Shopping street in Perigueux

This juxtaposition of two unrelated items of street furniture in a shopping street in Perigueux can raise a smile.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Raise a smile

Lens-Artist Challenge: Asymmetry

Last week’s challenge was all about symmetry, so it’s quite logical that this time we should consider asymmetry.

I featured an image from Albi cathedral last week and I’m staying there this time. I was struck by what I saw in one of the many side chapels that line the nave. The only natural illumination comes from that stained glass window, but there are two electric lights shining on to that suspended dove. They cast a very striking – and asymmetric – shadow.

Lens-Artists Challenge 274: Asymmetry

Cellpic Sunday: A shrouded altar

The old church in the town of Chabanais is currently undergoing some interior repairs, but it was still a bit of a shock to see the crucifix on the altar covered in a shroud.

Cellpic Sunday 5 November 2023

The road to Montpoupon

CWWC 2 November 2023

Lens-Artists Challenge: Symmetry

This is the organ of the cathedral in Albi, in southern France – never knowingly understated, in terms of either scale or symmetry.

Lens-Artists Challenge: Symmetry

If you ever need a bayleaf

We have two laurel bushes growing in our garden. If you ever meed a bayleaf….or ten.

Last on the card October 2023

A new generation

As usual, I don’t know what this is called, but I was struck by the juxtaposition – in the same pot – of the group of mature flowers and the ‘next generation’ of buds.

CMMC 1 November 2023

Zen Garden

This restful Zen garden can be found in the Japanese Garden in the city of Toulouse.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Sticks and stones

The Penitent

As you can probably tell by the name this blog goes under, I’ve got a keen interest in photography and some of the kit to prove the old adage “all the gear, no idea”.

However, I’m sure that I’m not alone in finding that, these days, the vast majority of the photos I take are captured not on a digital SLR but a smartphone (in my case an iPhone 14 Pro Max). The built-in camera produces results that, in all but the most specialised situations, are just as good as I can get from my old D800 and It’s certainly a much more convenient size. And you can shoot in RAW, which is a huge plus.

All of which is a roundabout way of saying that I thought I might start playing along with the ‘Cellpic Sunday’ challenge hosted by John Steiner.

So here is my first contribution: a carving of a penitent monk that is on display in the Treasury of the massive cathedral at Albi, in southern France.

Apart from a little cropping, darkening the background and bringing up the texture (all done in Lightroom Classic), it’s pretty much as shot.

Cellpic Sunday 29 October 2023

The street market

Our local village traditionally holds a ‘vide grenier’ (literally ’empty the barn’ – in other words a car boot or yard sale) on the first Sunday in October.

In past years this has been held on a patch of grass known as ‘Le Camping’, although nobody’s ever actually camped there. Given the time of year, this has often been churned up into a quagmire and it has rained throughout..

More recently, though, the practice has been to close off the main street and hold it ‘en bourg’. This year, the weather was kind and there was a big turnout. Still mostly tat on sale, though.

And yes, there’s a beer tent.

CWWC 26 October 2023