Raging and splashing water in St-Jean Cap Ferrat

Taking a photography break.. to photograph!

After more than 3 weeks without my regular photo trips on Mondays, it was a pure pleasure to meet up with my peers and share again this passion for photography. But don’t get me wrong, it’s not that photography was out of my life for 3 weeks. It’s actually the opposite. I’m working on a project I have been planning for years literally, and finally decided to move things forward at warp speed. I’ll have more to tell about this in a couple weeks. It’s keeping me busy a lot but it’s very exciting. Mentally draining too, and that’s why going back to shooting for a whole day again was much needed.

The Mediterranean Sea, and nothing less

We had many options for this short get away, but the rain prevented us to spend our time in St-Jean Cap Ferrat last time (It was pouring rain and we had to cancel the day altogether. It was the first time we had to do this, but when the thunder is rumbling and the light is striking, one has to play it safe and say.. Rain Check!), so we decided to head in that direction. Also, I needed some fresh air, nature, wide open area and quietness. After a day there I can say our choice was totally appropriate. It was my first time there, although I had already walked some portions of the Sentier des Douaniers near Cap d’Ail and also in Presqu’île de Giens. Of course, all these spots do share something called.. The Mediterranean Sea! What a setup for a walk and for photography. There is something for everybody, any photography style you prefer, any physical condition you have, whatever pace you like to have. You certainly don’t want to miss the waves splashing on the rocks, but you’ll have to leave the trail to get closer. Might be intimidating for some, but an absolute must if you want to get closer to your subject and photograph it. Really. Just do it. Make sure you have good boots, don’t be over confident, stay prudent, but by all means walk on these huge rocks and recognize the adventurer in you. Most spots are just 20-30 meters from the path, sometimes even less, so it’s worth exploring a little bit. Actually, the best photographs I brought from St-Jean Cap Ferrat were those I had to go “off-road” and make my way through.

What’s in the bag

• Leica M (Typ 240) + spare batteries x 2
• Summicron-M 28mm, f2 ASPH
• Summilux-M 50mm, f1.4 ASPH
• Summicron-M 75mm, f1.2 ASPH
• Olympus VF-2 Electronic View Finder
• Sony RX100 + spare batteries x2
• 64GB Sandisk Extreme Pro SD cards x 3
• Glasses
• Apple iPhone 5
• Fenix PD22 flashlight
• 500ml of water
• Field notes book and pen
• Cap, gloves and rain coat (which were not used). Actually, this will change soon because although we still have awesome weather, it’s slowly becoming colder in the morning and evening. We can’t escape this : winter is coming our way folks!

Also, the bag itself changed for this trip to St-Jean Cap Ferrat. I’ve been using shoulder bags (Several weeks ago I bought a Dothebag MONO07 from Monochrom and I love it. It’s a great bag, all leather.)for quite a while now and especially with the Leica kit which takes little place. A small shoulder bag is awesome to walk around in town and going places. But after a while it gives me a hard time in the form of real pain and tension on the shoulder. The body is not well-balanced and eventually you can feel it. That’s why I also have a problem using sling bags for a long time, say a whole day. I came to the conclusion that a backpack would be a better choice for me. But only if I can find a small one that accommodates all my equipment, accessories, glasses and bottle of water. Most backpack are way to big and many of them are targeted to DSLR shooters. But I recently short listed about 5 bags that would fit my needs and the one I ended up buying is the Thule Persektiv Daypack (code TPDP101). I used it all day yesterday in St-Jean Cap Ferrat and I can confirm it was the right choice for me. This is the best backpack I had so far (and I had many), it perfectly fits my body and I barely feel its weight on my back. The quality of construction is second to none, the zippers are “sealed”, the camera compartment offers plenty of space and protection, and the top compartment has enough room for most of my stuff. I could put a rain coat, a cap, gloves, flashlight, glasses and phone easily. The straps are comfortable and well padded. All in all : a super purchase and a pleasure to use !

The picture above really is the one that stays on my mind when I think of that great day spent on the trails in St-Jean Cap Ferrat. I spent quite a lot of time there, trying to get the best possible shot, hand held and dealing with the elements. For me it’s a keeper, just like the Oyster Rock (The Oyster Rock is certainly the photograph that represent my work the most. You can find it almost everywhere on my blogs, sites and social network. But you can have a peak at it in the Portfolio) already published here on this blog as well as on my website.

You can find the whole picture set on my website at www.normandprimeauphoto.com

Good Light!

Norm

© Normand Primeau