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Archive for September, 2011

PHOTO OF THE DAY #147

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , on September 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

On a rainy day, there are several things the photographer can do : switch to monochrome, keep the sky out of the frame, focus on the rain itself, go home and cry, or, as I have done here, take a relatively normal shot but crank up the saturation in post-processing and shove a filter or two on the sky to make it look more dramatic.

There, I’ve just laid bare the whole sordid details of my trickery and fraud, or as I like to call it, ‘art.’ ;-)

As a result, this picture makes Dijon look much nicer than it actually was.

You really need to check out the larger version to fully appreciate it, I think…

 

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #146

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , on September 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Well, I suppose this is the kind of thing that tourists flock to Europe for – medieval timbers and attic windows all askew. And it’s nice, there’s no denying, so I’m not overly ashamed at presenting to you such an obvious picture.

I took this in a brief window of morning sunlight before the heavens opened and I had to retreat to a nearby cafe for most of the day.

I’m not the kind of person who can easily relax and just do nothing, so I actually had to force myself to sit still, enjoy endless coffees and pots of tea while playing chess on my iPhone, and after a while I could forget about the weather and indolence became second nature, so it wasn’t such a bad day…

The larger version resides here.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #145

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , on September 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Sometimes I deliberately zoom in on the textures and patterns I see because that’s what makes the photo a little different from the norm, especially where travel pictures are concerned.

Here, though, I did actually take a wider shot of a church in Dijon, but since the weather was bad and the sky a dull grey, I just kept cropping until it had all been expunged, and these colourful tiles were all that remained…

See a larger version here.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #144

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , on September 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

I threatened you with more gargoyles, and here they are – a zoomed-out view of the splendid Église Notre-Dame with its ranks of stone gremlins in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun.

This was a rare moment during my stay in Dijon, since most of the rest of the time it rained heavily.

To be honest, I didn’t like the place at all (except for this wonderful church) – dull, grey and in need of repair for the most part, with a scant smattering of old buildings worth looking at.

It looked just like Britain, which is enough to put anyone off! The only misstep on my otherwise excellent trip, but even then I could find one or two things to photograph.

To view a bigger version of this photo, go here.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #143

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , on September 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Today I bring you a gargoyle extravaganza for all you fans of those creepy but alluring stone effigies that adorn the churches and cathedrals of Europe.

These splendid examples are from the Église Notre-Dame in Dijon, the capital of Burgundy.

Now this gem of a church has a façade which is totally encrusted with the little fellows in several ranks, each one different, a fine sight to behold and a joy for the photographer who is equipped with a long zoom.

If you enjoy these, I may post a couple more tomorrow, too…

Bigger versions can be seen here and here, and you really should take a look, I mean, come on, it’s just one click…  ;-)

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #142

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

No, this isn’t an art installation, it’s another bridge over the Saône river in the French city of Lyon.

This one, known as the Passerelle du Palais de Justice, is a bit special – not because it’s so ultra-modern looking, but because it features in a very famous book on photography.

I’m referring to Bryan Peterson’s Understanding Exposure, which is a both a beautiful coffee-table book of mostly stunning pictures and a great guide to the basic principles of photography, although the author is a little ‘old school’ for my tastes.

Anyway, Bryan lived in Lyon for a time, and if you turn to page 136 of the latest edition you’ll notice two shots of this self-same bridge, both framing the cathedral up on the hill inside the triangle of its giant red support. Mr Peterson smugly remarks that he saw many tourists taking the shot in daytime, but only he had the imagination to do the same at night, and then goes on to ruin it slightly by using the weird magenta filter that he is so fond of.

Well, in my turn I’m going to modestly proclaim that my version is actually better than his. I dispense with the cathedral completely and just take a side view of the support and cables in all their stark minimalistic glory.

If you have the book, get it out now and compare, and I think you’ll find that I’m right… ;-)

As usual, a bigger version can be found here.

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INSTANT IMAGE #17

Posted in Instant Images, tagged , , , , on September 24, 2011 | 3 Comments »

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I hate tripods. I’m allergic to them, just as I am to lens hoods and flash. To me they smack of conservatism and old-school irrelevancies. That and the fact that they are a pain in the arse to lug about. They don’t suit my ‘ninja’ style of opportunist unobtrusive photography at all.

But alas, I had to buy one this week, because I need to set up a small ‘studio’ in my house to explore the possibilities of stock photography.

A necessary evil, I suppose.

And that led me to notice that in the store the collective legs of the monstrous devices looked like a kind of futuristic mechanical forest.

How ironic to artistically utilise the very devices deemed a prerequisite for professional sharp images by snapping them with a lowly iPhone 4 camera…

I ended up buying a Manfrotto 190CX3 with a 496 ballhead. I mention this only because both the words ‘Manfrotto’ and ‘ballhead’ have great comedic potential, and conjure up to the aficionados of toilet humour and double entendre a wealth of smutty and prurient undertones, bound to stoke the ire of the tripod fascists… ;-)

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #141

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , on September 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

As promised, more Lyon bridges. Today, the Passerelle Paul Couturier, from 1853 which spans the Saône.

I feel almost guilty for posting such a ‘touristy’ photo, but this view over the bridge towards the Old Town, with the cathedral up on the hill in the distance, is too vibrant and colourful not to share.

Right?

Point your peepers at a bigger version here…

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #140

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , , on September 23, 2011 | 2 Comments »

Lyon is a city bisected by two rivers, the Rhône and the Saône, both of which are spanned by innumerable bridges, a major feature of the town.

There are all kinds – suspension, pedestrian, car and rail bridges, ancient and modern, utilitarian and arty, attractive and ugly.

The next few photos will concentrate on some of these structures, and we’ll start right here with this spooky night view.

To be honest, I can’t even remember which river this was on, let alone the name of it, but it was certainly atmospheric…

See a bigger version by clicking here.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY #139

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged , , , , , , on September 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

So here’s a treat for all the cloud fans out there – a very odd-looking example that was alone in a pure blue sky.

I love clouds, but I’m no expert, so maybe someone can tell me what type this is and what causes it, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one quite as UFO-like.

It was low in the sky on a very hot day in continental Europe, far from the sea.

Maybe I should join the Cloud Appreciation Society and learn more about these ephemeral wonders…

As usual, you can see a larger version here.

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