The Ship Cemetery

Posted on Jun 17, 2023Jul 25, 2025 Posted in Bretagne, France, Travel photographyTagged Art, barre d'etel, beech, Bretagne, breton, britanny, Brittanny, Brittany, classic chrome, colour photography, etel, fishermen, fishing boats, France, French, fuji, fuji x weekly, fuji x100f, Fujifilm, Fujifilm X Series, fujifilmx100f, fujifilmxseries, Ian James Myers, Ian Myers, ijm photography, ijmphotography, Kodachrome, photo reportage, photographe, photographer, photography, ria d'etel, sailor, sand, sea, seaside, ship, skeletonsLeave a comment

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

Posted on Jun 11, 2023Jul 14, 2023 Posted in France, History, Landscape Photography, Travel photographyTagged Bretagne, Brittany, Carnac, cornish, cornwall, druids, erdeven, folklore, France, French, fuji x100f, fuji XT2, fujifilm xt2, fujifilmxseries, Ian Myers, ijm photography, ijmphotography, menhirs, photographer, photography, Prehistoric, standing stones, Stones, wales, welsh4 Comments

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 Jun 2, 2023Jun 2, 2023 Posted in Architecture, Café Culture, France, History, Landscape Photography, Street Photography, Travel photographyTagged bridge, Castle, chateau, church, Clisson, color, colour, colour photography, countryside, day out, eglise, France, French, french countryside, fuji, fuji x weekly, fuji x100f, Fujifilm, Fujifilm X Series, fujifilmx100f, historical, History, Ian James Myers, Ian Myers, ijm photography, ijmphotography, live in France, Loire Atlantique, Market, Market town, nature, park, Photo editing, photo reportage, photo shoot, photo walk, photographe, photographer, photography, rural, Street Photography, Street phtoography, streetphotography, summer, town3 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!

A Breath of Fresh Air

Posted on May 16, 2023Aug 15, 2023 Posted in France, Landscape PhotographyTagged classic chrome, countryside, fields, France, French, french countryside, fuji x weekly, fuji x100f, fuji XT2, Fujifilm, Fujifilm X Series, fujifilmx100f, hedgerow, holiday, Ian Myers, ijm photography, ijmphotography, Koda Chrome, Kodachrome, Nantes, photographer, photography, rural, vacation, X100F1 Comment

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.

Friday afternoon in Nantes

Posted on Apr 29, 2023Apr 29, 2023 Posted in Black and White Photography, Café Culture, Nantes Photography, Street PhotographyTagged amateur photography, approaches to photography, architechture, art installation, babershop, bar, bar staff, barber, black and white, Black and White Photography, Bouffay, Café Culture, cake, camera, church, clouds, day out, drink, drinking, France, French, friend, friends, friendship, fuji, fuji x100f, Fujifilm, Fujifilm X Series, fujifilmx100f, Ian James Myers, Ian Myers, ijm photography, ijmphotography, Irish Pub, Nantes, photo walk, photographe, photographer, Photographic exercise, photography, sean tucker, street art, Street Photography, Street phtoography, streetphotography, teaLeave a comment

Today was a good day. I like good days. A mixture of barbershops, photography, cake and tea, and most importantly, friends. On this sunny Friday afternoon, I had the afternoon off from work, it would be a perfect day to go to the barbershop and get this beard of mine seen too. I knew it was sunny just by looking out the window, and thought, let’s go manual today.

There is a rule in photography called sunny 16, that says when it is sunny, and not a cloud in the sky, you can put your camera at F16, the shutter speed identical to the ISO, or film sensibility, and all your shots should come out fine or at least well exposed. It means that all you have to do is to concentrate on the moment and press the shutter when the moment is right, and by that I mean, when you have the composition that you want from a scene.

Sean Tucker did a whole video about it and I thought, well, you’ve taken his advice in the past, so why not now. I was a bit of a sissy, and didn’t use a film camera, but instead used the Fujifilm X100F so I could see what I as getting, but to be honest, I didn’t really need to. I must have more self-confidence in photography, I must have more self-confidence in photography, etc. I didn’t go F16 but stayed a little more conservative at F11.

Right, the geeky, photographer part of this article is over. The rest of you can join in again.

So first the barber shop with a couple of photos along the way as my photographic warm-up. This visual warm-up is as important as the muscular warm-up is for a runner or any other sportsman. You get your settings right. F11 because there were a couple of clouds in the sky but not enough for F8. Remember the sunny 16 as a guide to this outing.

My goal was to go and get my flowing locks of hair shaved off, my beard to be transformed from a homeless guy into a dashing older Dude, and then get to Church, pop in to say hello to Jesus since I was too early for confession, and head off to the pub.

With less hair than before and having to battle away throngs of female admirers along the way, I eventually made it to the pub. It was a quiet day at the pub. Rob, or should I say the legend that is Rob, was standing outside ready to jump on any unsuspecting client that might come by and sit down on the terrasse. He’s a good man, and we share a love of being daft and talking utter bollocks. Our jokes are amazing, at least to us. Others might disagree, but under torture will admit they were slightly funny despite being awful!

After a couple of pints of water to quench my thirst and some awful jokes I needed to pee. On my way back up I fancied a little something to nibble on.

Rob, do you fancy some Pringles and some dip?

Not really.

Do you know what I really fancy Ian?

No Rob?

Some shortbread…

I wasn’t going to make it from scratch but I knew a place where I could acquire some for a reasonable price. So off I went to the Comptoir Irlandais. An establishment where you can find some of the world’s more comforting produce, tea, and shortbread included. Back to the pub.

Rob who is half Scottish let me know what a great fan of Iron Bru he is. Guess what I found at the Comptoir Irlandais? Yes, you’re right Dear Reader! Scotland’s number one hangover cure, not that I’m suggesting in any way at all, that the Scots would ever need a hangover cure, but if they did, this might be it. It’s a Marmite thing. You love it or you hate it. Judging by Rob’s little eyes when I came back with the shortbread fingers, and that special drink, I think we can safely say he likes it! We of course made a tonne of finger jokes, asking our Irish friend if she would like a finger. Yes, we were at that level. Fart jokes would have been a great leap forward. And I think the phrase, that’s what she said, was uttered a few times too! So all in all, yes, it was a very good day!

Welcome to 2023

Posted on Jan 6, 2023Jan 6, 2023 Posted in Black and White Photography, Family Life, France, Nantes Photography, Street PhotographyTagged 2022, 2023, black and white, Black and White Photography, Catholic, Christmas, church, covid, dog, family, Family Life, fuji x100f, fuji XT2, Fujifilm, Fujifilm X Series, happy new year, Irish Pub, January, John Mc Byrne, mass, molly, Nantes, niece, Pope benedict, pro life, pub, roe v wade, russia, Street Photography, UkraineLeave a comment

First of all, Dear Reader, I wish you a very Happy New Year for 2023! May it be better than 2022 and may it bring you everything you need to continue your life journey. At this time of year, we all tend to look forwards and backwards, and it seems fitting that Janus, the two-faced god, gave his name to January. We look backwards to the preceding year to see what we can learn from our experiences, good or bad, and forwards to the new year with hope and an expectation of change.

2022 saw my first contact with Covid back in March. Not the most pleasant of experiences, and I think I gave it a 1 out of 5 rating… It saw the war in Ukraine, and our fears of Russia going mad and destroying the entire continent. This, despite prayer, seems to still be the case, except at the cost of so much human life. Roe v Wade was overturned in the US and hope was given to the Pro-life movement. It saw my first trip back to the UK since 2019, and it was wonderful being back and seeing family after such a long time. In the final days of the year, it saw the death of Pope Benedict XVI, one of the most misunderstood popes of these times. On a personal note, we were so worried about Molly, our family dog, and feared losing her in December. Fortunately, she is a lot better but it was a close shave. It might sound silly to some, how one can get so emotionally attached to an animal, but I swear I was writing her obituary in my mind and crying about the whole thing.

For Christmas this year, I am happy to report a total lack of drama, and on the contrary, think the whole shebang went off wonderfully. This was in part thanks to the visit of two of my nieces who came to spend this special time with us. One of the nieces even came to midnight mass with me and the next day, Christmas Day, the six of us were together for mass which just shows how special Christmas is. It just shows how the simplest of things can have so much meaning and how they can bring us such joy.

I was on holiday the week before Christmas and the week after Christmas. It would appear that I might have even lost a tiny amount of weight, and some of my t-shirts seem to be less tight. It might not last, but for the moment I’m just going to enjoy it.

It was just so special to have time with my family and have them around me. I took the girls into Nantes to share some of my world with them, and believe it or not, I had a camera with me, so I might just have to share some of my world with you, too! The weather was abysmal, but on the last day before the return to work, the sun was out and I went into town to have some special Ian time, and just wonder the streets between confession, and missing the pub being open. It is likely, however, that I pop in this weekend to wish my friends a Happy New Year too!