Montmarte' in Paris - a walk amongst the artists

Montmarte' in Paris - a walk amongst the artists, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

Having spent a bit of time in Paris over the years during a few various trips there, I didn't really take the time to wander this remote area called Montmarte' till last summer. Set up on the hill near the Sacre Couer that overlooks this city of light, its certainly worth trecking up there for an evening if you can. A great night usually begins with a bottle of wine and some local cheese while enjoying an incredible sunset from the steps of this cathedral. The tableaux vivant of street performers, travelers, and the like are a great theatrical feast while the Parisain skyline serves as its scenic backdrop. After this "living french" experience, the procession then continues to any one of the various street cafes or quant restaurants just a few enjoyable steps away. While it can feel a bit touristy, the trick is to wander away from the crowds and immerse yourself in ths wonderful area, like the famous artists Salvador Dalí, Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, and Pablo Picasso must have done.

Late night reflections in Paris

Late night reflections in Paris, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

Dance is the only art in which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made. - Ted Shawn

My little reflection this evening is about art and the need to express yourself. Too often, modern society tends to place little importance on the arts. Not always of course, but the older I get, the more I see how that basic need to express yourself tends to get put way back on the burner for pursuits of money. Art being beaten out of the student to make way for skills to earn a living. Make more money to drive the economy, to buy more stuff, to keep the cycle going. Kind of maddening at times don't ya think? Guess I'm going off on a bit of a tangent here aren't I?

I guess my point is, keep it all in check. Balance it out. You know, its funny. We all pick up the crayons and express ourselves as kids, but somehow those artistic qualities that we are ALL born with become suppressed in that mad pursuit called life. I guess its easy to see why the enrollment in the art clubs, photography workshops, and dance classes is heavily populated by the over 40 crowd. Kind of a calling to get back to something of heartfelt meaning.

After seeing the look in the eyes of my little one this evening.....expressing herself in dance in her very first show....I am reminded of something that is so important. Support the pursuit of passion, for its not all about having the eyes on the prize, its about savoring the journey.....and expressing yourself along the way.

Oh, by the way, thats exactly what drew me into the streets of Paris here from the late hours of the evening and into the wee hours of the morning. Don't be afraid to explore your art and passion along your journey!

A wet evening stroll in Buenne, France

A wet evening stroll in Buenne, France, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

I had a lot of strange looks as I explored the wet streets of Buenne on this particular evening. Rain, and lots of it, so of course I thought "reflections!" None the less, I still had a lot of "what in the hell is this guy doing out in the rain" looks.

The hardest part about my wet outing in the cute little French village was how to keep the constant spray of that bulbous 14-24mm Nikon lense. Have ya seen that thing?! That things like a magnet for water!

I decided not to fight the color temperature of the city's architectural lighting as I processed this one. Like a post from a couple of days ago, I also used a bit of texture to bring about a little interest to the sky and some of the architecture. I kinda like it :)

In the wine caves

In the wine caves, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

To get away from one's working environment is, in a sense, to get away from one's self; and this is often the chief advantage of travel and change. ~Charles Horton Cooley

I've been quite fortunate to have traveled this great world for both pleasure and for work. Although tonight's post is from one of those carefree explorations of Europe that I love so much, my focus now is gearing up for a pretty cool trip up ahead. I must say, its always rewarding when a client decides to trek our team out of the country, and although the Bahamas is a quick 1 hour hop across the Atlantic pond, its still kinda cool!

Tomorrow will be a bit of a packing, gathering, and a last minute collection of clothes, camera gear, and computer gear for a 1 week destination wedding that we are lighting in the Caribbean. As I did on the last event, I will try to blog a bit as we progress thru the setup and complete the events. I am sure we are in for a few challenges on this one, but thats what we look forward to. Check back soon for more fun :)

A bit of tasting in the Wine Celler - Beunne, France

A bit of tasting in the Wine Celler - Beunne, France, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

I must admit, I'm one of those types that absolutely loves a great glass of wine, but has no real interest in the research that one might take to really understand the art of the product. I just don't have the time. So although I have no idea what I am tasting, that surely should not stop me from exploring the great cellars in France, right? This place in a town called Beunne was really sweet. Barrels placed throughout the various rooms in this dark and cavernous cellar had bottles placed atop with candles to add a bit of ambience. Very cool indeed! The result? As there were not too many tourists there at the time, I received a fantastic lesson and kind of a private sampling of a few "special" wines. And yes, all this before lunch LOL!

An evening in Montmarte, Paris

An evening in Montmarte, Paris, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

There are many places that just seem to have that "I'm in the center of it all" feeling. You know, like you are at the point in which all around seem to gravitate to. This is one of those places. Montmarte' in Paris. This place has long been the hangout of artists and musicians, and although it can feel a bit touristy at times, its still a great place to explore.

And, for the musical journey.......

End of the day in the Cote' D'Azur

End of the day in the Cote' D'Azur, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

I absolutely love train travel! For me, some of the best tracks around are the ones that trace the coast of the Mediterranean. Here in the South of France or specifically....the Cote D'Azure, there are endless little pockets of goodness to explore about. Yummy! Pick a train, pick a random stop, and go!

And on a totally unrelated note....I got chickens...lotsa chickens! I paid a little surprise visit to one of my newly acquired rental properties today and took a peak around back at one of the units and .... well...there was this cage, with what appeared to be about 5 or 6 chickens. Actually, looked like mix of roosters and hens, very strange non the less.

So, now that were rambling here a bit, here's something even more unrelated.....

Just a quick clip of a pretty cool "fire effect" we created for an event this evening. Worked out pretty cool actually. As always, my rock star crew helped make it all possible.. Thanks everyone!

Now, what to do about those chickens........hmmmm......

(more on all this later.....)

An evening on the Seine in Paris - and a really cool project from Pat Metheny

An evening on the Seine in Paris, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

I've always been fascinated with artistic pioneers. Those who plunge forward with a vision of their art, reguardless of the critiques, naysayers, and acceptence of the masses. When in Paris, of course, its hard not to feel and embrace the the presence of the early masters of impressionism.

Similarly, a musician I have followed for sometime now and a pioneer in his own right was my inspiration as I worked on this image tonight. Check out his new creation below!

Waiting on a train in Avignon

Waiting on a train in Avignon, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

The power of lavender.....

I had never bumbled about this part of France until last year. Provence. Great food, incredible wine, lavender fields, rolling vistas....there must be something to this place to have attracted many of the great artists and writers, and I wanted to find out.

While researching this area before I left, wonderful images of vast lavender fields seemed to dominate the collections. How silly of me to realize that they are in full bloom in the early summer...of course after I arrived in September!

My idea for tonight's image and post was sparked by a little routine that my daughter and I go thru. As is always the case when she is with me, out little ritual before her bedtime consists of using a little lavender pillow spray that I bought for her while in this region. She loves to spray this just before I read to her at night. Just before we dive into the story of the evening, we both lie there and breath in the scent a few times and clear our thoughts. What a great time of the day!

Anyway, just a silly little insight to tonight's search for the image. Hope you find you own ritual to share with your loved ones!

Alley in Montmartre' - Paris, France

Alley in Montmartre' - Paris, France, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

We all have our reasons for working. Sure there's the obvious reasons for basic necessities, but my drive for deeper success is fueled with additional desires. One of my many many reasons is to feed my appetite for wanderlust. I am lucky to have a career that allows me this down time to reward myself. Quite the contrast to the day to day requirements of running a business and utilizing the entrepreneurial spirit, but a nice contrast. As I opened my Lightroom folder of images ready to post, I was reminded of that carefree feeling that I occasionally allow myself to experience.

Whilst wandering about Paris this summer, my wanderlust spirit fond me up till the wee hours of most of my evenings capturing my perspective of the City of Lights.

Up in Ez

Up in Ez, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

While taking a little while to explore some of the smaller villages of the Cote de Azur in the South of France, I happened to stumble upon this little town called Ez. Well, I didn't really stumble upon it, as it was a couple thousand feet above sea level. I was a little disappointed in this side trip only because I was in search of that little out of the way village that time forgot. You know, cobbled stone streets, laundry hanging out in the Mediterranean air, the smell of bread baking coming out of a small window where an older lady was preparing the evenings meal, weathered frenchmen sitting on a bench talking about life. As the bus let us off at the base of the steep climb up to the walled in village, the trinket shops were a dead give away that I was on the road to sheer disappointment if I didn't correct my course. So, as the crowd headed into the walled old city of overpriced souvenirs and tourist commerce at its worst, I bee-lined it for an off the beaten path excursion. You know, I have never given my final resting place a 2nd thought (well, perhaps as I was wheezing for air on the steep climb with the heavy camera backpack on, it may have crossed my mind), but somehow, this calm and peaceful view overlooking these Mediterranean hills seemed to feel like an ok place to take that eternal nap.

Waiting on a train in the South of France

Waiting on a train in the South of France, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Seems like my posts run the gammat from where is Mike today to "Family Guy flashback meets Episode of Lost."

(Good Lord, what did that even mean?)

hahaha....aaaanyway......

My long days here on headset at the conference I am lighting has me spending a bit of time processing a few images and catching up on some real estate investment online classes. I know, a strange mix I am indeed. Very strange.... By the way, the producer thinks I am working on his show on the Mac Book so it's our little secret.....shhhhh....

As far as the image, while exploring a bit of the South of France in the summer, after a nice dinner, I was lucky to catch the very last train heading back to my village. I was also lucky to catch this almost deserted station with my Nikon and sticks. I could spend a lifetime photographing the train stations of Europe. Hey, there's another one for the bucket list!

And as far as the Family Guy, check out this hilarious video clip!

A stop in the tunnel on the way to the port - Somewhere in the South of France

A stop in the tunnel on the way to the port - Somewhere in the South of France, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

As I walked down those stairs you see on the left thru this cool labyrinth of tunnels and passage ways on my way to the beach, I just had to stop and do a double take at what I was missing. What was the rush? Wow, look at all those details waiting to be captured. I have always appreciated the beauty of decay throughout Europe. For me, its a perspective. Its all in how you look at it. For instance, take right now. I was supposed to be in Austin by now, and most likely, would have been trekking about the city of Austin with Trey from Stuck in Customs. Having said that, the sushi is pretty good here at "One flew South" at the Atlanta airport! If you are ever stranded here for 4 hours like me, pay them a visit. Sometimes its not so bad having a flight delay :)

The Louvre at night (and reflecting on the art of colaboration)

The Louvre at night (and reflecting on the art of colaboration), originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Collaboration.......a sharing of ideas, techniques, and vision.....all focused on a common goal. In this case, the goal is part of an artistic journey I have been on for a while. Creating what I like to refer to as art, or at the very least, my creative view of the world around me, has been a fun ride to be on over the last couple of years. HDR processing is often called a modern day form of Impressionism. Without getting into a long and drawn out history of the Impressionistic movement in Nineteen Century France , its very interesting to note the similarities between todays acceptance of modern day HDR processing techniques and the critiques view of early masters of this similar French painting technique. Artists such as Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Degas fought this and pursued their passion and dedication, while sharing their art with each other....in collaboration.

Having said all that, its is no wonder that I am looking forward to heading out to Austin this weekend to spend a little time with Trey Ratcliff from Stuck in Customs. He has been quite a pioneer in this modern day art and has been quite an open teacher to to anyone interested in this form of expression. His workshop, the first he has every held, has purposely been kept at a very intimate size as to create a kind of synergy. When he first announced it, his servers actually crashed for about 30 minutes! I must say, I am quite honored to be part of this groundbreaking event. As did the early French artists, I look forward to collaborating with a few other modern day rebels as we pursue our craft!

Of course, his site is www.stuckincustoms.com

More to come...

Boat in the harbour in Honfleur, France

Boat in the harbour in Honfleur, France, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Kind of a departure from my usual style of upload here. Not that it really matters, but I think I was experimenting with Corel Painter (for all you digital darkroom cats out there). I say that cause its been hanging out in the upload file for a while...too long actually. I don't really love it, but its a nice soothing image for me as about 15 minutes ago, I was wondering what the PC desktop would have looked like had I actually dropped in out the window from the 6th floor condo that I live in. Yeah, that hard drive was spinning, gurgling, skeegan, and whining, while doing only God knows what. I mean, all I wanted to do was turn it off! Sometimes I look over and look at that read/write light blinking and wonder "what in the f**k are you doing!!!" I must say, its nice to come into the other room to the Mac. It never seems to be off doing some other "computing" that I didn't ask it to. Its always just there for ya and ready to rock!

Geeeeeeez, what kinda tangent was that? Good grief!

Anyway, this image is just another example of what can be done in post with the arsenal of tools at our disposal. Corel Painter, indeed, a program I hope to experiment with a bit more in the future. (on my trusty and dependable little Macbook Pro and Wacom tablet of course!)

Up to Montmartre' - Paris, France

Up to Montmartre' - Paris, France, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

I've often heard a few critiques talk about HDR photography as if its a fad. Hmmm, yeah, just like the impressionistic paintings in France were originally seen as. The only difference in todays internet age is how this fast this new look has spread. A passing fad? No, I think not. A technique that artists of the future will continue to explore, create with, and expand......you bet. I'd lay a nice size stack of cash on that one. There is no one that understands that more that the HDR guru himself, Mr. Trey Ratcliff from Stuck in Customs.

Check out his stuff at: www.stuckincustoms.com/2009/12/06/where-the-impressionist...

And while I'm chatting a bit about artists...and specifically about art it Paris.....here is a little clip of the one and only Jami Cullum jammin to a cut off his new album in, .......well,...... Paris!

Look what I found!

Look what I found!, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

I don't care how many times I visit this incredible city, the desire to wander about the grounds at the Eiffel Tower (or Tour Eiffel as its known over there) never diminishes. I haven't scene it yet, but according to PLSN (a local trade publication for the lighting industry), this famous monument in Paris has been lit since October with more than 400 LED fixtures to mark its 120 year anniversary. I can only hope that the programming has been done tastefully. I am sure, being French, that restraint has been coupled with elegant style. The last thing the world needs, in my humble opinion, is another beacon of illumination slapping rather haphazardly thru the visible spectrum of light like a cheap imported souvenir! I'm just say'in.........

A walk around Antibes in the South of France

A walk around Antibes in the South of France, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Wandering the port town of Antibes in the South of France, I found myself in one of those "not a care in the world" moments. Hopping on and off the train that day, I had a purpose, albeit a simple one at that.....to capture the color and texture of this part of the world. I must admit, its nice to give yourself that freedom now and then. To just slow down, with no agenda, and get to know a new place. I guess the real trick is to embrace every day in life with that same vision. Finding those opportunities in the hectic pace of life can sometimes be a challenge, but they are worth fighting for!

A Morning at the Harbour in Villefrance, France.

A Morning at the Harbour in Villefrance, France., originally uploaded by Photomike07.

By the time I arrived to explore this little port just East of Nice in the South of France, the fisherman had long been back in port and cleaning their catch of the day. As far back as my days bumbling around the Greek Islands, I have always wanted to hitch a ride with one of these ole' salty dogs and head out before sunrise to witness their life for a day. Actually, how fun would it be to bumble about the globe, with only a back pack and a camera or 2 to document the world? People at work, everyday life, the pulse of humanity, ....... without a care in the world? I have always found the concept of the documentary fascinating actually (if done well). Swoop in, get absorbed in another perspective of the world as seen by someone else, live it for a while, capture it, share it, and move on. I know, dreaming again...... :)

The lights at night in Honfleur

The lights at night in Honfleur, originally uploaded by Photomike07.

Wow, with all the images I have for upload, not sure why I chose this one. I guess after last night, my memory of this location hit a cord with me. Honfleur Harbor on the West coast of France in Normandy, a location I hope to explore again someday soon!

I must say, that although I love HDR techniques and what it can do to an image, I am a little over it. Although I have quite a few ready to post that I intend to upload sooner or later, its nice to take a break from it. If you have followed my images so far, you might agree.

Sometimes, in my quest to capture the essence of a scene or location, I tend to get a little bit hung up of the dynamic range and what I can create in post. Sure, there becomes an art to it in post, but sometimes the real reason you were drawn to the scene gets lost in that translation. For this image, it was all about the movement, the quiet moment of the couple, and the reflections of light in this serene French harbor. My hope is that you can feel it as well......