Still Some Snow on Col de la Bonette in June

June 19, 2013 by Normand Primeau | Leave a comment
Still Some Snow on Col de la Bonette in June © 2013 Normand Primeau Fine Art Photography. All rights reserved.

Coupe des Alpes 2013 on Col de la Bonette, France
Leica M (Typ 240), Summilux-M 50mm f1.4 ASPH, 1/3000 sec., f4.8, ISO 200

What a surprise to find out there is still so much snow on Col de la Bonette in the middle of June! The last bit of snow I saw was in St-Dalmas exactly two months before. Since then I completely forgot about it, except for the news on TV showing the load of snow the South-West of France was getting. Since St-Dalmas the weather has been so-so, but on beautiful day we could enjoy having lunch on a terrace, walk on the beach and feel like summer was heading our direction. That makes it an even stronger contrast when you go in the mountain and experiment winter again.

We do, however, had much warmer temperature than winter on Col de la Bonette right now, making it very comfortable for a walk, have lunch in the mountain sitting on a rock, and of course taking pictures. When we left Saint-Paul in the morning the temperature was 20 degrees, and down to 8 degrees at the top of the Col. Quite a big difference!

Now back to photography. This day on Col de la Bonette had a lot of surprises for us. First, the weather was really challenging because of the frequent changes in lighting. From cloudy to sunshine to rain, and the back and forth. I kept changing the aperture and shutter speed on the camera to adapt and get proper exposure. Perfect, I like it when it’s complicated.

Second surprise was the fact that a race was happening there that day. La Coupe des Alpes 2013 is the name of it, and it brought us a lot of nice cars. Ferraris, Porsches, Jaguar, all of them exotic from past years.. I was delighted to watch the flat vista of the mountain punched with red, yellow, green, blue and other vivid colors of the cars passing in the front of my lens. There were so many I could have a post on this blog just for that.

Third surprise was the snow. Lots of it. It was amazing to see these “walls” on the side of the road. A clear hint of the snow falls they had over there. It reminded me of the youth in Canada where we could climb on the house roof from the snow pile the wind had created during a snow storm. Oh well..

Forth and last surprise was the greens growing everywhere. It’s a huge contrast with the rocks and snow, the greens are intense and saturated, only cut by a river or timberline. It was gorgeous and a pure pleasure to photograph.

You can find the whole picture set on my website at www.normandprimeau.com

Good Light!
Norm

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Pink!

June 10, 2013 by Normand Primeau | Leave a comment
It's all about pink here, Old Nice, Côte d'Azur, France © 2013 Normand Primeau Fine Art Photography. All rights reserved.

It’s all about pink here, Old Nice, Côte d’Azur, France
Leica M (Typ 240), Summilux-M 50 mm, f1.4 ASPH, 1/45 sec., f5.6, ISO 200

Opportunity. Luck. Coincidence? Call it whatever you want, but the odds of getting a guy walking in your frame with a pink bag while shooting a pink set on the street are pretty low. This is in Old Nice, taken yesterday as I was walking the narrow streets and noticed how the light was falling on the yellow flower. Then the set of chairs and table got my attention, and in a matter of seconds I saw this guy and his bag moving in. How pretty!

This was one of the last shot I could get before it started to rain.. again. But, as it is the case on so many occasion, you got to be there at the right time. My call is that a good photograph is a bit of all ingredients: opportunity, luck and coincidence. As photographers we basically have to create opportunities by “being there” and then hope for the rest to happen in front of us.

You can pick a place and time, but you can’t choose the color.. :-)

Good Light!
Norm

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Saint-Paul de Vence on a sunny day

June 6, 2013 by Normand Primeau | Leave a comment

 

Saint-Paul de Vence view the Mediterranean Sea, Côte d'Azur, France © 2013 Normand Primeau Fine Art Photography. All rights reserved.

Saint-Paul de Vence view the Mediterranean Sea, Côte d’Azur, France
Leica M (Typ 240), Summilux-M 50 mm, f1.4 ASPH, 1/250 sec., f6.8, ISO 200

The last time I photographed Saint-Paul de Vence was on April 29th and it was a very very wet and foggy day. While the setup was pretty nice for a dramatic view of the village, especially from behind it, the one I’m showing today is certainly more like most tourists see it during the high season. Clear sky, long view from the village up to Cap d’Antibes, blue water of the Mediterranean Sea, green vegetation everywhere and massive wall around the village. And not to forget, the vineyard on the lower right.

For you pixel peepers (I’m one of them too!), you can even view the pigeons in the sky as they keep flying around to and from the church tower. Enjoy!

Good Light!
Norm

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There must be at least one good shot

June 4, 2013 by Normand Primeau | Leave a comment
Chapelle Notre-Dame de Gratemoine, Séranon, France © 2013 Normand Primeau Fine Art Photography. All rights reserved.

Chapelle Notre-Dame de Gratemoine, Séranon, France
Leica M (Typ 240), Summilux-M 50 mm, f1.4 ASPH, 1/750 sec., f8, ISO 200

There must be at least one good shot. That’s what my good old friend Pete used to say when we came back from a shoot somewhere together. I thought it was just a funny statement back then, but more and more I realize how true it is. Every time. First, one can’t leave for a shoot and expect to come back with a load of killer shots. You never know what’s going to come out of a shoot, just like that.

When I left home today I had no expectations not only about good shots but also about where I would end up shooting. Complete nowhere. I just thought “Let Get Lost Somewhere”. I guess that’s how it should be, it leaves some place to creativity, opportunity and chance. So I left Saint-Paul going north to Col de Vence, passed Coursegoules, Gréolière, driving up and down the mountains in Escragnolles, Séranon, St-Vallier-de-Thiey, Grasse and then back to Saint-Paul. Took a short break and then left again for La Sine, Vence and then Cagnes-sur-Mer up the hip in the medieval town around the Castle. Now, that’s a lot ok km’s on the scooter. Of course I stopped everywhere I found some good light to snap some good shots.

The picture I’m sharing with you today is one Chapelle Notre-Dame de Gratemoine in the village of Séranon. I saw it from the distance and just stopped to walk around it and see what it was all about. Built in the 12th century it went through lots of modifications before taking the shape it has today. To bad I could’t access the inside. Still, I loved the structure, the stone and contrast with the mountains in the back. Very quiet place too. I really enjoyed the time I spent there.

Good Light!
Norm

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Saint-Jeannet, at the foot of Baou

May 31, 2013 by Normand Primeau | Leave a comment
Fountain at public washing place, Saint-Jeannet, France © 2013 Normand Primeau Fine Art Photography. All rights reserved.

Fountain at public washing place, Saint-Jeannet, France
Leica M (Typ 240), Summilux-M 50 mm, f1.4 ASPH, 1/1500 sec., f8, ISO 200

 

I’ve been thinking of going back to Saint-Jeannet for quite a while, but work and bad weather kept me away from this nice little village. But today there was no excuse. Perfect weather and time to spare. Let’s put that camera to work.. and the scooter too!

The first place I wanted to visit is Vignoble de Saint-Jeannet. I go there from time to time, meet with Mr. Rasse, buy a couple bottles of is fine and artisanal wine and simply enjoy the quietness of this place. You can walk around and even try the different wines they produce. It’s a little corner of Côte d’Azur that I really appreciate. Two bottles will fit very nicely under the seat of my scooter and it’s good to encourage the hard work they do over there. If you want to go there, the address is 800, Chemin des Sausses, 06640 Saint-Jeannet. It’s 10 minutes from Vence and easy to find.

Then I moved to the village of Saint-Jeannet, easily parked the scooter “downtown” and started to walk around the narrow streets. It’s great to be just walking like that, you’re part of it, you hear local people talking together, laughing, having a coffee on a terrace or simply doing their things. They all seem to be happy and know each other. Typical of such little community.

My goal was to take photos of the ordinary. But I had no expectations, just looking for things to shoot, hunting for good light and discover the place a bit more. I have been there on a several occasions in the past, but you always something new on every visit. Things might have been there the time before, but you simply look differently.. and see!

One of the many reasons why I’m so fascinated by photography is the fact that you keep moving, discovering, learning, meeting. I really believe all of this makes you grow and change for the better.

How about you? What is photography doing on you?

You can find the whole picture set on my website at www.normandprimeau.com

Good Light!
Norm

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Colorful Nice

May 19, 2013 by Normand Primeau | Leave a comment
Concentrated chess players, Old Nice, Côte d'Azur, France © 2013 Normand Primeau Fine Art Photography. All rights reserved.

Concentrated chess players, Old Nice, Côte d’Azur, France
Sony RX100, 1/320 sec., f5.6, ISO 125

I just came back from a walk in Old Nice and the least I can say is that the weather gave us a bit of everything today. It started with sun, then clouds and rain, sun again, wind, etc.. Hey why not take this opportunity to shoot and see what comes out of it?

Last week, in La Colle sur Loup, I had my mind set for “color” and came back with mostly “cream tone” shots, which was great. Today, seeing the clouds, I was expecting shots that would nicely convert to black and white or even “cream tone” again. But hey, guess what? I brought home some of the most colorful photos I did in Old Nice.

Do you believe in the fact that things will come to you if you are prepared to receive them? I do. I always do and most of the time it proved to be just right! Today again, I found out there was a mountain bike event on Promenade des Anglais: La Transvésubienne mountain biking event – La Colmiane. Lots of people everywhere, animation, groups, mountain bikers. Lots of them! For me it was a given opportunity to make some good shots, real shots of real people in the real activities. And to make things even better, I got there for the arrival of the riders! I had a great time and lot of fun working on the pictures I’m sharing with you today. I hope you like them.

My personal choice goes to the chess players because I like how they concentrate on their game, and the way light is falling on the scene. Pssst! I think the guy on the right will win.. ;-)

You can find the whole picture set on my website at www.normandprimeau.com

Good Light!
Norm

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Rain, rain, rain again

May 16, 2013 by Normand Primeau | Leave a comment
Droplets on branches and pink flowers, Saint-Paul de Vence, Côte d'Azur, France © 2013 Normand Primeau Fine Art Photography. All rights reserved.

Droplets on branches and pink flowers, Saint-Paul de Vence, Côte d’Azur, France
Leica M8.2, 1/350 sec., f6.7, ISO 320

Rain, rain, rain again. It’s a sad start for the 2013 edition of Festival de Cannes, and hopefully things will improve over the next couple days. For some reasons it’s always like that, which is a good thing because it almost always end with great weather.

But rain and clouds sometimes bring great photo opportunities. A cloudy sky is just a huge soft box available for those who grab the opportunity to use it. The blacks are deep, the colors get very saturated, reflections appear in puddles of water, and droplets appear everywhere in a colorful way.

I personally like to shoot in the rain because it is usually more quiet and scenes are uncluttered. As long as you’re equipped with sealed gear.. and rain coat!

Looking at all this rain falling today made me think of a shot I did at the end of last October around my place, and wanted to share it with you. I hope you like.

Do you like to shoot in the rain? Let me know, I’m curious.

Good Light!
Norm

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Back in time in the name of the rose

May 14, 2013 by Normand Primeau | Leave a comment

 

Old door & wall at Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs, La Colle sur Loup, Côte d'Azur, France © 2013 Normand Primeau Fine Art Photography. All rights reserved.

Old door & wall at Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs, La Colle sur Loup, Côte d’Azur, France
Leica M8.2, 1/125 sec., f5.7, ISO 160

What a surprise for me last Sunday when I got home from a short shoot in La Colle sur Loup. I left home earlier with the intention of taking some shots of their event called “Journée autour de la Rose”. While I never attended this event in the past, I expected lots of roses everywhere along with activities and decorations. All of this was there of course, but I didn’t expect to see that they re-created some kind of “back in time” sort of thing. You know, old cars, people dressed like they were in the past, even horses and artisans on the street.

I didn’t set my mind for anything special and simply shot what seemed interesting to me. And that’s the beauty of it now because I discovered my mind was more focused on “time” than on “roses”. That’s funny, and interesting. You’d think I would come back with lots of photos on the subject of roses. I didn’t.

I finally tried to convert all photos from color to cream tone to give them an old look. The result is pretty cool because it makes me feel I can now visualize more easily on what La Colle sur Loup used to look many many years ago. I’m pretty sure I’ll have a different feeling when I drive there on a daily basis.

You can find the whole picture set on my website at www.normandprimeau.com

Good Light!
Norm

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The Good Life in Juan les Pins

May 12, 2013 by Normand Primeau | Leave a comment
Colorful sun umbrellas in Juan les Pins, Côte d'Azur, France © 2013 Normand Primeau Fine Art Photography. All rights reserved.

Colorful sun umbrellas in Juan les Pins, Côte d’Azur, France
Sony RX100, 1/2000 sec., f8.0, ISO 125

Oh well, I think we’re finally off for some good time on Côte d’Azur. At the sight of all these colorful sun umbrellas, anyone would wish to lay down in the shade and enjoy life as it is.

And the high season isn’t really there yet! Still, this setup in Juan les Pins is typical to the region. The boats, the cars and the crowded terraces are obvious signs that Cannes Festival is really happening. From a local resident’s perspective I see happy faces, shinny cars, busy business owners, boats moving, swimmers, kids playing on the beach, blue sky and more. Very positive. And the summer is not even there yet!

For those coming from other regions for vacation, I wish you a wonderful time, great weather and fun. My best advice: take it easy, slow down and relax, you’re going to really grab the essence of Côte d’Azur.

Good Light!
Norm

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Simplicity of Happiness

May 7, 2013 by Normand Primeau | Leave a comment
A cute couple enjoying life together, Nice, Côte d'Azur, France © 2013 Normand Primeau Fine Art Photography. All rights reserved.

A cute couple enjoying life together, Nice, Côte d’Azur, France
Sony RX100, 1/640 sec., f5.6, ISO

While I usually avoid taking pictures of people, I just couldn’t resist taking the shot when I saw this cute couple sitting together on the pebbles in Nice. It makes you realize how simple life should be when you are happy and enjoy what you have. I don’t know who they are or what they do in life, but nobody will argue on the fact that they’re having a great time together in a nice setting. Book, flowers, drink, hat and blanket is all it takes. Nature takes care of the rest with a breeze, waves and time to spare.

This was taken near Le Castel on Promenade des Anglais. Later on the same day I crossed these guys walking together in Old Nice. They were just as happy and enjoying their time together.

I wish you all have time to spend doing simple things and be happy. Even alone, all of this is possible and necessary for anyone. Take your time. Relax. Breath. Enjoy. Photography brings me all of that. The time I spend with my camera is incredibly valuable. Doing this makes me feel free and creative. No rush. No obligation. I just take my time to look and see, hear and smell, even feel better. Kudos to the couple on the beach!

Good Light!
Norm

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