CHATILLON-SUR-CHALARONNE

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 1100

The charming medieval town of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, a floral town with a 4-flower rating and winner of the National Floral Grand Prix, contains wonderful heritage buildings. These include picturesque timber-framed houses, a 17th-century wooden market hall, the gate of Villars, the Church of Saint-André in the flamboyant gothic style, Saint Vincent de Paul House, and the relics of the old castle. The floral bridges and riverbanks of the Chalaronne are ideal for a leisurely stroll. A traditional market full of local produce takes place every Saturday morning in the covered market at Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne. The market even has an organ grinder.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/200th of a second and an aperture of F5.6. Schneider Kreuznach 45 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

CHATILLON-SUR-CHALARONNE

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 1099

The charming medieval town of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, a floral town with a 4-flower rating and winner of the National Floral Grand Prix, contains wonderful heritage buildings. These include picturesque timber-framed houses, a 17th-century wooden market hall, the gate of Villars, the Church of Saint-André in the flamboyant gothic style, Saint Vincent de Paul House, and the relics of the old castle. The floral bridges and riverbanks of the Chalaronne are ideal for a leisurely stroll. A traditional market full of local produce takes place every Saturday morning in the covered market at Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne. The market even has an organ grinder.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 1600. Exposure of 1/200th of a second and an aperture of F5.6. Schneider Kreuznach 45 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

CHATILLON-SUR-CHALARONNE

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 1098

The charming medieval town of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, a floral town with a 4-flower rating and winner of the National Floral Grand Prix, contains wonderful heritage buildings. These include picturesque timber-framed houses, a 17th-century wooden market hall, the gate of Villars, the Church of Saint-André in the flamboyant gothic style, Saint Vincent de Paul House, and the relics of the old castle. The floral bridges and riverbanks of the Chalaronne are ideal for a leisurely stroll. A traditional market full of local produce takes place every Saturday morning in the covered market at Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne. The market even has an organ grinder.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/640th of a second and an aperture of F5.6. Schneider Kreuznach 45 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

THE COL DE L’ISERAN

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 1093

The Col de l'Iseran (el. 2,764 metres (9,068 ft)) is a mountain pass in France, the highest paved pass in the Alps. It is situated in the department of Savoie, near the border with Italy. The pass is part of the Route des Grandes Alpes. It connects the valley of the Isère (Tarentaise) and the valley of the Arc River (Maurienne) between Val-d'Isère in the north and Bonneval-sur-Arc in the south. The north side of the pass road is well built with a number of galleries and tunnels, with a maximum grade of 12 percent. The pass has been used five times on the Tour de France since 1947. After the crossing proved consistently difficult, the tour ignored the Col de L'Iseran in recent years but made another attempt with much fanfare in 2019. Again, the crossing was abandoned through bad weather and the high point of the tour was omitted.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 50. Exposure of 1/250th of a second and an aperture of F8. Schneider Kreuznach 80 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

BONNEVAL-SUR-ARC

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 1092

This authentic and typically Savoyard village, the highest of the Maurienne region, has charming old stone houses with slate roofs and wooden balconies. Bonneval-sur-Arc is also a village ski resort. The village is just below the Col de L'Iseran, the highest paved pass in Europe.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/125th of a second and an aperture of F7.1. Schneider Kreuznach 80 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

BONNEVAL-SUR-ARC

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 1091

This authentic and typically Savoyard village, the highest of the Maurienne region, has charming old stone houses with slate roofs and wooden balconies. Bonneval-sur-Arc is also a village ski resort. The village is just below the Col de L'Iseran, the highest paved pass in Europe.

Atticus captured this house, not because it is typical, but because it is extraordinary. Too many photographers in this region seek to extrapolate the ordinary from the exceptional. Very few houses near Mont Blanc go to such floral exuberance.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 50. Exposure of 1/25th of a second and an aperture of F14. Schneider Kreuznach 80 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

WILDFLOWERS

COTI-CHIAVARI, CORSICA, FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 962

Wildflower season is particularly beautiful on Corsica. Tender pink, yellow, and white colors paint the island slopes when the wildflowers bloom. At this time the Corsican air is filled with a strong floral perfume. It is said that in Spring ancient mariners could sense their proximity to the island from the perfume in the air.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/13th of a second and an aperture of f22. Schneider Kreuznach 80 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

COTI-CHIAVARI

CORSICA, FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 953

Coti-Chiavari is a small village located on the southern bank of the Gulf of Ajaccio, in Corse-du-Sud, on the peninsula of Capu di Muru. It offers some of the most beautiful beaches in Corsica and is surrounded by mountains and forests. Like so many small villages in France, the town hall abuts the war memorial. The town hall and memorial in Coti-Chiavare are poignant.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 50. Exposure of 1/6th of a second and an aperture of f16. Schneider Kreuznach 45 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

FOCH SQUARE

AJACCIO, CORSICA

IMAGE NUMBER 952

Surrounded by a row of stately palm trees, Place Maréchal-Foch in Ajaccio is easily recognizable by its fountain of four Corsican granite lions encircling a commanding statue of Napoléon, the island's most famous son. Popular as a spot to people-watch on a sunny day, this triangle is surrounded by cafés and opens up to the Ajaccio port. At weekends the square is devoted to a market. This image was shot from the window of Atticus' apartment on the first floor of a 300 year old building.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/500th of a second and an aperture of f7.1. Schneider Kreuznach 45 mm lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

LES CALANCHES

CORSICA, FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 951a

Snaking south from Porto to Piana in the north west of Corsica, the coast road through the Calanches is one of the most dramatic in Europe, an almost surreal landscape of wind-eroded granite cliffs that drop vertically into the deep indigo of the gulf. The cliffs are red, pink, russet and honey, carved into precipitous pinnacles by the elements and up to 300 metres above the sea in some places.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/80th of a second and an aperture of f8. Schneider Kreuznach 45 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

LES CALANCHES

CORSICA, FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 951

Snaking south from Porto to Piana in the north west of Corsica, the coast road through the Calanches is one of the most dramatic in Europe, an almost surreal landscape of wind-eroded granite cliffs that drop vertically into the deep indigo of the gulf. The cliffs are red, pink, russet and honey, carved into precipitous pinnacles by the elements and up to 300 metres above the sea in some places.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/80th of a second and an aperture of f8. Schneider Kreuznach 45 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

TENDE

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 948

Tende is a small town perched on the side of a hill in the Alpes-Maritimes department of south-east Provence, about 80 kilometres inland from the the French Riviera and in the mountains close to the border with Italy. Interestingly it was only in 1947 that the town passed from Italy to France.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 50. Exposure of 1/40th of a second and an aperture of f8. Schneider Kreuznach 45 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

CATALONIAN VILLAGE

SOUTHERN FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 758 and 758a

The Catalonian independence movement, centred on Barcelona, has a passionate following among Catalan speakers, but possibly less than 40% of the population.  The movement extends into southern France, much to the chagrin of the French Government in Paris.  Along the French/Spanish border in Eastern France, Catalan flags show in most villages with little prospect of success.

TECHNICAL NOTES

image Number 758 (top)

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/40th of a second and at aperture f11. 80 mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.

Image Number 758a (below)

The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/225th of a second and at aperture f7.1. 150 mm Schneider Kreuznach telephoto lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.

CATALONIAN VILLAGE

SOUTHERN FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 757

The Catalonian independence movement, centred on Barcelona, has a passionate following among Catalan speakers, but possibly less than 40% of the population.  The movement extends into southern France, much to the chagrin of the French Government in Paris.  Along the French/Spanish border in Eastern France, Catalan flags show in most villages with little prospect of success.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/200th of a second and at aperture f5.6. 80 mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.

CARCASSONNE FROM THE PLAIN

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 756

Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department of France.  The city is famous for the Cité de Carcassonne, a medieval fortress restored by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in 1853 and added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.  The fortified city itself consists essentially of a concentric design of two outer walls with 53 towers and barbicans to prevent attack by siege engines. The castle itself possesses its own drawbridge and ditch leading to a central keep. The walls consist of towers built over a long period.  

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/250th of a second and at aperture f5.6. 150 mm Schneider Kreuznach telephoto lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.

 

MINERVE

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 754a

Minerve is a picturesque village 25 kilometres north-west of Narbonne in Languedoc-Roussillon, that is classed as one of the 'most beautiful villages of France'.   The fortified medieval village, with many of the fortifications still in place, is perched on a naturally defended rocky peninsula high above a canyon in the barren Languedoc landscape - Minerve is above the gorge carved by the River Cesse before it disappears underground intoa natural tunnel.  

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/275th of a second and at aperture f5.6. 80 mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.

MINERVE

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 754

Minerve is a picturesque village 25 kilometres north-west of Narbonne in Languedoc-Roussillon, that is classed as one of the 'most beautiful villages of France'.   The fortified medieval village, with many of the fortifications still in place, is perched on a naturally defended rocky peninsula high above a canyon in the barren Languedoc landscape - Minerve is above the gorge carved by the River Cesse before it disappears underground intoa natural tunnel.  

TECHNICAL DETAILS

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/500th of a second and at aperture f7.1. 150 mm Schneider Kreuznach telephoto lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.

FONTFROIDE ABBEY

FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 753 (top)  & 753a (below)

The Cistercian Abbey of Fontfroide was founded in 1145, and became one of the most important and richest Cistercian abbeys in France.  It is 20klm from Carcassonne.  The abbey fell into decay following the Plague of 1348.  It was subsequently run by noblemen who were given the title of Abbots without being monks.  They added various luxuries which make parts of the abbey look more like a château than a Cistercian abbey.   A wealthy local family bought the ruins early last century and spent years restoring the abbey.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 4/5thd of a second and an aperture of f4.5.  28 mm Schneider Kreuznach wide angle lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.