Hydrophobic - Let the droplets drop
What was meant to be a short trip to Valberg in the mountain ended up being one of the most interesting and productive photo experience. From Nice, the Alps are a short drive and always offer something new to discover. At least for those who take their time to look and see. And sometimes it's all about small things, little jewels that could be easily overlooked.
On road D28 (Cianavella) there is a junction for D428 (Notre-Dame). What looks like a small trail is actually a road going to Pierlas, a small perched village in Gorges du Cians. Taking the D428 might be intimidating at first because it starts with a very (very!) narrow little bridge (Pont sur le Cians) crossing the river (Le Cians) at about 20-25 meters hight. Beautiful waterfalls can be seen from there and it's easy to stop and walk around. But passed that, it becomes a typical mountain road, large enough for one car, but with lots of area to cross vehicle coming from the other direction. Hopefully, traffic is very light there! Only a car from time to time. It will take you about 20 minutes (7 km) to get to the village, which is very quiet with less than 80 residents. But it's worth the visit for its St-Sylvestre medieval origin, chapel (Notre-Dame du Carmel), alpine houses, tunnel, etc.
Stopping the car for a view, half-way to the village, proved to be a great decision. Looking for vista, mountains and forest, my eyes were caught by leaves on the ground. They were holding droplets of water, showing gorgeous colors and whispering I was there for them, to take pictures of these little, yet ephemeral beauties. The timing was right, and so was the light. Even the smell of nature was exhilarating and calling for my attention.
This photo set is actually a project by itself because the area was so rich of opportunities. A bit of research brought me to discover that the droplets on the leaves is scientifically described as "hydrophobic effect", hence, the name of this project appropriately called "Hydrophobic - Let Droplets Drop".
For more infos about hydrophobic effect:
For more infos about Pierlas:
Good Light!
Norm
© Normand Primeau