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Camping Cars of France

January 31, 2012 by Justin 3 Comments

The Camping Cars Of France

It is that time of year again, the pro cycling season is underway. To celebrate, I thought I would share a common scene you will find if you ever decide to make your way to the Tour de France. The mountain passes are lined with thousands of RVs. Or as my European friends call them, ‘camping cars’. Fans will flock from all around Europe in these camping cars to cheer on their favorite riders. They arrive days in advance to get a good spot. It is a big party that lasts for days, and if you’re a cyclist, they will cheer for you as your ride by. You don’t know how many times a German, Belgian, or French family saved me by offering me food and water while I was out on a long ride. They just love their cyclists….even if you are a slow rider touring the countryside.

Continue for Capture/Processing Notes…

Filed Under: France, La Mongie, Nikon 45mm PC-E, Nikon D700, One Click, Tour De France, Travel

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Hermosa Beach Photo Walk

December 6, 2011 by Justin 7 Comments

I was wandering the streets of Bordeaux alone the night I made this image. The town was buzzing from the Tour de France passing through earlier in the day. Cafes were glowing and folks were chatting well into the night. It was a special day, and a fun night to be out exploring. If you show up to the photo walk we are planning, I’ll tell you a story about running into Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz at this movie theatre.

Hermosa Beach Peir To Peer Photo Walk

The When: Dec 17th @ 4:00pm (you can rsvp on Facebook if that makes things easier). If you are interested in learning a bit more about how I use Nik Software please leave a comment or email me and I will conduct a casual workshop from 3-4 at the hotel showing you how I processed the image above.

The Where:Let’s meet at the best beach hotel on the strand…The Beach House.

The What: Basically, a bunch of creative folks are going to be getting together to have some fun and photograph the Hermosa Beach Pier at sunset. Then we will photograph our way to The Shores to have dinner and drinks while listening to an acoustic set performed by reality TV show star Jett Pink (you can read his blog here). The event is totally free and open to folks of all levels and cameras of all types. That means the iPhone! I will be shooting with my iPhone. Get there early because I will be hosting an impromteau workshop on iPhone Photography. I’ll show you how you can make images these. If you are planning on bringing you iPhone, take a look at my iPhone Photography Tutorial so you can load up with the apps I use.

Either leave a comment, RSVP on Facebook, or email me to let me know if you are coming.

Sponsors And Prizes

A couple companies that really believe in supporting the photography community have kicked in some sweet prizes for those of you who attend.

Nik Software – They will be giving away a couple of copies of their iOS software Snapeed. They will also be giving away…drum roll please…..a free copy of their new Color Efex Pro 4!

ThinkTank Photo – They are going to be giving away a photo bag to one luck winner. I will also have both a Retrospective 10 and 30 for you to take a look at.

Filed Under: Bordeaux, France, Gitzo Traveler, HDR, News, Nikon 17-35 2.8 AFS, Nikon D700, Photo Walks, Travel

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The Streets Have No Names

October 26, 2011 by Justin 7 Comments

The Street Of Bordeaux France

I made this image while wandering the streets of Bordeaux on a beautiful summer night. I had no idea where I was going, simply exploring with my camera. There were illuminated street maps at a few of the corners but it was almost impossible to decipher the complexity of these medieval streets. They were built long ago without a 700yr ‘master plan’ in place. Today’s streets get us where we need to go as efficiently as possible, but city planners have sure taken the romance out of going to the grocery store. I hope to return to Bordeaux someday, simply to find out what’s around the corner.

Here a couple tries to make sense of the madness.

Continue for Capture/Processing Notes…

Filed Under: Bordeaux, France, Nik Software, Nikon 50mm 1.4 AFS, Nikon D700, Processing Notes, Travel

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At The End Of The Tunnel

September 12, 2011 by Justin 5 Comments

Thanks for all your input and votes. Europe won! I did process an image of Central America I have been meaning to get to, and I will be posting in a couple weeks. I have quite a bit planned between now and then. On to today’s image!

The circumstances of this photo can only lead to a single conclusion. Before I get to what I concluded, let me tell you the circumstances of the photo. On a drive from Lamongie to Bordeaux to watch the finish of stage 18 of the 2010 Tour de France, my dad (‘pops’) and I decided to take the back roads. It was going to add a couple hours to our drive, but how many times do you get to drive through the wine country of France. On our way, I noticed the steeple of a church off in the distance. I felt compelled to visit. So much so, we actually turned around to go. The town was deserted. When we found the church this image was made at, the door was wide open. Inside the church no one was to be found. Out of respect we took our caps off and began to explore the sanctuary. It was a beautiful church, one that had been around for centuries. I was going to make an image of the emptiness of the sanctuary, however my dad suggested I shoot the image from the mezzanine. I had no idea my father was a church architect. Anyway, as I made my way up to the mezzanine I found the mysterious stairs you see here. I knew this was the image I came to make. Months later, after processing this image, I came to one conclusion. That’s not lens flare!

Continue for Capture/Processing Notes…

Filed Under: France, Gitzo Traveler, Nik Software, Nikon 17-35 2.8 AFS, Nikon D700, Photomatix, Processing Notes, Travel

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The Final Days Of The Tour

July 20, 2011 by Justin 2 Comments

This year’s Tour is almost over and I’m not sure what I’m going to do with myself. I think my wife might be a tad bit excited to see it end. She likes the fact that I’m not a traditional sports guy. It frees up our Sundays since we don’t have to plan around the NFL. However, in July, its like I’m throwing a Super Bowl party for the entire month.

Starting Thursday July, 21st, The Tour will be won or lost in the high French Alps. If you haven’t watched it yet, make sure watch Thursday and Friday’s stages. You won’t want to miss what will be an epic battle unfolding against the backdrop of the Col du Galibier. Here is a quick TV schedule for the reader’s here in the states.

Andy…Andy…Andy!

Also, if you don’t know who to root for, root for Andy Schleck! He and is brother Frank will need all the help they can get to stave off the Attacks of Cadel Evans and Alberto Contador. Here is an image I made at last year’s TDF durning the final time trial in Bordeaux. Because of some bad luck, he lost to Alberto Contador. This year, with a little bit of luck, victory will be his!

Andy

Andy11

Chasing The Tour

If you missed it last year, or you are one of our new readers here at LightAsMagic.com, here is the movie I put together while chasing these riders around the French countryside in 2010.

Filed Under: Bordeaux, Cycling, France, Nik Software, Tour De France, Travel

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