A French Interlude

I returned to France this September. I stayed in the small but lovely village of Durfort in southern France in a house called La Cascade - named for the waterfall just across the river from the back garden.

Durfort is located between Revel and Sorèze. It borders the shores of the Sor river, which leads to Montagne Noir (the Black Mountain). It is nicknamed Cité du Cuivre (the copper city), for the prosperous copper artisan trade that exists there, in addition to artisan trades in leather, glass, basket-making and jewelry.

Durfort is home to Musée du Cuivre (the copper museum), established in 1986, to document five centuries of the local copper craft.

Following is a small assortment of photographs from my trip - all of these were taken with the iPhone 5. The camera you have with you is always the best camera.

Toulouse

Revel, Market Square

Revel, Market Square

Window sign, pastry shop

Window sign, pastry shop

Cafe, Montolieu, the Book Village

Montolieu, the Book Village

Radishes, Revel Farmer's Market

Garlic bouquet, Revel, Farmer's Market

Bread for sale, Revel, Farmer's Market

Durfort

La Cascade, Durfort

Durfort

Waterfall, La Cascade

The spirit of La Cascade

Photography by Terry Rowe. 

Your visit & comments are appreciated.

You can see my art work or photographs at www.terryrowe.photography, any photographs in my blog are available for purchase.

A Romantic, Gothic Novel of a Picture

On my first visit to Ireland I was a bit giddy (and greedy) about all the ruins and castles and ancient structures. Within an hour of landing in the country, barely a few miles from the Shannon airport, we pulled the car off the road to photograph the ruins of a castle sitting in a farmer's field.

We parked on the side of the road and walked through an open gate onto the field where the ruins stood - tall stone walls - and I was thrilled. A few quick shots and we were back on the road, letting the farm dog across the lane relax his guard against the brazen intruders and the farmer back to his plowing.

The day was bright but cloudy and drizzling (as it was for much of our visit). The stone walls dark against the bright sky. Later, much later, in the digital dark room I created the image I wanted to capture - a romantic, gothic novel of a picture.

Following is an abbreviated visual of how I got the picture I wanted to take, how I created the picture I wanted to make.

The castle ruins as photographed

The castle ruins with a more dramatic sky

Atmosphere and mood added

A bit more moodiness, a moon and some ravens.