Oradour-Sur-Glane - WWII Village

MattyW

MattyW

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Matty
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Paid a trip to this very interesting village in France recently. It has been left as a memorial to the inhabitants of the village who were massacred in 1944 by the German Army.
It was a tough day for shooting, with really bright sunshine and harsh shadows, and despite getting locked in the village at 6pm, it was still too bright to get the sort of shots I had hoped for.
I've opted for what I consider a period feel in processing these. I think it helps with the harsh light, and I feel it suited the subject quite well too.
I don't do a lot of this sort of photography, so would welcome any C&C on either the shots or the processing.

More info on the village at http://www.oradour.info/

1) The Burned Car of Dr Desourteaux
Oradour-3.jpg


2) Tramlines running through an empty Street
Oradour-7.jpg


3) Dead Citroen
Oradour-10.jpg


4) The remains of a Pram in the Church
Oradour-9.jpg


5) Different Angle on the Drs Car
Oradour-2.jpg


6) Shadows in the Street
Oradour-11.jpg


A few more shots posted on my blog, linked below if anyone is interested.
Cheers

Matty
 
Nice shots Matty, visited there about 5 years ago, very thought prevoking and a little eerie.

Like the sepia shots but wonder what some in B&W would look like, excellent stuff as usual :)

Cheers,
Graeme
 
Cheers Graeme,
I haven't tried anything other than a straight B/W conversion in Lightroom, which I wasn't happy with. I'll have a look at some in SilverFX and see if I can conjure up anything worthwhile.
Cheers mate
Matty
 
good collection there Matty..evoking the horror of waste which war brings and taken in unsympathetic tonality...

cheers
geof
 
Cheers Geof,
As mentioned, it was tough lighting to shoot in, but I feel the pp treatment was as sympathetic to the subject as I could manage!
Matty
 
Hi, Nice set of shots, the sepia toning really works well on these.
 
I really like your shots and the tone really suits the location. I have visited Oradour sur Glane many times while writing my book, One Day in Oradour (A&C Black, ISBN 978-1408182017) and we originally tried a sepia shot on the front cover. In the end we added a touch of colour here and there and I am really pleased with the result. The shot was of the only schoolchild to escape from the massacre that day - seven-year-old Roger Godfrin - and it really moved me when I first saw it. The way the poor lad, now an orphan, is standing among the rubble of his former home. So sad. In fact it was that shot which inspired me to write the book and he is the character upon whom my fictional character of Alfred is based.
You can see more details at http://www.astonhilleditorial.co.uk/index.php?id=15
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm happy that despite the harsh sunlight, some of the shots work well for people.
Interested to hear about the schoolboy who escaped. I hadn't read about that until you mentioned it. It's definitely an interesting story, and like a lot of other people, I hadn't really heard of the village until researching the area prior to my trip.
Thanks again for the feedback!
Matty
 
Lovely shots. I visited there a few years back. You've really captured the feel an tone of the remains very well.
 
shieldz said:
Great set. It is a story that I didn't know about. I have just spent the last 2 hours looking at the website and reading the story. Very sad indeed and I think your images represent the feeling well.
Click to expand...

Thanks - It's a really sad story that surrounds the place. I definitely feel that a real gloomy overcast day would have suited the buildings more. Glad you found it of interest to read up on the story. I found it quite engaging, and learning a little more about the backstory definitely enhanced my visit to the village more.
Cheers
 
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