantes, shot on Ilford Pan 100 with a Nikon FE

Welcome back to another look at the film archives. This time, I’m sharing a few black-and-white street shots from an October Saturday in Nantes, likely taken with the Praktica MTL3 and HP5 Plus film. These outings with my son Killian, which we called ‘Ian and Killian days,’ became a cherished routine, a time for us to reconnect amidst the busyness of life.

He was 17 then, a weekly boarder at his lycée in La Roche sur Yon. On the weekends, we’d often head into Nantes, following the same familiar programme: a visit to the barbershop, a meal at the Sugar Blue café, and finally, a drink at the John Mc Byrne Irish Pub. In the photo, that handsome chap in the barber’s seat is Killian—a little reminder that it wasn’t always Kate joining me on these trips. These outings were a way to stay connected, despite his growing independence. Even with him being only 17, I still felt that sense of responsibility. Once a Dad, always a Dad.

As we went through our usual routine, I found myself facing the familiar challenge of capturing these moments on film. The low light inside the barbershop always made me second-guess whether I could get a decent shot without using a flash. But over time, I learned to trust the Praktica and the HP5 Plus film. There’s a rawness to film photography, especially with Ilford’s HP5. It adds a certain grit and texture to the image, something that digital just can’t replicate.

That’s what I love about film—the imperfections. The grain gives it character, a certain honesty that smooth, polished digital photos lack. It’s not about creating something flawless but about preserving the authenticity of the moment. This shot of Killian in the barbershop, for example, may not be technically perfect, but it’s real. It’s us, it’s Nantes, it’s one of those ‘Ian and Killian days.’

Looking back at these photos, I’m reminded that sometimes, it’s the imperfections that make an image truly memorable. Quite the day, right?