Exploring France - latest vlogs

Very very appreciated!

I managed to get a couple more done. On Friday I did one but not entirely happy with it. Still, it can always be done again.

Currently in the UK. Self isolating. Missing dessert!!! Haven't eaten dessert since Saturday evening at the airport. Behind my father's house is a petrol station where I know I can get dessert but it's not worth sneaking out.

Entering into the UK was interesting. NO ONE bothered to check I had filled out the passenger locator form!!!
 
I have a feeling the form is linked electronically to your passport - I hope it is - otherwise that's criminally negligent. Same for us earlier in the year.
 
What I was expecting was someone on the passport gate making sure I'd filled in. No one. Only shown to the automatic gates where my passport was scanned.

Negligent? Yes! I've read various news reports though that others have noted the same.

But honestly looking outside I'm not missing anything. The weather is cold and miserable here in Salisbury so at least, for the moment, I'm not missing anything!!!
 
ancient_mariner said:
You're not missing much at all, and no change for a few days AFAIK. Hope the quarantine isn't too hard to endure - 14 days? Or do you get less for a negative test?
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14 days quarantine. Is it a pain? Yes! But again today the weather is pretty dismal so not much is being missed!
 
Afternoon all.

My latest vlog from my home city of Salisbury in southern England. A city which is known for its stunning cathedral as well as the water meadows made famous by John Constable.

But the sad reality is that this is a vlog that shouldn’t be. I am not supposed to here at all as my travel back home after a sad family occasion has seen having to stay in the UK for an extra 3 weeks.

As I write this I am wondering if the restrictions being introduced this evening are going to stop me getting back to France for even longer.

But in any case, I hope that you enjoy a look at my old home. The stunning cathedral and hopefully when this all stops it’ll give you some ideas to get your own shots of the city.

 
Good to 'see' you again, Julian - sorry you're stuck here, although your loss is our gain.

Nice views. I spent a couple of days in Salisbury 5 or 6 years ago, doing some training at Porton. The one morning I could get out to take pictures it was frosty like that, but I'd not had a chance to research or wander to find good angles. Never the less, the cathedral was lovely in the moring light.

Hope you can get back OK with the new higher level lockdown.

Just had a quick dig for one of the pictures, taken from the garden of the hotel I stayed in, if you don't think it's too cheeky posting my stuff in your thread.
Salisbury Cathedral-03671.jpg
 
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Thanks for that! I have had my PCR test today and so now the waiting game starts. I MUST fly within 72 hours of that test so hopefully at 1130am on Friday France beckons.

There is no reason that I should be denied boarding on the plane. I'm no longer a UK resident and I am a resident of France. Hopefully there will be no issues at the border :)

No problems on posting the image. The angle looks to be Grasmere House Hotel in Harnham. I haven't been there in a while.

The town path is absolutely worth going to if you get an opportunity. But you do need the conditions to really make it shine.

This morning I was out again. I wasn't going to do a vlog but did. However I did wait 2.5 hours to get the image needed to illustrate it. And it was FREEZING on the hillside but worth it.
 
Julian Elliott said:
The angle looks to be Grasmere House Hotel in Harnham.
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Right first time. I'd forgotten the name of the place (run down & scruffy inside with worn out furniture) but their garden was nice. I did also take pictures the night before in the frost from much closer to the church, but they're not especially admirable either.

Well done for getting out - hope the return flights come together OK and you can actually travel. We used to regularly drive from north Oxfordshire to Biarritz, but now I'm less young, flying seems a much better idea!
 
Filmed before my escape from the UK and just before the current lockdown that’s in place over there.
Now, I wasn’t going to film anything. I just went out to capture Salisbury cathedral at dawn. But I ended up waiting 2.5 hours for the light to be in the right place as a bank of cloud hid the sun for a while.

But patience paid off. Here’s what I’m thinking before I take a long lens shot of the landscape/ cityscape.

 
Latest vlog is up. Probably not what people might be expect but it’s just been the most atrocious weather this week here in central France.

Last year I was getting up two vlogs a week but with the workload that I have it is not sustainable. So as of now that is going to be a vlog a week which is far more manageable.

There is some amazing news coming soon on a piece of work I’m being asked to undertake. Some you’ll see and some not. But in any case here’s what I was going to entitle “my worst vlog ever

 
Latest vlog is up. A return to one of the beautiful castles that line the area known as the Loire Valley.

After last week’s bad weather it was a welcome change to get a beautiful morning in the Loire. The only difficulty I had was getting into the park by the side of the castle.

In any case, here’s this week video

 
That was a lovely first location, Julian. As for the second, I kept wanting to go & shoot the semi-sunken boat that was behind you. ;)

I am intrigued by your dislike of including branches etc at the edges of your image - in the first location it seemed *to me* that you could have got more of the bridge to the castle nicely framed at the edge with shrubbery.
 
ancient_mariner said:
That was a lovely first location, Julian. As for the second, I kept wanting to go & shoot the semi-sunken boat that was behind you. ;)

I am intrigued by your dislike of including branches etc at the edges of your image - in the first location it seemed *to me* that you could have got more of the bridge to the castle nicely framed at the edge with shrubbery.
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Thanks for that Toni!

The sunken boat has made a few appearances already in my vlogs ;) It's literally 5 minutes down the road with me.

The trees. I got a better picture at the end of summer last year at the same castle. I can't remember though if I put it in the vlog.
 
Hi Julien,
I have just seen your thread, Don't know if you remember me but I live in the Southeast of France. I'll spend a few hours to look through your blog vids in this coming week, they do look interesting. Here there is not too much to photograph imo unless me and the Mrs decide a trip to the Alps is in order,even better if there is snow.
 
Graham said:
Hi Julien,
I have just seen your thread, Don't know if you remember me but I live in the Southeast of France. I'll spend a few hours to look through your blog vids in this coming week, they do look interesting. Here there is not too much to photograph imo unless me and the Mrs decide a trip to the Alps is in order,even better if there is snow.
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Morning Graham

Thank for the interest. I'm unsure if I remember you. I meet a lot of people when I'm on my travels. Remind me again :)
 
Julian Elliott said:
Morning Graham

Thank for the interest. I'm unsure if I remember you. I meet a lot of people when I'm on my travels. Remind me again :)
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Haha, i was not clear, we have chatted on here and not in person. Maybe 2 years ago minimum.
 
Graham said:
Haha, i was not clear, we have chatted on here and not in person. Maybe 2 years ago minimum.
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Ah, that explains things :D It's difficult to keep track at times ;) 2 years ago is a lifetime Graham. Well, it is for me and I have a memory like a goldfish at times!!! So forgive me on that.

However, if you're following me on YouTube then do comment as then it'll remind me. There's some regulars that comment which is always good and I try my best to reply to everyone :)
 
Here in central France the weather has been pretty dreadful of late. And it doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon either!

So what can you do? Well how about getting out there and embracing the dim and dismal. Are there subject you can do? Of course but I do prefer “certain” types of bad weather when it comes to photography.

 
Chasing the weather seems to be one those things that we do as travel and landscape photographers. Last Sunday was no different here in central France.

My main aim of the day was to capture the sunrise in Chinon which I did. It was a beautiful morning out there and you’ll see what happened.

After the main event I went off and discovered a few different places. Not necessarily in the Loire Valley but certainly close by.

 
The latest vlog is up. Not the Loire Valley but further south in the department of Indre.

France has many departments that just don’t get onto people’s radars. It’s a good thing and a bad thing. Good as it’s not inundated with tourists but bad as they aren’t getting to see some beautiful corners of the country.

The department of Indre is part of central France. A very rural area but also beautiful with some hidden gems.

 
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Afternoon all.
Late this week uploading my YouTube vlog as I’ve been busy with other things.

Earlier on during this week I went back down to the department of Indre. I wanted to discover and see more of it. I still have much more to do but I’m leaving it a few weeks before going back again.

I was extremely lucky to meet the owners of the castle that is the front cover. To be invited in and shown around was fantastic.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Great to see inside Sarzy Julian. Just one thing - in the video the drone footage was very jerky, with one frame every 10-15 seconds.
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Good, it's not just me then! I have no idea why it's doing that. The footage I got is great. It must be something going in Premiere...
 
Evening all.

I’m a little late publishing this week’s vlog on central France but it’s been a hectic week.

So did you all know there are two river valleys in central France called Loir and Loire. The former is the lesser known one as it isn’t protected by UNESCO like its bigger sister.

The department of Loir-et-Cher has a number of sites to visit if you start digging around. Ruined castles; painted churches and Gothic architecture masterpieces.

 
This week’s episode of Landscape Photography Exploring France is coming to you from the department of Haute Vienne in south central France.


The department has far too much to do in a single day or even a few days. But you can at least get a feel for what this place has such as rolling hills; a stunning cathedral in the city of Limoges and castles.

So sit back, relax and take in what I had the time to vlog.

 
Nice set of interior pics. (y) Need to watch levels on the background music (or use limiting/compression) to prevent distortion on the louder sections like here.

Thanks for showing us a bit of the oat vienne. ;)
 
Julian what is that music you used in the Cathedral interiors it does work very well in that type of video.
 
ancient_mariner said:
Nice set of interior pics. (y) Need to watch levels on the background music (or use limiting/compression) to prevent distortion on the louder sections like here.

Thanks for showing us a bit of the oat vienne. ;)
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Alors, tu veux tester mon français toi ;) Vraiment! Je sais que j'ai un petit accent anglais mais c'est pas aussi grave que ça!!!

Thanks Toni. It's noted on the music and you weren't the only one ;) Limoges cathedral is stunning and I got real lucky being allowed up high.
 
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