No kidding, this was the neighborhood grocery store where we were staying at in Bordeaux. If this was my local grocery store, I don’t think I would ever keep anything in the pantry at home. I would visit it everyday, shoot some photos, and grab a piece of fruit and coffee on my way to work. In the evening, this hub of commerce flashed back to the days of the Salon when the local youth would come out to enjoy the surrounding cafes and discuss the day’s topics. It was the heart of the neighborhood, and just the down the street from our hotel.

Travel Guides: When I get back from visiting a town, I try to put together a quick travel guide that usually includes a map of photo locations and a quick list of things to do, places to eat, and where to stay. You can find all my travel guides, including the Unofficial Definitive Guide to Cozumel, over here:

http://www.lightasmagic.com/travel/

I hope to be publishing my guide to France very soon. Stay tuned!

Capture Notes:

Nikon D700
Nikkor 17-35 AFS
Gitzo Traveler
Lexar UDMA

Processing Notes:

I have forgotten what the exact details of the post-processing were, but it was a 9 image (@ 1ev) –> HDR/ToneMapped in Photomatix 4 (I think??) –> and to get the dreamy quality I use Nik Color Efex Pro’s Glamour Glow filter mixed in about 30%.

Sorry for the lack of details.

We made our way from the Toulouse airport to our final destination in La Mongie, the clouds thickened as we gained elevation driving up the slopes of the Tourmalet. We were filled with anticipation knowing the summit of one of the most famous mountains in the Pyrenees was only a couple kilometers ahead. That anticipation would continue to grow throughout the night since the fog bank refused to provide us the greeting we were hoping for! Do you know how hard it is to find your hotel when you don’t speak French and the visibility is limited to 15ft?

Capture Notes:

Nikon D700
Nikkor 45mm PC-E
Hand held

Exposure 1/3200 sec
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 45 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias -1/3 EV

Processing Notes:

Capture 1 image
Adobe Camera Raw
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com

Tip: When using a perspective control lens, you can either meter the exposure (make sure to record the results) then shift/tilt the lens, or, if you are in the moment, you can ride the exposure compensation dial as you review the histogram. Personally, I use the later technique because I don’t want to be bothered with having to position the lens in a neutral state every time I want to recompose. Stay tuned for more details about this seemingly complex, yet simple to use creative tool!

We barely had any time in Paris. We arrived on the train in from Bordeaux around noon, leaving us just enough time to watch the final laps of the Tour de France along the Champs Elysees. If I didn’t get out and shoot, I wasn’t going to be able to live with myself. I knew I had to get out, even if it was only for an hour or so. We had a bit of time the next morning before our flight left, so I decided to set my alarm for 6:00am and schedule up a taxi to pick me up at 6:30. My plan was to have the taxi drop me off at the Eiffel Tower, make the tourist images that are required by all photographers visiting Paris, then follow my pre-planned walking route back to the Hotel. That was going to give me 3 hours of nothing but uninterrupted image making while Paris slowly awoke from its slumber. Images and their respective stories will follow in subsequent posts. This image was the final one of my walk. I had arrived back at the hotel, where I had met up with ‘pops’ who had just finished breakfast. I was starving after walking around for 3 hours with camera gear. I followed him down a winding staircase into what seemed to be the dungeon of the small hotel we were staying at. The walls were lined with century old bricks and a small archway led me into the dining area. What a place to have a breakfast! Beats the heck out of the Best Westerns here in the states. It felt as if I had just pulled up a chair to share a croissant with history itself. Too bad I didn’t have much time to talk, I had to catch our Taxi to the airport in 10 minutes!!!

Capture Notes:

Nikon D700
Sigma 15mm 2.8
Gitzo Traveler
Lexar UDMA

Processing Notes:

Capture – 7 images @ 1ev
Photomatix – HDR/Tonemapping
Nik Color Efex Pro – Pro Contrast
Nik Color Efex Pro – Glamor Glow
Photoshop – Curves adjustment
Photoshop – Levels Adjustment
Sized For Web
LightAsAMagic.com

I’m not totally sure that a permit was required to use a tripod in France, but I’m pretty sure that was what was being requested as I was asked to leave the subway. I understood ‘no good’ and ‘Gendamerie‘ well enough to know I should probably leave before I was the defendant in an international incident. Tripod restrictions weren’t limited to the subway either. I was also escorted away from Jean-Paul Sartre’s grave. I really felt like a Stranger.

Capture Notes:

Nikon D700
Nikkor 17-35 2.8 AFS
Gitzo Traveler
Lexar UDMA Film

Aperture f/9.0
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 200

Processing Notes:

Capture – 9 images @ 1ev
Photomatix – HDR/Tonemapping
Nik Color Efex Pro – Pro Contrast
Nik Color Efex Pro – Glamour Glow
Nik Color Efex Pro – Tonal Contrast
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com

I’m pretty sure I committed an international crime by not sampling any wine while driving through the vineyards of France on our way to Bordeaux. I guess I am more of a Leffe Brune type of guy. Boy, that is a good Belgium beer!

Google suggest that our drive from La Mongie to Bordeaux was around 3hours. We decided to stay off the interstate and take the back roads, which added about 4 hours and an untold number of stories to the drive. Well worth the extra time. One of the the vineyards we passed had an old monastery on its property. As you drive through the French countryside, you get used to seeing quaint villages surrounding a cathedral rich in character. If you stopped at everyone one, it would would take you a week to drive 300km. But this one, I couldn’t pass up. I will post the abandoned monastery sometime in the future. For now, I really liked the gate that led me to it.

Capture Notes:

Nikon D700
Nikkor 45mm PC-E
Gitzo Traveler
Lexar UDMA film

Aperture f/4.2
Focal Length 45 mm
ISO Speed 200

Processing Notes:

Capture – 7 images @ 1EV
Photomatix – HDR Tonemapping
Photoshop – Global Curves Adjustment
Nik Color Efex Pro – Glamour Glow (2x)
Nik Color Efext Pro – Tonal Contrast (selective)
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com

Tip: If you schedule a day to explore the countryside into your trip, use it. Don’t rush to your destination. You will get there, but take time to fill your life with what is uniquely everyday.

I wasn’t sure if I should break up my iPhone images from France into two Friday editions. Originally, I felt that 17 photos might be a bit much, however, I decided I didn’t want to break my self imposed rule of allowing only photos from the previous week. I hope you don’t mind a slight download delay, France had a lot to offer me.

You can find a listing of iPhone Resources, including some apps I recommend, over here:

http://www.lightasmagic.com/myphone/

Songs For Post Processing: Shoot, it is almost August and I realized I hadn’t posted my July playlist. I had it ready a couple of weeks back, however the stress of preparing for France got the best of me. It is a bit delayed, but it is a good one. I hope you enjoy it!

Now that I have fully recovered from my jet lag induced haze, I can get back to sharing some images from my recent trip to France. The trip began with a 5 day stay in the little town of La Mongie nestled in the Pyrenees. We rode our bikes over some of the most famous mountains in the Tour De France (Col de Tourmalet, Aspin, Soulor, Aubisque as well as Luz Ardiden). It was both humbling and inspiring to measure yourself against the times of your heroes. They are much faster than I am, but the throngs of fans who were camped out along the mountain roads cheered us on as if we were in the Yellow Jersey. It was an experience I will never forget.

As for this image, once we left La Mongie we traveled to Bordeaux to watch the individual time trial. We arrived a day early which left us plenty of time to explore the town. In the center of the town is the massive Cathedral Saint-Andre. I walked around it several times, both day and night, trying to decide how I wanted to make an image of it. It wasn’t until my 3rd lap that I noticed this small diorama of the cathedral itself. I then realized that this is the image I had been looking for.

Capture Notes:

Nikon D700
Nikkor 17-35 AFS
Gitzo Traveler
Lexar UDMA

Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 800 (oops)

Processing Notes:

Capture – 9 images @ 1ev
Photomatix – HDR/ToneMapping
Photoshop – Curves Adjustment
Photoshop – Vibrancy/Sat Adjustment
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com

The Tour is coming to a close, but not before World Time Trial Champion Fabian Cancellara puts his stamp on the final time trail.

Capture Notes:

Nikon D700
Nikkor 80-200 AFD

Exposure1/5000 sec
Aperturef/2.8
Focal Length200 mm
ISO Speed200
Exposure Bias0 EV
FlashNo Flash

Processing Notes:

Capture
Adobe Camera Raw
Nik Viveza 2
Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 – Tonal Contrast filter (sliders at 5%)
Sized for web
LightAsMagic.com

Tip: Make sure you remember that the final riders in the Tour de France time trial, leave at 3:00min intervals, as opposed to 1:00min intervals. It will surely help with your planning.

One from the archive! My college teammate and I visited the Tour in 2004. We considered going in 2003, but we were confident in Lance’s abilities to win a record breaking 6th TDF. This image was made on stage 19, the decisive individual time trial in Besancon. We had walked 2 miles in the rain for a position on a round-a-bout that would provide us a clear line of sight. The anticipation grew as we watched rider after rider racing by. As the names on the start list were dwindling, we knew that Lance would be charging by shortly. It was Jan Ulrich we saw first, followed shortly thereafter by the man in Yellow. What a dream come true. We were front row for one of the greatest records in cycling history! Lance is racing again this year. Keep your fingers crossed!

Nikon D1x
Nikkor 80-200 AFD

Note: I have been getting some questions about what kind of gear I carry. If you hadn’t noticed, you can visit the site and click on the camera bag to find out.

Villard De Lans, originally uploaded by LightAsMagic.

My first experience of the French countryside was a fast paced hike through the high mountain meadows of Villard De Lans as I raced to see the finish of my first stage of the Tour de France. This was also the first stage that Lance Armstrong won in the 2004 Tour de France. LA went on to win the remaining decisive stages and complete his record breaking 6th consecutive TDF win. He would go on to win the Tour again the following year.

After we had witnessed the beginning of a historic record breaking TDF we hiked back down from the ski village where the stage had ended to eat dinner with thousands of our closest French friends. What a time! It was on this descent that the crazy cycling fan in me had subsided and I was able to experience the beauty that was surrounding me. The TDF is the most scenic sports event on earth. I suggest to everyone that you visit France and let the race be your guide.

Camera: Nikon D1X (yep, you read it right!)
Lens: Nikon 20mm 2.8