Photographing France -- wishlist

[rachelle_m.]

Hi all,

 

So I've recently moved to France and I'm virtually overwhelmed by how much of it

is so photogenic. I've been trying to plan an itinerary for the upcoming year

of places I'd like to visit and photograph, and there's a lot the guidebooks

don't tell what photographers really want to know. So I'd like to know, from

those of you who live here or have travelled here, about the places you'd

recommend to a fellow photographer in terms of a photographic wishlist of places

to visit and photograph. I'm a bit of a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to

photography -- I like photographing landscapes, cityscenes, historic sites and

buildings, festivals, and I'm working on my people photography. If I had to

choose, I'd say I'm more of a landscape photographer than anything else, which

is why I'm interested in the best time to photograph certain areas, which of

course may be several times a year. Since I live here I am not limited by

'tourist' time constraints (other than the time I can get away from work) and

thus can hopefully get to see as much of it as I can in the next year or two.

 

Anyway, I'd appreciate hearing about different areas at different times of year,

and of any interesting festivals or events (big or small) that people can

recommend. Also, if there are any particular websites that would be useful in

terms of information (again, from a photographer's standpoint), I'd appreciate

knowing about them as well.

 

Cheers!

[pjmeade]

Hello Rachelle, I started photographing France back in 1975, I spend a couple of weeks a year there and still feel as though I'm only scratching the surface.

 

You will get lots of tips, but mine is get a copy of a book called "The Most Beautiful Villages of France".

 

There are some France folders in my portfolio.

 

Pete

[steve_unsworth1]

Rachelle, I've always gone for the 'stumbling across places' approach. Find an area you want to visit and then travel in it using the D roads.

 

I have the book mentioned by Peter, but to be honest I found the photographs less than inspiring. Most are of the 'Velvia' type shot at dawn or sunset to give warm lighting - nothing wrong with that, but I would have prefered something a little different from time to time. Also it seems that most of the villages have a population of zero :-). However for a list of pretty villages it is useful.

 

You can't really go wrong, you are living in one of the most varied countries in the world from a photographic point of view.

[joe tarrant]

Paris. Lots and lots and lots of Paris. But also...

 

<P>Point du Raz, Brittany, at sunset. Arles. The south side of lake Geneva. Jura Mts. The

Lion of Belfort. Grand Canyon de Verdun (biggest on Earth, apart from that one in the

States). Events, like the Tour de France and Bastille Day in Paris. TGVs and Eurostars

screaming past at 200mph. Kids on scooters on the Champs Elysses at midnight. Cute

black French policewomen (one smiled at me for an instant once in the yard at les

Invalides - made my whole day). Photograph the spirit of the country where you can. You

rarely have to go far in France.

[yann1]

If you like castles, good food and wine, you should definitely go to Touraine and see the Chateaux de la Loire. A week there is the minimum time required

Brittany is very big, go to St Malo first, Vannes is also beautiful.

Lonely Planet guide is good (not as good as it used to be though).

Personally I have mixed feelings about the south...

[gungajim]

A few things come to mind. I find that Michilein publications for France are very useful. There Green Guides don't have restaurant and lodging information but are filled with history and architectural info that provide inspiration for photos. Likewise, if you have a vehicle, their regional maps are invaluable in helping you explore backroads. Two of the big department stores near the Opera (their names escape me at the moment)have cafes on their top floors that provide stunning views of the rooftops of Paris. Finally, I think that visitors tend to ignore the area NE of Paris (Amiens/Lille to Colmar/Mulhouse/Strasbourg). They are all close to Paris and provide good photo ops. Carasonne (sp?) is a medieval masterpiece the area around Orange has some interesting Roman sites. Have fun. I envy you.

[wilsontsoi]

IMHO, <a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=343263">Paris</a> is always a good place to start regardless of your photographic genre. That city will keep you occupied for a long while. Then, slowy work your way out toward the Loire, Brittany, and down south toward Carcasonne, Nice, etc., and back up through the Alsace.

[rachelle_m.]

Hi everyone

 

Thanks -- I'm not in Paris but I hope to make it there at least once a month as long as I'm here. I'm currently in Nancy which means plenty of opportunities to explore the north-east, but the south and west will have to wait for longer vacation periods. I guess one can't go wrong in such a beautiful country such as France, it's just tough choosing where to go and when. Thanks again for all the suggestions.

 

Cheers.

[kahkityoong]

Hi I have travelled in Europe quite a lot and find that the small towns are most rewarding. However, Paris is just amazing, a wealth of photographic opportunities. You can spend weeks there just soaking in the atmosphere and food without doing anything touristy and still be amazed. For landscapes and small towns, Provence and Gascony are my top recommendations. My top 'unspoilt' towns are Collonges-la-Rouge

& Sarlat.

[alberto_c]

Near Nancy you have Strasbourg (beautiful town), Dijon, Beaune and Jura (architecture and rural landscapes), Reims (cathedral, and you shouldn't miss a visit to a Champagne cellar in Epernay). Alsace-Lorraine and Rhin area have fantastic landscapes (mountains of the Vosges)...

 

Anyway, I can't imagine a random location in France in which I wouldn't shoot like a fool. From my experience, summer in Normandie can be annoying (I met a white thin layer of cloud covering the sky), but you can enjoy architectural opportunities (and of course a place with a strong historical meaning).

[herman_hiel]

Rachelle,

besides everything that has been said: go South! You'll find small roads, beautiful houses, sleepy villages, nice cities (Arles, Beaune, Avignon...) and the weather is nice. Don't miss out on the Provence. Enjoy.

[bonsignore_ezio]

The canyon is called Verdon. However if you are not a climber or at least a serious hiker you may as well spare the trip because the areas you can reach by car or gentle walking are not that spectacular. If you look for Verdun you will end up in a city that was the site of one of the blodiest battles in WW1 but is not exactly a photographer's dream.

 

As you mentioned working on people, I should perhaps mention just in case you have not already noticed it, France has an increasingly large population of Arabic descent. Some areas (i.e. in Paris or Marseille) are already effectively Muslim cities, with all that entails. I don't intend to make derogatory racial or religious remarks, but you must be aware that snapping photos of people in the streets in these areas may cause unpleasant reactions, particularly if women are involved.

[pico_digoliardi]

I going to suggest the not-pretty sights such as Verdun. It has been forty years since I was there, but at that time the battlefields were grown over, but still littered with shards of helmets and unexploded ordinance. In the hills of the area and as far away toward Metz you can find labor intensive stone forts built into the hills, tunnels all through them. And you must photograph the floors of the Metz train station - millions of small tiles with what became the swastika later.

[frédéric]

Hello everyone,

 

There are so many things to photograph that you may want to select a particular subject, region etc... There things to photograph for all tastes. As said earlier no need to travel far away from major towns, distances are relatively small compared to other countries (US, Australia...).

 

Castels : there many castles in every single "departement" (administrative division, there are 95 "departements" in France), from the middle age to the late 19th century.

Best place for castel, due to concentration and material used (white soft stone) in the Loire Valley : Chamborg, Chenonceau, Azay-le-Rideau etc...

One of my favorite, 1H driving north of Paris is the hidden castel of Pierrefond.

 

Monuments : Paris would concentrated most well known monument, no real need to go elsewhere.

 

Gastronomy : the quality and variety of food is very high througout France. Some area have there own traditional food and quite a different way of life: most known places are Alsace (far east of France) and south west (Dordogne, Perigord). You can also go to Lille (2 or 3h driving from Paris) in the far north and visit the old town.

 

Wine : Bordeaux area (south west), Loire Valley (center), Bourgogne (center east) and Alsace (far east)are the most famous areas. Landscape in automne is splendid.

 

By the sea : France sea areas are very well preserved from the building thanks to the "Conservatoire du Littoral" a public organisation that buy land to preserve them from being built. Bretany (Far west), and French Riviera (south east) are major spots very different.

 

Mountain : the Alpes (center east) and the Pyrenee (south west) are the highest mountains perfect for ski in the winter and hicking in summer.

 

I suggest you find a theme to photograph. You will still find a bit of everything to shoot in every region.

 

Frederic

 

www.paysagesdunord.com

[cjogo]

I have a extensive collection from all over France --- not much color for view ( does not sell well in my market) --mainly B&W. Lots of very long exposures of night architecture --- 120 film cameras --Hassy SWC >> wide angle <p>http://www.redshift.com/~cjogo/Fine%20Art/index.html