Countryside in October

Posted on Oct 11, 2019Nov 23, 2019 Posted in Black and White Photography, France, Landscape PhotographyTagged black and white, Black and White Photography, blog, Canon, Canon 6d Mark II, clouds, country, countryside, crops, farming, fence, fencepost, fields, France, French, french countryside, Ian Myers, ijm photography, ijmphotography, Instagram, Landscape, life, nature, photo walk, photographer, photography, rural, sky, tranquility, tree, VendeeLeave a comment

The weather today is officially depressing and even more so because it’s a Monday. I was so annoyed with life that it now is Friday afternoon. 5 days to get to the second sentence is possibly a sign. Of what, I don’t know…

The tree that is in the photo is “my tree” that I pass every day to and from work. I’d taken photos of it on film, and in digital but hadn’t been back to see her for a while. I’ve just checked Instagram and the last photo I took dates from February 2017! It’s as if I had neglected a friend that I had not seen for ages but still pass in the street just exchanging glances and a swift hello.

It was time to remedy the situation. I had left her in black and white, and returned to her in black and white. She didn’t have much to say for herself. Being a tree might have something to do with that, but she was still there. Still covered in ivy. Still with all her branches. Still a part of my workday.

The field of maize was still there. The maize replacing the wheat harvested in Summer. By Tuesday it had been harvested and all you could see in the field were the remains of stalks not over 6 inches high, and yet the day before had been as high as a man. Time goes on and the field will be used to produce a winter crop. Such is the way in the countryside.

Some fields had be let to fallow and recover from growing our food. Nature reclaims them for herself and plants grow up the fence posts and in the ditches by the sides of the road. At least they’ve gone back to green instead of the drier washed out colours of a hot summer.

It’s now Friday afternoon and I was only at work this morning. The sun is out, I’m in a t-shirt, and it’s 19°C. The rain has done its job, and isn’t there to dampen the earth or my mood. When I was a child I imagined the rain being God having a shower. I couldn’t bring myself to think of Him having a wee on creation.

I think He’s out of the bathroom.

Nantes in September

Posted on Oct 6, 2019Oct 7, 2019 Posted in Black and White Photography, France, Nantes Photography, Reportage, Street Photography, UrbanTagged atmosphere, black and white, Black and White Photography, blog, Bouffay, City, Close up, France, French, Fujifilm, Fujifilm X Series, gendarmerie, gendarmerie nationale, Gerndarme, Ian Myers, ijm photography, ijmphotography, Loire Atlantique, Nantes, photographer, photography, Pierre Ramette, Police, pubs, root, root police, statue, street, Street Photography, Tear gas, Urban, X100F2 Comments

I’d been wanting to get back into Nantes with the X100F to try and do some old fashioned street photography. I’ve been experimenting with colour and have had some interesting feedback. Maybe it was a case of getting it out of my system.

With the Canon I have a few interesting lenses and although it’s great having the options, it’s equally challenging to go without.

Now I have to explain something to the non-French readers. Basically the whole of France is on holiday from mid July to the end of August. My firm litterally shuts down for the month of August and we get four weeks off work! Between you and me, it’s also the best time to visit Paris, because all the Parisians have buggered off on holiday elsewhere!

The obvious consequence to this mass migration is of course the return to every day life in September. This return to work is called the Rentrée and sucks big time for everyone, even more than a small child sucking juice though a non plastic reusable straw, because single-use straws are the spawn of Satan and mess up the environment.

We have the children that go back to school, the TV shows that start again, the MPs that go back to Parliament, etc. You get the picture. Can you remember the Gilet Jaune demonstrators? We’ll they’re no longer in holiday, and are back to demonstrating. Their Rentrée was the 14th of Spetmber, and they all decided that it would be a really good idea to come to Nantes and cause a bit of havoc and make sure that the police knew that it was the Rentrée too!

And, (there I go using And as a beginning of a a sentence) this pillock thought it would be a good idea to go along into town, and thought it would be fine. And to be honest I have seen worse, but it allowed me to get some interesting photos.

Course de Serveurs et Garçons de Café, Nantes 2019

Posted on Sep 28, 2019Sep 28, 2019 Posted in Café Culture, France, Nantes Photography, ReportageTagged architechture, bar, bar staff, bars, blog, Bouffay, Café Culture, Cafe, cafes, colour photography, France, French, Fujifilm, Fujifilm X Series, Ian Myers, ijm photography, ijmphotography, Irish Pub, John Mc Byrne, Loire Atlantique, Nantes, passage pommeraye, photo reportage, photographer, photography, pub, pubs, Reportage, waiter4 Comments

It has been know for me to frequent a certain establishment in Nantes now and again, he said whilst competing for the understatement of the year. That establishment, aka Daddy’s happy place, aka mes quartiers à Nantes, aka the pub, aka home from home, is the John McByrne Irish Pub, 21 Rue des Petites Écuries , Nantes.

It is a place for which I have a great affection, not only because they supply me with Guinness, and Taytos imported from Ireland (and I’m going to be really controversial here, I prefer the salt and vinegar, but even the cheese and onion are perfectly palatable), but most importantly, the bar staff, that started out as just people, have ended up being friends. And that Dear Reader, is the most important, and wonderful outcome.

And, (you should never start a sentence with And, but I’m feeling a little rebelious here about gramatical conventions, oh my life has such depth, and what was I going to say again, ah yes, no, it’s gone again…)

Oh yes, back on track there… And, as a friend, I want to help and offer support. And, (oh there I go again) this time I did it by not just buying them chocolate, and other rather naughty things to eat, but by coming along to support them in the annual Course de Serveurs et Garçons de Café, Nantes 2019.

Wow, only took me four paragraphs to get to my subject. I’m doing well today!!

Here is Eydie with the official tray with a coffee cup, energy drink, sparkling water, non alcholic beer, and an orange soda.

Each competitor must carry this tray over nearly three and a half kilometres, with time being deducted for spilt drinks. They are not allowed to run, only walk, and of course they have to go up the stairs in the Passage Pommeraye, twice. I’ll just let that sink in for a few moments. Take the time to imagine them going up all those stairs with a tray, looking slightly odd in fancy dress costumes. Is that image in your mind? You’ll see it in the photos anyway!

They didn’t end up on the podium, but they did win best costume and won best team spirit, which is even more important.

Here are the photos taken on the X100F which was perfect for capturing the whole atmosphere of the day.

Honfleur, Daytime

Posted on Sep 18, 2019May 30, 2024 Posted in Architecture, Art, Black and White Photography, France, Normandy, Reportage, Street Photography, Travel photographyTagged 16-35mm, 16-35mm lens, architechture, Art, black and white, Black and White Photography, blog, boats, Café Culture, cafes, Calvados, Canon, Canon 6, Canon 6d Mark II, Erik Satie, France, French, fuji, Fujifilm, Fujifilm X Series, Honfleur, Ian Myers, ijm photography, ijmphotography, Normandy, photo reportage, photo walk, photographer, photography, seaside, statue, street, Street Photography, summer, tourism, tourist, Travel, Travel photography, X100F4 Comments

I’ve been trying to “find myself” lately as far as photography goes. Different editing techniques instead of always doing black and white. Maybe it’s time to get back to basics for at least one article. You’ve seen Honfleur in colour and at night in my last article. However, I did take my camera out during the day! Yes, that can happen sometimes.

You’ve already had the witticisms about Normandy and the like, so this article is somewhat shorter. It’s about exhibiting some black and white photography of a very pretty little town in Normandy without the distraction of colour. They were taken whilst walking from where I had parked the car, to the house that we had rented for the week. They were taken whilst meandering through the streets, getting lost, trying to see what the place looked like in daylight. They were taken whilst I just let my mind wander off and just take in the beauty of the place. Quite typical for me really, and probably the best way to photograph a town.

The photographs were taken over a period of three days using both the Canon 6D Mark II, with the 16-35mm lens, and the Fujifilm X100F.

Honfleur at night

Posted on Sep 11, 2019May 30, 2024 Posted in Art, Café Culture, France, Normandy, Street Photography, Travel photographyTagged 16-35mm, 16-35mm lens, architechture, Art, art gallery, atmosphere, bars, boats, bokeh, Café Culture, Calvados, Canon, Canon 6, Canon 6d Mark II, colour photography, Erik Satie, France, French, going out, Ian Myers, ice cream, ijm photography, ijmphotography, jongleur, night time photography, Normandy, photo reportage, photo walk, reflection, seaside, street, Street Photography, summer, tourism, tourist, tranquility, Travel, Travel photography, yachts2 Comments

Honfleur is one of those pretty places that you see on postcards from Normandy. It is the birthplace of Erik Satie, the musician, composer, and a slighty, ever so slightly, eccentric, which is how my mother describes me. I think it’s a nice way of calling me a wierdo!

So Honfleur… Full of Parisians and people from just outside Paris that don’t have enough money to be able to afford Deauville. But also full of art lovers thanks to the many painters that have their galleries, and those channelling Eugène Boudin (joke available in French, contact me for details) and those wanting some Monet, Monet, Monet! (the Dad joke strikes again!) And let’s not forget those messing up their cholesterol levels with Camembert and Crême Fraîche d’Isingy, and those ruining their livers on Calva, and Pommeau. Cider is available for the lightweights like me.

On our first night, Killian, my ever dutiful son, needed to get out of the house and stretch his legs, so I tagged along with him. We went out with the two cameras (X100F for me, and Canon 6D for him) to do some night time photography, and headed off to the old harbour. We vowed to keep away from all the bars and ice cream places and actually managed it! Such restraint!

Here are my photos from that trip out:

Omaha Beach, Normandy

Posted on Sep 8, 2019May 30, 2024 Posted in France, History, Landscape Photography, Normandy, Reportage, Travel photographyTagged 16-35mm, 16-35mm lens, America, American, beach, burial, Calvados, Canon, Canon 6d Mark II, cemetery, colour photography, d day, France, French, grave, graveyard, History, Ian Myers, ijm photography, ijmphotography, Landscape, Normandy, omaha, omaha beach, peace, photography, summer, tourism, tourist, Travel, Travel photography, US Army, USA, World War 2, WW2Leave a comment

Omaha Beach was one of the five beaches that had to be taken on D Day, 6th July 1944. That task was given to the 1st and 29th Infantry Division of the US Army. To say they took a hammering is an understatement, and General Bradley saw the very grave situation, and one stage nearly abandoned the operation. The grit and determination of his men paid off and they took the beach, but the amount of casualties and dead was tremendous, around 2000 men. A great sacrifice was made that day.

Whilst on that beach, I saw American families turn up, and the emotion was visible on their faces. It is almost a spiritual experience for them, and a form of pilgrimage. The dead are remembered, not only by the few that survived, but by the local population , and the French in general. Just next to the beach, there is the American War Cemetery at Coleville sur Mer. The prisitne graves serve as a reminder to those of us that didn’t experience what they did: the horrors of war!

I remember seeing footage of an old veteran who landed on Omaha, saying that the greatest reward they had, was to see children playing on that beach now, enjoying the peace that was earned by those men who lay down their lives on that same beach all those years ago.

I’ve decided to share photos of both the beach and the cemetery with you. The camera used that day was the Canon 6D Mark II with the 16-35mm Canon lens.