NICE GIX JAN 2014 114 - Hotel Negresco in the rain
When we are on a trip I usually take a backup camera and photos as well, In Nice the Canon G1X was mainly used in the first three, very wet days. I can keep the smaller camera dry in a pocket and quickly use it and put it away. These photos are of the same places as those taken later with the 5D but in entirely different conditions, dull, wet and in the dark – the umbrella photos! I had good fun grabbing shots in the dark on the streets, shops, diners, waiters, people with their heads down and brollys up as the rain came down. The Cote d’Azur is milky white, I guess due to the colour of the water that enters the sea from the two rivers. The rivers were carrying a fair volume down from the mountains and it was just like milk in colour. There was a distinct line in the sea, azure and milky white, were the two met but didn’t mix immediately. The streets wet and reflecting the lights, the rooftop photos saturated with colour due to being wet.
We had our January break in Nice this year. This is our combined Christmas and Jayne’s birthday present, which suits me as I can ignore Christmas and no presents to buy. A good result all round. We knew that the weather was forecast to be bad for at least three days which was a bit depressing but there’s nothing you can do about it. We flew from Liverpool, a nice little airport, landed in heavy rain – and it rained almost non-stop for three days. South East France suffered flooding, landslips, airlifts – and deaths! Home from home. Despite having walking gear, waterproofs etc., I had to buy an umbrella. I have never seen as many people with umbrellas, even the young lads had them. They are obviously used to rain – but without the wind to rip the brolly to shreds.
Nice has a pebble beach, the sea was rough on arrival but what we realised later, was that the pebbles were three foot deep on top of the concrete bases that the hotels across the road have bars, settees and tables set up on. For a couple of days tracked Bobcats moved hundreds of tonnes on pebbles, later in the week there were carpets and immaculately laid tables set out on the beach every day, even in January. Every day people swam in the sea and in some cases sunbathed. The temperature peaked at 15C but with the lack of wind it was pleasant, at times though it was cold and snow appeared overnight on the distant mountains, the beginning of the Southern Alps I think.
We walked over 90 miles in seven days and for three days in pouring rain, weighing up the photo possibilities, with the intentions of going back when the weather picked up. On Monday, day four, things improved, on Tuesday and Wednesday it was gorgeous, Thursday was duller. If we had had better weather we would have visited Cannes and Monaco etc. but as it was we stayed within walking distance of Nice. We walked up Castle Hill ( Colline du Chateau) several times in different weather, likewise Mont Boron and Mont Alban. The views were stunning. A peninsula below us was Cap Ferrat and we had an epic day out there, over twenty miles including the 14 Km path around the entire peninsula – the second most expensive place in the world to buy a home apparently. The gates on the driveway would cost more than a small house in Huddersfield. A beautiful place though.
We went to the old Town (Vieux Nice), Cimiez, Villefranche-sur-Mer, the fantastic Russian Cathedral, Pretty much everywhere it was worth walking in the time we had. We walked from 8.30 am until 8.30 pm with barstops for a glass or two of French wine – got to keep it civilised! I had a pretty heavy backpack on with my camera gear and waterproofs etc.
All in all we had a great time but! I made a big mistake, I inadvertently put an 8 Gb CF card back in my camera, formatted it - without checking what was on it – and put another 250 photos on it. I realised when I got home that there was a problem. These photos were the best of the trip, Our second visit to the Russian Cathedral, it was closed the first time, in stunning light, and no crowds. I spotted a giant Cumulonimbus over the snow covered mountains, just as the sun was setting and turning it pink and orange. It was similar to the one I photographed at home recently, A photo of which was on the BBC weather coincidentally. I couldn’t believe my luck, the only way I could get a view of it was by taking a ride on the giant Ferris wheel nearby. We ran to it and they took us around five times, each time I fired away and got some fantastic photos – all gone! At the time I was extremely disappointed but you have to put these things in perspective – it’s nobody’s life. We were there for a break and a change of scenery and we got it, the photos make the trip for me but I still have a thousand great photos, there might have to be a next time though.
For more about Mark@jbschofieldandsons and the history of the company and its vehicles follow the link www.jbschofieldandsons.co.uk/
NICE GIX JAN 2014 114 - Hotel Negresco in the rain
When we are on a trip I usually take a backup camera and photos as well, In Nice the Canon G1X was mainly used in the first three, very wet days. I can keep the smaller camera dry in a pocket and quickly use it and put it away. These photos are of the same places as those taken later with the 5D but in entirely different conditions, dull, wet and in the dark – the umbrella photos! I had good fun grabbing shots in the dark on the streets, shops, diners, waiters, people with their heads down and brollys up as the rain came down. The Cote d’Azur is milky white, I guess due to the colour of the water that enters the sea from the two rivers. The rivers were carrying a fair volume down from the mountains and it was just like milk in colour. There was a distinct line in the sea, azure and milky white, were the two met but didn’t mix immediately. The streets wet and reflecting the lights, the rooftop photos saturated with colour due to being wet.
We had our January break in Nice this year. This is our combined Christmas and Jayne’s birthday present, which suits me as I can ignore Christmas and no presents to buy. A good result all round. We knew that the weather was forecast to be bad for at least three days which was a bit depressing but there’s nothing you can do about it. We flew from Liverpool, a nice little airport, landed in heavy rain – and it rained almost non-stop for three days. South East France suffered flooding, landslips, airlifts – and deaths! Home from home. Despite having walking gear, waterproofs etc., I had to buy an umbrella. I have never seen as many people with umbrellas, even the young lads had them. They are obviously used to rain – but without the wind to rip the brolly to shreds.
Nice has a pebble beach, the sea was rough on arrival but what we realised later, was that the pebbles were three foot deep on top of the concrete bases that the hotels across the road have bars, settees and tables set up on. For a couple of days tracked Bobcats moved hundreds of tonnes on pebbles, later in the week there were carpets and immaculately laid tables set out on the beach every day, even in January. Every day people swam in the sea and in some cases sunbathed. The temperature peaked at 15C but with the lack of wind it was pleasant, at times though it was cold and snow appeared overnight on the distant mountains, the beginning of the Southern Alps I think.
We walked over 90 miles in seven days and for three days in pouring rain, weighing up the photo possibilities, with the intentions of going back when the weather picked up. On Monday, day four, things improved, on Tuesday and Wednesday it was gorgeous, Thursday was duller. If we had had better weather we would have visited Cannes and Monaco etc. but as it was we stayed within walking distance of Nice. We walked up Castle Hill ( Colline du Chateau) several times in different weather, likewise Mont Boron and Mont Alban. The views were stunning. A peninsula below us was Cap Ferrat and we had an epic day out there, over twenty miles including the 14 Km path around the entire peninsula – the second most expensive place in the world to buy a home apparently. The gates on the driveway would cost more than a small house in Huddersfield. A beautiful place though.
We went to the old Town (Vieux Nice), Cimiez, Villefranche-sur-Mer, the fantastic Russian Cathedral, Pretty much everywhere it was worth walking in the time we had. We walked from 8.30 am until 8.30 pm with barstops for a glass or two of French wine – got to keep it civilised! I had a pretty heavy backpack on with my camera gear and waterproofs etc.
All in all we had a great time but! I made a big mistake, I inadvertently put an 8 Gb CF card back in my camera, formatted it - without checking what was on it – and put another 250 photos on it. I realised when I got home that there was a problem. These photos were the best of the trip, Our second visit to the Russian Cathedral, it was closed the first time, in stunning light, and no crowds. I spotted a giant Cumulonimbus over the snow covered mountains, just as the sun was setting and turning it pink and orange. It was similar to the one I photographed at home recently, A photo of which was on the BBC weather coincidentally. I couldn’t believe my luck, the only way I could get a view of it was by taking a ride on the giant Ferris wheel nearby. We ran to it and they took us around five times, each time I fired away and got some fantastic photos – all gone! At the time I was extremely disappointed but you have to put these things in perspective – it’s nobody’s life. We were there for a break and a change of scenery and we got it, the photos make the trip for me but I still have a thousand great photos, there might have to be a next time though.
For more about Mark@jbschofieldandsons and the history of the company and its vehicles follow the link www.jbschofieldandsons.co.uk/