Luminous Landscape Forum
The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: Blue439 on March 04, 2017, 05:20:36 pm
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Hello everyone,
In this thread I will upload some landscapes photographs from rural France. Quite a few of them will be from my beloved Brittany, others from regions closer to the city of Lyon, where I spend most of my time. I hope you will enjoy them.
This first one is an alpine lake in the upper Ubaye valley, in October 2016. The one below is of a fishing boat cemetery near Lorient in Brittany.
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The beach of Camaret, a small Breton villlage near the tip of the continent, which in Breton is called pen ar bed, literally “the head [i.e., the beginning] of the world”.
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I like particularly the boat cemetery :)
That's a long commute from Lyon!
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Thanks Graham ! Yes, it's quite a long drive (or train ride, or flight when we don't have too much luggage), but always worth it.
We will retire there. ;)
This is the canyon of the Ardèche river, in central France.
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Thanks Graham ! Yes, it's quite a long drive (or train ride, or flight when we don't have too much luggage), but always worth it.
We will retire there. ;)
This is the canyon of the Ardèche river, in central France.
Where exactly is that, Dominique?
Jeremy
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http://www.ardeche.com/sites-naturels/gorges-ardeche.php
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A friend used to live in Chandolas, and I've cycled between there abd Les Vans, but never been down that part of the river. Might have to correct that :-)
https://goo.gl/maps/6EJd4VMufP32
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Where exactly is that, Dominique?
Jeremy
Hello Jeremy, it is in the southern part of France, you can look it up on Google Maps by typing "gorges de l'ardeche".
http://www.ardeche.com/sites-naturels/gorges-ardeche.php
Indeed. I hope my photo is (if only marginally) better than the one they have on that website... ;)
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This is the cascade du Hérisson (literally, the Hedgehog waterfall), in eastern France. Always a refreshing sight after a hot walk... ;D
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Hello Jeremy, it is in the southern part of France, you can look it up on Google Maps by typing "gorges de l'ardeche".
Indeed. I hope my photo is (if only marginally) better than the one they have on that website... ;)
Thanks. I must pay it a visit.
Yours certainly is! I'm constantly amazed at how dreadful publicity photos can be. I suppose they just send an employee out with a phone.
Jeremy
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Thanks. I must pay it a visit.
Yours certainly is! I'm constantly amazed at how dreadful publicity photos can be. I suppose they just send an employee out with a phone.
Jeremy
Indeed you should if this type of landscape attracts you. France has three major canyons, not to mention a host of smaller ones: the most spectacular is that of the Tarn river, then come the Ardèche and the Verdon (in Provence) ones, fairly on the same level, I'd say.
None is as breathtaking as the Grand Canyon, although they still are a sight to behold, and will leave lifelong memories. Their main advantage over their US counterpart is that the food available in the nearby towns and villages by far surpasses that offered in the Grand Canyon area... ::) :P
In terms of tourist frequentation, of course during the Summer months, the Tarn canyon is packed with large buses on very narrow and twisty roads, but last time I did the Ardèche canyon scenic route off season (that was when I took the photo above), I was absolutely and completely alone, even though it was on a Sunday in December: not one car, one bike, one bicycle in sight for more than 40 kilometers!
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This is more "conceptual" than my usual "naturalistic" approach... It is a view of the Mediterranean, near Marseilles in southern France, from atop the second highest cliffs in Europe (after those of Moher, Ireland), near the town of Cassis:
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Former fisherman's home in Brittany :
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Former fisherman's home in Brittany :
I like how the house is neatly wedged between those two massive rocks. It should be solid enough to resist the strong winds of Brittany…
Edit:typo correction
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Imagine trying to build that house. I guess the end walls had to go up first, and then the front and back fit between them.
Clearly built by someone who was well familiar with bad weather.
A fine shot.
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Thank you guys for your visit and comments. :)
The one below is of the road, formerly just a mule path, that leads up to the historically famous Roncevaux Pass in the Pyrénées mountains between France and Spain:
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This is near the pointe de Gâvre in Brittany :
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Former fisherman's home in Brittany :
This one, I like. There is huge further potential in this location, too.
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A cove in Brittany, with threatening squall :
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The river Creuse and ruins of Crozant castle:
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The little house on the island:
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Small mountain stream (delicious fresh water!) on the Aubaret plateau in Auvergne, central France:
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Chiaroscuro in the High Alps:
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Fishing harbor of Portsall in Brittany:
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This is the Pointe du Raz, a cape at the western tip of Brittany, France, with the La Vieille and La Plate lighthouses and the Sein Island in the background. Those with very good eyesight can even spot the dreaded Ar Men lighthouse, nicknamed “The Hell of Hells” (if they know what to look for and where to look for it) out there in the Atlantic.
Tidal currents are particularly strong in this passage.
There was excellent visibility that morning.
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This is the Pointe du Raz, a cape at the western tip of Brittany, France, with the La Vieille and La Plate lighthouses and the Sein Island in the background. Those with very good eyesight can even spot the dreaded Ar Men lighthouse, nicknamed “The Hell of Hells” (if they know what to look for and where to look for it) out there in the Atlantic.
Tidal currents are particularly strong in this passage.
There was excellent visibility that morning.
Nice and powerful. I cannot see the Ar Men lighthouse, is it my eyes or just the size of the posted photo?
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Just to the right of the light house on La Vielle there is a black white black vertical at the horizon.
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I have to admit that, on the 1,000-pixel JPG, Ar Men is a really tiny little speck on the horizon, between La Vieille and the Goulenez lighthouse on Sein Island (the black and white tower). It is barely visible as is, and only marginally better when looking at an enlarged version of the JPG, for example in FastStone Image Viewer. On the original TIFF, you can see it quite clearly and even distinguish the black and white markings.
Here is a 200 percent crop:
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Google Earth suggests that is about 10 miles away ?
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Its exact location is 48° 03' 01" N, 4° 59' 50" W, i.e. approx. 5.3 (nautical) miles west of the island of Sein. It was built with extreme difficulty between 1867 and 1881 and is a legend among lighthouses. It was made into a National Historical Landmark in 2015.
Web pages in English about it can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ar_Men
http://www.planete-tp.com/en/construction-of-a-lighthouse-ar-men-a484.html
and here is a nice painting of it:
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Breakers on the windward coast of the Quiberon peninsula in Brittany:
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Just to the right of the light house on La Vielle there is a black white black vertical at the horizon.
I can see it now, after enlarging the original shot a lot.
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"Despite the estimated 50 square feet (4.6 m2) of rock only being uncovered at dead low water, work began in 1867. In the first year of work workmen were able to land on the rock on only seven occasions and could spend a total of just eight hours drilling holes there for the foundation"
Wpw, quite a story... thanks :)
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"Despite the estimated 50 square feet (4.6 m2) of rock only being uncovered at dead low water, work began in 1867. In the first year of work workmen were able to land on the rock on only seven occasions and could spend a total of just eight hours drilling holes there for the foundation"
Wpw, quite a story... thanks :)
Yes, Ar-Men and the story from the first landings to a fully working lighthouse is legendary.
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Central Brittany: covered stone alley from 3000 B.C., windswept crop:
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Old broken bridge on river Ardèche, central France:
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Old broken bridge on river Ardèche, central France:
Superb and could maybe even be better with some fog… There's a lot of potential in such a nice region.
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Thank you, François. The light was acceptable that morning, soft but nothing fancy... Of course, no fog, such things cannot be ordered and you have to live nearby (which is not my case) to be able to seize the opportunity when it arises... Being what I call a "naturalist" photographer, I go for the way things do look, the way I see them, and I am no big fan of “pushing the cursors”...
High key and shallow depth of field on the bank of river Odet in Brittany:
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Waves at sunset, coast of Brittany (Quiberon):
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Breakers on the windward coast of the Quiberon peninsula, Brittany:
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A sea of dead tree leaves... ;)
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A sea of dead tree leaves... ;)
Very tranquil compared to coastal shots!
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It has a feeling of movement and at first I thought they might even have been motion blurred but they're not. That's clever and intriguing and really cool to look at.
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It has a feeling of movement and at first I thought they might even have been motion blurred but they're not. That's clever and intriguing and really cool to look at.
+1.
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Thank you for your visits and comments. Here is another “quiet” one, a little bit along the same lines, although quite different, but one that gave me, at least, the same sort of visual feeling as the previous “sea of leaves”. This was shot in the Puisaye region, which is roughly between Paris and Burgundy:
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Some more Brittany breakers...
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In black and white, for a change, the rocks of Porspoder in Brittany:
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Pine in rape...
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I like this last one a lot. The dark sky and the yellow fields are just perfect the the three trees…
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Thank you, François!
Next one: Seychelles? Virgin Islands? Tahiti? Nope. Just Brittany. ;)
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Thank you, François!
Next one: Seychelles? Virgin Islands? Tahiti? Nope. Just Brittany. ;)
Just dip your toes in the turquoise water and you'll know whether it's the Seychelles or Brittany! ;D
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Yes, François, I must admit you're right. Also pay attention to the local culture, or smell the food, and you'll know as well. ;)
Here is another one, this one a rather dramatic sunset at the Pointe Saint-Mathieu, one of the very westernmost tips of Brittany:
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Some more Brittany breakers...
Only just seen this one. Well-timed!
Jeremy
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Thanks Jeremy.
From the ocean to the Alps, this is a view of the Izoard Pass:
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Ominous clouds over Mount Lozère, central France :
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Thanks Jeremy.
From the ocean to the Alps, this is a view of the Izoard Pass:
Good place for biking! I feel my legs burning just by looking at this photo ;-)
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Long exposure on a small beach near Gâvres Point in Brittany:
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In the French Alps, building even very small bridges can be a daunting business...
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Small stream in a bucolic setting, high up on Mount Lozère in Auvergne, central France:
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Squall and sun rays on the coast of Brittany:
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Sweet, peaceful and lush hidden valley in Auvergne, central France:
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Boat cemetery of Kerhervy in southern Brittany:
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Nice, very different moods in these.
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Sweet, peaceful and lush hidden valley in Auvergne, central France:
I like the smoke in the village. It gives a sense of human presence.
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Thank you both for your comments.
It is true that human presence is mostly absent from my photos. Most times, you can only deduce such presence through the by-products of its activity...
... Like on this photo, taken on the barren high plateau at the foot of Mount Lozère, the most deserted area of France... Small streams crisscross the plateau, and in the early Middle Ages, Man saw fit to build this small stone bridge, which was much later given a parapet. The general landscape is pretty much unchanged since those days. The red and white paint dashes are, of course, modern and signal a hiking trail.
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Well, human presence is not a necessity but in some occasions, it's welcome. Some of your photos remind me those of Charlie Waite's Landscape in France book.
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Still on Mount Lozère, a stream cascading down from a high-altitude spring:
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And this one will conclude the series, as there is not much point going any further: a nice old bench under an old tree on the banks of the Laïta river in Brittany: