Dusk light on Serre Ponçon lake

Dusk light on Serre Ponçon lake

An image from the archives ...

Serre Ponçon dam was built from 1955 to 1961 on the Durance river.
The lake is the third biggest artificial lake in Europe.
It's a famous place for tourism with the mountains all around and also for sailing and windsurfing because of special winds blowing here.

I spent two days here for work in 2005. This photo is one of the first i did arriving on the place and the morning after i did another one which is still one of my favourite landscape and which doesn't seem to be one this blog :)

Annecy - End of afternoon at the lake

End of afternoon on Annecy lake and Veyrier mountain

Dusk colors on Annecy lake - long exposure with Hoya ND 400

Dusk on Annecy lake and Veyrier mountain

I recently found some new clients around Annecy.

On friday i had a nice meeting with one of them for prints delivery and after that i spent the end of afternoon around the lake and at the Imperial beach.
I walked a lot but just did a few images. This one was done around 8 pm and i used my Hoya NB 400 for the long exposure plus a 5 stop soft GND filter for the balance between sky and foreground.

Weekly commented photo #16 : Wind at dusk on the Rhône river

Wind at dusk on the Rhône river

Last week, i showed you an overview of the Rhône valley near Arcine. The image was done on my first day in this area.
During this first day i also spent a lot of time exploring the little paths through the fields and forests. In the evening i found one going to the river but it was too late and i decided to report my visit to another time.

The day after, i was back with the firm intention to go to the rivers, explore its borders and find nice point of views.
But while on the road i found an other nice overview of the valley, so i stopped.
After that i took the little path found the day before and it was crossing a beautiful forest. So i stopped and made a few images of the trees with their fresh springtime leaves.

Like you devine, i arrived very late at the river and had no time to really explore for a stunning point of view.
I made a few images in the dusk light. A very strong wind from north was blowing and getting something sharp in the low light was just impossible so i decided to let the things go.
Later, while processing the files i was seduced by this blurred but living image.

Weekly commented photo #12 - Sunset light on the Massif des Bauges

Sunset light on the Massif des Bauges

On monday i had an appointment with a client in the Massif des Bauges area. After my first and unsuccessful attempt a few weeks ago (see here) i was decided to give this place another try.

I was expecting my shooting job to finish early and to have time for personnal landscapes after, just at the better light.
As things don't always go as expected, the job ended just before the end of afternoon and i had to spend a little time with the client to speak and have a drink. BTW it was a nice piece of time but when it ended it was too late to drive to the mountains where i wanted to go and so i took the shortest road to my home.

After less than half an hour on the mountain road i arrived to a little pass where i discovered this sunset view.
I stopped the car along the road, unpacked my gear and made this image.

I had to use a 1.2 (5 stops) soft gnd filter to keep the sky correct without darkening too much the shadows.
It was ok for the exposure but the sun was not completely set and when processing the file i discovered a flare mark that i couldn't remove completely so that's just another image which will never be printed.

End of afternoon at Annecy lake

End of afternoon at Annecy lake

Weekly commted photo #10 - Wild and peaceful

Wild and peaceful - Le Pradet

If you look at my seascapes, you will easily notice that most of the photos where done on the same place named "Bau Rouge beach".

Why ?

I really love wild and natural places and to sand beaches i prefer rocks with nice shapes and where the waves can break nicely.

Such places where really rare in the part of Provence where i lived and where all was done for a comfortable tourism.

Bau Rouge beach was one of them and so i went there really often.
I think that many photographers know this feeling : You always think you can return and capture some other light, some other composition. That's true but one day you feel the need to change.

So after some months of shooting at Bau Rouge beach, after looking the maps, after asking many people i decided to move a little and give a change to another rocky beach not so far.

This new place was a few kilometers from Bau Rouge beach and had no special name. I also went there many times but my favourite image of this place is this one and it's the really first one i did there.

This first day was intended to more to explore the place than to really make images so i just had a light bag with a litlle tripod. Rare thing, i left all my filters at home.

The image was done just before dusk and the dynamic range was a little too high for a single exposure without filtering.
So i took three exposures that i manually and patiently blended (without tonemapping) in the digital darkroom.

As said over, that's my fav from this place but you can have a look here to see another one i also love.
It was done by a stormy morning where the waves were so huges that i could'nt access Bau Rouge beach.

Rural landscape in the mountains

Rural landscape in the mountains - Col de la Forclaz

About ten days ago i spent an afternoon at the Col de la Forclaz above Annecy lake. It'a a very well known spot from french paragliders and it offers a stunning high view on the lake.
Unfortunatly the day was cloudy and light really dull so i didn't made the images of the lake i expected.
I went to the forest, did a few tree photos and waited for dusk when i could do this image and another very similar but with a slightly different composition.
None of these images are outstanding but i love how they represent these rough places.

BTW you can notice that we didn't had too much snow for a long time.

Annecy - Dusk on the Imperial beach

Annecy - Dusk on the Imperial beach

After my first attempt with photographying this place at dawn, i decided to come back the day after for some dusk images.
I initialy wanted to frame the big diving board really closer but i don't know why, i changed my mind on the last minute.

Weekly commented photo #4 - Parasol pines forest in dusk light

Parasol pines forest in dusk light

This image is now more than 10 years old as it was done on 2005/10/01.
Since this day, i've moved my office twice but one large framed print of this photograph is always on my walls and i can see it every time my eyes leave my computer screen.

In 2005, september was unusually rainy in this part of Provence.
On october 1rst we had an almost dry day and i ran in Saint Tropez to make some images of a client's garden.
At the end of afternoon while i was driving back home, some dark clouds started to take more and more room in the sky.
I decided to make a little stop in la Plaine des Maures, more to enjoy the beauty of the place than to make images but as i don't like to let my photo gears in the car, i took them with me for this little walk in the nature.

I spent about half an hour hiking in the blowing wind, camera and lenses in a belt bag and tripod on my shoulder. The ground and bush had a strong smell, red colour of the rocks was enhanced by the wetness of the preceding weeks and clouds were more and more darks.

I decided to walk back to my car before the next huge rain.
I was about half way when the wind suddenly stopped. I also stopped and looking around me i discovered this little parasol pines forest bathing in one sunray filtred by the clouds.
I just had the time to set up my tripod and make a very few images before the arrival of the storm. I ran to the car under the rain and drove back home under a weather looking more to a tropical mousson than to a provence rain.

I don't even remember the other photographs i did there this day but this one is really one of my all times favourite although there is no dramatic light, no effect and no heavy post processing.

Back to the Verne river

Dusk light on the Verne river - Provence

About one week ago i decided to come back to the Verne river and see if it could do some interesting dusk images.

I arrived on the place a few time before the real dusk, started to make some shots from some rocks overhanging the river (you'll probably see them one day) and when the light started to be low i went to the middle of the river bed where i could install my tripod on a little rock.

I took my most wide lens, choose my GND filters and after a few test shots decided to wait a little bit. So i looked in my back and was seduced by the scene of the dark river running through the rocks. So i changed my lens for a longer one, moved the tripod a little on the rock and took this image.
After that i just had the time to remount the wide angle plus filters for the dusk shot and climb back to my car with my head lamp.

This image of the river running through the rocks is not the one i was looking for when i came there but now i really like it. I would have liked to go back one more time for some more prepared images of this scene but didn't had any occasion at the right time and in this end of spring, the water level decrease strongly every day ... So i think i'll have to keep this one :)

The Verne river running through the rocks

A springtime reminder - Peaceful dusk at Bau Rouge beach

Peaceful dusk at Bau Rouge beach

That's an "old" shot from may, same day that the one posted here.

Dusk on the Gapeau river

Dusk on the Gapeau river

The Gapeau runs to the sea not too far from my home. I was driving along the river one of the past evenings and found the light beautiful ...

One more dusk at Bau Rouge beach

Mediterranean dusk at Bau Rouge beach

It was about one week ago. I was at home and in the end on afternoon i noticed the clouds in the sky and thought they could give some interesting lights at the sea.

I drove to the beach and arrived at dusk. I had the time to capture some other images before this one at the other end of the beach, you'll see them here in the next days i think.

I also have here a view of this scene at dawn.

Last rays on the sand beach

Péllegrin beach in La Londe les Maures - Provence

Same place, same day but i would say half an hour before the one in my previous post.

Just some blue

Mediterranean blue

I don't do very often this kind of minimal shot. I had spent the end of the day waiting for dusk on a sand beach in La Londe les Maures when i turned my lens to the horizon. The 120 seconds exposure is just due to the low late dusk light. If i remember well i had 2 Hitech GND filters mounted in front of my lens to avoid a too strong over exposure of the sky.

I thought you could like an other purple dusk at Bau Rouge beach

Purple dusk at Bau Rouge beach - Carqueiranne

I can't count (perharps my readers can) how many times i was there during the past year. Beleive it or not i had never noticed this white rock before :)

A lonely day at the beach

Beach of Péllegrin at La Londe les Maures in Provence

Same beach than the one shown here, not the same day, not the same place and at dusk.
More than 2 minutes exposure.

Some like me will find it a bit too empty, some will just love the calm and peace :)

One more mediterranean purple dusk

A mediterranean purple dusk at Bau-Rouge beach in Provence

In provence special language, bau doesn't mean beautiful but it designs a kind of big rocks or cliff. So Bau Rouge means Red Rocks or Red Cliff.
This place is really my favorite for dusk colors.

Dusk time in the forest

Dusk time at the Chartreuse de la Verne

I've spent many time shooting during these last three days. That's a photo from yesterday in the late evening. The long exposure (125 seconds) really helps to retrieve some colors in the scene under a really low light. Of course such an long exposure can't give very sharp leaves in the forest but today i don't think that's really a problem. Some years ago i would probably not have done this shot. I was working in a photo agency and we were reviewing slides from photographers on a light table with a strong magnifying glass. This one OK, this one no ... I guess we wouldn't have accepted any forest shot if we couldn't count the leaves on the trees :)

Today i spent most of the day shooting paintings for a painter and after that i rapidly went to the beach for some seascapes at dusk time. Shooting paintings is an usual part of my job and i have to say that it's a real pleasure. It gives inspiration and it's always a good lesson about composition and colors.
A painter i often work with became a friend and 5 years ago for the birth of my daughter she offered her a large beautiful painting and told us Put it where she can see it, touch it, play with it. That's done whith Liquitex acrylic and it can't be damaged by a child. Five years after i can say that it's true and Liquitex on canvas can resist to many things :)