Paul S. Bartholomew Photography » Travel Photography

Provins, France

Paul S. Bartholomew — Fri, 28 May 2010 22:07:56 +0000

Southeast of Paris is a great medieval city called Provins. The Earls of Champagne made the fortified city their capital during the 12th & 13th centuries and it was a significant place for trade. Today, it’s well preserved with rustic buildings within its walls and has scenic views of the surrounding countryside. I always find myself attracted to buildings that have such character. Perhaps character is created from the passage of time and the resulting imperfections? Maybe it’s the uniqueness of the architecture and the small details that add up? It’s almost like these structures have something to tell us considering they stood a long time in history.

To me this city is a gold mine of inspiration. Since I was using my Leica M7, I had a limited supply of film with me so I had to ration. I think it’s time to go back with a digital M9 and take photos till I black out from excitement. I started out with images of the walls that fortify the city and later visited the Tour César that has great views of all around. It’s an easy place to walk with plenty to see if you like to meander away from the primary streets to see the residences and less touristy areas. I was surprised that not many tourist were around and it was nice to take photos without distractions.

Below are photos starting with the wall fortification. The rest are scenics and door details. Keep in mind that these are 35mm film scans, I’m not entirely happy with the sharpness and color. The film got zapped in the airport during the many security checks.

Provins Wall Fortification

View From Tour César in Provins

Door Detail Shot In Provins, France

Vila Nova de Gaia

admin — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:19:36 +0000

I was going through my travel photos and came upon a collection from a trip to Portugal. It was an interesting August trip that took me from Lisbon to Porto during record heat and widespread forest fires. So much pollution was in the air from the fires that most of the scenic images have a hazy look.

More photos will be posted later but I thought these images from Vila Nova de Gaia would be interesting for people to see, especially if you like Port wine. Many think that Port wine is from Porto but almost. It’s actually aged across the Douro River in a city called Vila Nova de Gaia. The Port wine is kept in lodges for aging but the vineyards are located up the river. This first photo shows Port boats that bring the barrels of wine down the Douro River. You can see the hazy sky from the forest fires in the region.

Vila Nova de Gaia Port Boats

This next photo is a panoramic view from Vila Nova de Gaia of the city of Porto which is the old capital of Portugal. I was using a Leica M7 and decided to experiment by taking 12 vertical photos using a standard 50mm. By using a low distortion standard lens and using vertical format I was able to stitch the images together in Photoshop with less issues. These were film scans and before the stitching feature was available so everything was done the hard way by carefully overlapping and blending. The image shown here is actually a cropped version because the original is so long that it would be very difficult to see any detail of Porto. Not like it’s easy to see detail in this version too but it’s better. The original panoramic is 60″ long by 12″ high and I made a really nice print to that scale.

Panoramic of Porto From Vila Nova de Gaia

This last scene was really neat to watch. These boys were jumping off the bridge you see in each photo. A bit crazy but they attracted a crowd and did it over and over so people would give them more Euros.

Vila Nova de Gaia Bridge Divers

D-Day Landings at Normandy

admin — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:36:45 +0000

It’s been years since I had the opportunity to visit the D-Day landing sites in Normandy. I was there for the 60th anniversary and here we are at the 65th. It was a sobering experience. We see the films and photos and we read about the events of what happened here, but seeing the beaches where so many died and the cemetery where they rest brings great appreciation and respect for the events that happened during such a crucial time in history.

I gathered a collection of images from my visit. It was an overcast and rainy day which was only fitting considering the weather conditions during June 6th 1944.

Maine Lighthouse

admin — Mon, 25 May 2009 01:32:58 +0000

Just came back from a trip to Maine, it was mostly for visiting my wife’s French Acadian relatives but I managed some photography time. On our way back to Pennsylvania we stopped by the Portland area for early morning photos of a lighthouse called Portland Head Light. It’s in Fort Williams Park and I highly suggest visiting if in the area. Great view of the ocean and rocks along the shore.

Lighthouse - Portland Head Light in Maine

Leica Le Nezlong Wine Glass

admin — Sun, 03 May 2009 21:46:11 +0000

This is somewhat photography related and will mostly interest the Leica enthusiasts. I was going through my rediculous collection of wines glasses mostly to find matching pairs because I broke a lot of them and found my Leica wine glass. My first trip to Burgundy, France was courtesy of Leica and they were very generous to have Le Nezlong wine glasses made for everyone who attended Leica Akademie. This is a very unique wine glass not because of the Leica logo but because of the design. The notch in the side of the glass is to aerate the wine. The idea is to use this glass with wine 8 years and younger which are considered young. Now I just need to find some more of these glasses so I have a matching set. I’ll cry if I break this one.

Leica Glass Le Nezlong

A Place Less Traveled – Dole France

admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:59:29 +0000

Dole, France is a place that not many people know and I think is a must see if your looking for places off the beaten path. It’s the birthplace of Louis Pasteur and is located in the France-Comté region not far from the well known Burgundy region.

Architectural View of the Church in Dole, France

I find the city incredible with so much to offer to the visual senses. To an architectural photographer who loves old structures with character, this is heaven. The first image shown is a selective cityscape with the church. Upon arrival, the church was the very first place I explored. It’s in the center of the city and it often has a market with some interesting activity. The church is open to the public and is truly impressive, especially with it’s tall slender windows. From what I gathered it’s gothic style and was built in the 16th century. I’m finding it difficult to gather much info on the church. If you go inside, don’t let the beggar trick you into paying the admission fee.

As mentioned in some past posts I like to meander and get lost. The city is great in the morning light and shows off great textures and rustic character. Some of the alleys are narrow and once in a while you can get a peak into some sort of private courtyard. Below is a photo I captured in an alley and I just love the shadows. This was taken with a Leica R9 film camera system and I’d like to go back with the digital. As I find with any Leica lens, the details gathered in the shadows are remarkable considering I was expecting much harsher results.

Alley in Dole, France in morning light.

Here is a detail view of a doorstep. I just love how the top step in the doorway is worn down and the morning light is spotty all over the scene.

Detail of a Doorstep in Dole, France.

I hope everyone enjoys the photos and if you ever have the chance check out Dole and the nearby villages be sure to check out the cheese. I like the Morbier.