Vince Lupo
Whatever
Came back a couple of weeks ago from our 13 day trip to France. Landed at de Gaulle, got our car, then went to Anet (near Giverny), then down to Blois, Limoges, Oradour-sur-Glane, Dijon, Cheverny, over to Strasbourg, Senlis, then back to the airport and a flight home.
There are over 200 shots in this set, and many are 'tourist' shots. But there may be one or two gems in there somewhere....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/direction-one-inc/6241395165/in/set-72157627762872375/lightbox/
There are over 200 shots in this set, and many are 'tourist' shots. But there may be one or two gems in there somewhere....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/direction-one-inc/6241395165/in/set-72157627762872375/lightbox/
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Forgot to mention....
All shot with my M9, plus a 50/2 Summicron (older one from the '80s), 35/1.7 Voigtlander, 21/4 Voigtlanter, 90/2.8 Elmarit.
All shot with my M9, plus a 50/2 Summicron (older one from the '80s), 35/1.7 Voigtlander, 21/4 Voigtlanter, 90/2.8 Elmarit.
leica M2 fan
Veteran
Indeed, Vince, there are quite a few gems. All in all, I enjoyed the photos and they didn't seem to me to be tourist snaps but fun shots with a lot of thought. Your M9 worked very well for you with those lenses.
ironhorse
Joe DuPont
Vince......these are far too well-composed and executed to be classified as simple tourist shots. Nice work. Looks like it was a great trip.
jky
Well-known
Enjoyed the photos, Vince. A couple things:
1. liked the minimalism and form in some of the shots.
2. you've just awakened the travel bug in me.
Thanks for sharing the pics.
1. liked the minimalism and form in some of the shots.
2. you've just awakened the travel bug in me.
Thanks for sharing the pics.
Mr_Flibble
In Tabulas Argenteas Refero
Love'm Vince! Don't sell yourself short! There's more then one or two gems in there...4 or 5 maybe 
Seriously though. Some great pictures. And some of the ones from Oradour are quite haunting. I really do need to go there myself one of these days.
Thanks for sharing!
Seriously though. Some great pictures. And some of the ones from Oradour are quite haunting. I really do need to go there myself one of these days.
Thanks for sharing!
MV72
Marc VERRIERE
Many very good photos indeed. Looks like you've enjoyed the food in between interesting visits as well. That's the way to do it !
bigeye
Well-known
Nice work. A sophisticated, attractive catalog of your travels.
(I would tightly edit the very best from this into a second catalog. The original for the Accidental Tourist, the other for more universal viewing.)
- Charlie
.
(I would tightly edit the very best from this into a second catalog. The original for the Accidental Tourist, the other for more universal viewing.)
- Charlie
.
Michael Markey
Veteran
I enjoyed that so much Vince that I was late getting away this morning
Pics of Oradur -sur-glane are frequently featured at camera clubs in the Uk but yours are some of the best that I`ve seen.
Pics of Oradur -sur-glane are frequently featured at camera clubs in the Uk but yours are some of the best that I`ve seen.
Last edited by a moderator:
Thardy
Veteran
For lack of time I could only view just a few, but I liked what I saw.
How well do you speak French? If not well, was language a problem in the areas you visited?
Thanks for sharing.
How well do you speak French? If not well, was language a problem in the areas you visited?
Thanks for sharing.
Leigh Youdale
Well-known
A lot of very interesting and well-lit shots there. Thanks for sharing them.
Stephen G
Well-known
got some great ones in there!
btgc
Veteran
Yes, one or two shots....I advanced sooner than others. Liked a lot, thank you for sharing.
zauhar
Veteran
I agree with Tony, not tourist shots at all. Many beautiful and well-executed pictures.
Randy
Randy
Don Parsons
Well-known
Great Shots Vince. Really get a feel for "Old France."
Where was the castle that they illuminated at night? I was there in 1980.
don
Where was the castle that they illuminated at night? I was there in 1980.
don
tjh
Well-known
Very pleasant to view and a number that I went back to for a longer look. You did a great job.
It was fun to guess what lens you used. I tend to use 35mm or wider on trips like yours so the use of a 50mm on some showed me an interesting perspective that I don't usually get.
Tom
It was fun to guess what lens you used. I tend to use 35mm or wider on trips like yours so the use of a 50mm on some showed me an interesting perspective that I don't usually get.
Tom
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Thanks for the feedback guys. Many interesting comments and suggestions. Charlie, I think that's a good idea to do a tight edit of the 'good' shots (and get rid of the ones of us feasting and drinking, etc!) that may have a wider appeal. Maybe I'll do that today.''
The 50 Summicron was probably my 'default' lens for the most part, followed closely by the 35, then the 21, and finally the 90.
I think I spoke French for about 80% of the trip -- being Canadian, I took French for about 14 years, though living in Toronto never was really immersed in a French environment. So it was never really a problem. When we were in the Strasbourg area, I passed some of the speaking duties to my wife, as she is fluent in German.
Oradour is unreal -- quite sobering of course. The fact that an entire village was wiped out, and then left more or less as-is as a memorial has to be seen to be believed. I first became aware of Oradour from the 'World at War' series from the 1970's (Laurence Olivier narrated). The opening scene in episode 1 is of Oradour.
The illuminated castle is in Blois -- it's one of those 'Son et Lumieres' events that happen in various cities in France. My wife had been interested in seeing one of them, and this one happened to be on the Saturday we were going to be in that area. It was okay, but I had a bit of a time understanding all they were saying in the voiceover. Likely would have enjoyed it more if my French comprehension was a bit better.
Interesting that as I was going through the photos, I forgot about all the places we did in fact visit -- I completely forgot about Vichy and Lyon! And the one place that we found very interesting, Senlis, we discovered on our last day, and we had to catch an afternoon flight. Ah well, next trip I suppose.
The M9 performed great, though it did develop a number of dust marks on the sensor, and had to buy a little blower en route (I ended up sending the camera to Leica to get cleaned, and just got it back this week -- no charge). Think I had two guys during the entire trip ask about the camera.
For me France is best seen in black and white, so the few colour shots might be a bit jarring. Plus, the predominantly cloudy weather worked great for me, and gave that 'all-day' light that I tend to like.
I do wish that I had more people shots, but quite honestly didn't feel like being the aggressive photojournalist -- we were on vacation, after all! However, I did miss one shot that would have been a good one -- we were in Senlis, and something happened in front of us. I instinctively grabbed the camera, pressed the button and....nothing! I hadn't used the camera for about 10 minutes, and the camera went into 'power saver' mode. The first press of the button 'woke' it up, and by the time I pressed the button the second time to take the shot, the moment had already passed. Would have gotten the shot with my M2! If I had the 'Auto Power Off' in the 'Off' position, would the camera have behaved differently???
I'll try to do a tighter edit today, and create a separate album in Flickr. Many thanks for all the responses!
The 50 Summicron was probably my 'default' lens for the most part, followed closely by the 35, then the 21, and finally the 90.
I think I spoke French for about 80% of the trip -- being Canadian, I took French for about 14 years, though living in Toronto never was really immersed in a French environment. So it was never really a problem. When we were in the Strasbourg area, I passed some of the speaking duties to my wife, as she is fluent in German.
Oradour is unreal -- quite sobering of course. The fact that an entire village was wiped out, and then left more or less as-is as a memorial has to be seen to be believed. I first became aware of Oradour from the 'World at War' series from the 1970's (Laurence Olivier narrated). The opening scene in episode 1 is of Oradour.
The illuminated castle is in Blois -- it's one of those 'Son et Lumieres' events that happen in various cities in France. My wife had been interested in seeing one of them, and this one happened to be on the Saturday we were going to be in that area. It was okay, but I had a bit of a time understanding all they were saying in the voiceover. Likely would have enjoyed it more if my French comprehension was a bit better.
Interesting that as I was going through the photos, I forgot about all the places we did in fact visit -- I completely forgot about Vichy and Lyon! And the one place that we found very interesting, Senlis, we discovered on our last day, and we had to catch an afternoon flight. Ah well, next trip I suppose.
The M9 performed great, though it did develop a number of dust marks on the sensor, and had to buy a little blower en route (I ended up sending the camera to Leica to get cleaned, and just got it back this week -- no charge). Think I had two guys during the entire trip ask about the camera.
For me France is best seen in black and white, so the few colour shots might be a bit jarring. Plus, the predominantly cloudy weather worked great for me, and gave that 'all-day' light that I tend to like.
I do wish that I had more people shots, but quite honestly didn't feel like being the aggressive photojournalist -- we were on vacation, after all! However, I did miss one shot that would have been a good one -- we were in Senlis, and something happened in front of us. I instinctively grabbed the camera, pressed the button and....nothing! I hadn't used the camera for about 10 minutes, and the camera went into 'power saver' mode. The first press of the button 'woke' it up, and by the time I pressed the button the second time to take the shot, the moment had already passed. Would have gotten the shot with my M2! If I had the 'Auto Power Off' in the 'Off' position, would the camera have behaved differently???
I'll try to do a tighter edit today, and create a separate album in Flickr. Many thanks for all the responses!
grahamule
grahamule
Vince,
Just echoing what others have said: this is a great set.
However, I want to say that what makes it great for me is that you got the "tourist shots" as you call them but did so in a very nice way. When I go on vacation, there is a conflict between wanting to get the family memories and tourist shots of the vacation, and the photographer that wants quality work. These two things do not usually coincide, but you showed that the overlap can be quite a large one indeed when executed well. I am inspired for my next trip and hope to use some of what I have learned looking at your (unedited!) set to get "quality photographs" as well as quality "tourist shots" or "vacation memories".
Just echoing what others have said: this is a great set.
However, I want to say that what makes it great for me is that you got the "tourist shots" as you call them but did so in a very nice way. When I go on vacation, there is a conflict between wanting to get the family memories and tourist shots of the vacation, and the photographer that wants quality work. These two things do not usually coincide, but you showed that the overlap can be quite a large one indeed when executed well. I am inspired for my next trip and hope to use some of what I have learned looking at your (unedited!) set to get "quality photographs" as well as quality "tourist shots" or "vacation memories".
Snowbuzz
Well-known
These pictures are wonderful!
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Eating -- and don't forget that drinking too!
Think I had foie gras 5 times, lobster once, steak-frites once, moules and frites once, innumerable baked goods, cheeses, and wine....well don't get me started.
Think I had foie gras 5 times, lobster once, steak-frites once, moules and frites once, innumerable baked goods, cheeses, and wine....well don't get me started.