About Annecy

 

Yesterday I watched a cooking show on TV, that is not something I would normally do but as it was about French cooking I was curious to see more and then when the presenter/chef announced that he would be in Annecy I decided to stick with it as I have just recently been sharing photos from the area.

It was nice to see the sights that I remembered from my visit as he drove along the same roads I had driven along. As the presenter sang the praises of the local produce, artisans and food I thought that my next post (this one) would focus on the town and its restaurants.

However, although I have some nice shots of the town, as I hope you will agree, they were all taken fairly early in the day so the restaurants were not open or had not yet started serving lunch and everywhere was pretty quiet, save for a few people taking a coffee break at a local bar. Given how cold it was it was surprising to find even these few people sat outside. 

Nevertheless I think these images do show what a beautiful place Annecy is and why it is worth a visit, whatever the weather.

Dining Out

 Just a few street shots from Florence.

The bustling cafes around the Piazza del Duomo are in black and white, the other shot in full colour was much quieter and catering for locals and students.

You Choose

 In my last post the colours were limited to mostly shades of blue so today I have decided to go with something much brighter and more vibrant but also to provide some balance I have used exactly the same image and edited it in black and white.

This is a street scene from the island of Burano in the Venetian lagoon. Like the main city the island is crisscrossed with little canals but by contrast there are more open spaces and the whole island has a brighter aspect with the tiny houses and shops painted in vibrant colours. It feels like a lively and welcoming place and for a photographer there is so much to see and to capture.

This was shot fairly early in the day, before the cafés and restaurants started filling up and before the main crowds of visitors arrived for the day. 

Most of the pictures I have from my visit on this occasion are full of colour and with more people too and in my opinion they look better in full colour (that is not to say I won't give some the black and white treatment) but for the picture above I think it works a little better in black and white. perhaps it is the angle from which it is taken, the buildings are not the main feature and so the row of tables and the people walking away in the background don't need the full colour, in fact the bright buildings are a bit of a distraction.

What do you think? If you have a view it would be good to hear your thoughts on this. And if you like this please look at some of my previous posts or make sure to come back to see what I post next time.

Take a break

 

There is a different pace to each of these pictures.

In the first a man is casually looking at his phone while enjoying a glass of wine at lunchtime. He is alone and unhurried, perhaps he is waiting for someone, or just delaying his return to the office, it is a lovely day after all and a few more minutes won't hurt.

In the second image there is so much happening, one woman is on her phone while her friend in the white blouse and a star tattoo on her wrist is holding back her dog as another dog walks by without its owner. People on the next table are deep in conversation but some are drawn to the dogs in case some drama develops. Meanwhile the couple sat at the open window talking to the barman who has become very animated, I wonder what has been said.

In the third image a waitress is taking a break, leant against the doorframe while customers are talking inside the café. Has the lunchtime rush just ended or is this a pause before the rush begins? What or who is she looking at, has something just happened along the street that is more interesting than going back in to work?

I like taking pictures of wildlife and landscapes, and architecture too, I like to create an image that evokes memories but as I look back through my portfolio some of the images I enjoy coming back to most are the ones that tell a story, or that I can create a story from. These images were shot during a brief stay in Venice in 2018 while on my road trip with my youngest son. We spent a lot of time walking round and people watching and every now and then I would try to capture a scene. I have lots of pictures of buildings , bridges and canals which I think are pretty good but the ones of people feel a little more unique. My last post also shows some interesting people with interesting stories too so if you have not seen that it is worth a few minutes to take a look...