It has been super long since I last posed anything so here is my first post of 2023, even though these are pics of 2022. These are picture of the Italian Market that happens once a month, the first week end of the month, in Cagnes sur mer, near Nice, on the French Riviera.
Very colourful, even in black and white. Excellent cold cuts and cheese, pretty good value for money.
Genuine food sellers coming from nearby italy.
Shots were done with Leica M262+Summicron 50 and Leica M6 with Summicron 35mm Asph v2 on Kodak TMY (400Iso)
My posts since July are like a pinball : London – Paris – Cannes – London – London – London – Paris – Cannes – London. There are worst things in life particularly by the time being.
I have tried many times to shot the water on pebbles and finally above is a picture I like. Probably the only picture with amazing colors.
High FLyer
This a roll of expired Portra 400 shot on the French Riviera during the Christmas season.
I missed Santa but the Christmas trees were growing very close to the sea this year. I used the faithful Leica M6 and either the Summicron 35mm Asph v2 or the Elmar 50 F3.5.
L’estérel
I found the seaside less inspiring that the city, but if you look closely there is always something to capture.
The masked gamers
Older gents playing chess with their Covid masks on or not. I generally prefer to shoot Black and White on film, as I think the digital M renders more live like colours and the picture are popping more.
The “pétanque” club
The misaligned sign of the “pétanque” club…
Or the first bathers of the year (actually not quite but they will do for today)
Nice is nice as goes the song, not too far away from Cannes, a big 30 minutes by train, and a bit more city like.
Holidays !IndividualityTopolino foreverThe Michelin Building at dusk
After leaving Paris, I travelled to my hometown of Cannes, famous for its festival, the beaches and its beautiful weather.
It did not disappoint its son. The weather was perfect, mostly bright blue skies all the time and a far warmer climate that Paris (or London).
Cannes also boasts two main harbours, filled with oversized yachts but also with fishermen’s boats as in the two pictures above showing some traditional fishing boats called “pointus”.
The end of the bay on the east side is called la Pointe Croisette and hosts the casino named “Palm Beach”, whose name is sometime used to designate the area. The casino is under renovation, and for those with a culture in French cinema, the crane you see is located where the famous swimming pool of “Melodie en Sous Sol” was located.
Cannes is not just for stars : locals still play the “petanque”
And not all drive Rolls Royces.
A tiny Autobianchi can be found on the harbour (in excellent condition)
And a 1950’s Peugeot 203 can be found driving around (slightly less good condition).
There was a lot of activity along the beach this year. Some relax, some have to work, thats life.
The sunsets on these winter days were often breath-taking.
All shots with Leica M262 and 35mm Summicron Asph v2 or Elmar 50mmF3.5 ltm, what else do you need?
Summer holidays in France means for me taking an odd camera out of the cupboard in my parents house. I must say I am always tempted to take the Dacora Digna which gives me quite some quite consistent results. Its lack of settings, its Lomo / Holga style rendering (yes but a Free vintage Holga mind you) always make it for interesting results.
Le Cabanon de la Plage is an extremely nice good restaurant with an amazing setting on the border of the beach in La Bocca just outside Cannes on the French Riviera.
La plage
I also became partial to using slide film with it. This makes the price per shot quite high indeed but actually I really like what I get in return.
Nice is nice I think “Nice is nice” is part of lyrics of a song, this made us laugh our heads out when we were teenagers.
Finally, a subtle hint of posts to come, picking one one of the “odd” camera was quite challenging this year as I carried from Singapore my beloved Leica M4 and also my new long awaited toy, a pristine M6 Classic black with a Summaron 35mmF2.8.
Last month I went to the “Carnaval de Nice” with the Hassie and the second roll of Rollei Digibase CR200.
Carnaval de Nice
Nice is just 30 km from my hometown of Cannes, but this is just the second time in my life (about 48 years) that I go there. I have an excuse because I have been away since 1985. I went with my son Noé who also made some nice pics with his Coolpix.
Carnaval de Nice
Not so easy to catch action with the Hasselblad, I was also not very well positioned so there is a bit of back-light. I still think this film is great; the colors are very realistic and it is quite relaxed regarding exposition.
This is probably the last film of 2013, all in all I think I shot 54 rolls not including a couple of complete lost ones, so I reached my target for the year: 1 roll a week. I am not sure I will do it again this year.
But back to the Rollei Digibase CR200. This is a slide film, formerly sold as AgfaPrecisa, and now produce by Agfa in Belgium. I orderd a 5 pack a few month back and found it in the post box (so to speak) when I was back in Cannes for Xmas. I could not resist to try one of rolls.
My medium format of choice when in Cannes in the Dacora Digna. A german point and shoot made in the late 50’s with a single adjustment for apperture : F8 and F11 (this was all shot at F11) and a very simple shutter made of a single spring that works more or less at 1/50 seconds. The distance is set on the barel of the extensible lens with just 3 markings.
Back in Singapore it took a while to have the film processed: I was told that the guy doing slides was busy which I think is a good sign (or maybe he has so little work that he waits a few weeks to process a a couple of rolls in one batch). Anyway 4 weeks and 12 SGD (7.5 EUR) later I got my 12 shots. Talking about money I think the film goes for more of less 5EUR.
The shipyard – Cannes – France
The film is easy to scan, although a bit curly, the colors are going out very well, very natural, unlike the last roll of Fuji that I scanned. There is probably more grain than on other slide films, but oh actually are there any other slide films available in 2014?
Le Moure rouge – Cannes – France
All considered I’m very pleased and cannot wait to try in with the Hassie.
This is a lucky year for the Digna, not only did he get to shoot a roll of slides at Christmas but as I was recently on holidays back home I did 2 more rolls with it. 3 rolls in a year this is unseen for this little camera that I use on for holidays.
What I like the best is what I call the “Lomo effect”, the little distortion of the picture that make it a bit more interesting. So these are just holidays snaps, with this little extra.
Musée Fernand Léger – Biot
Musée Fernand Léger – Biot
Musée Fernand Léger – Biot
Piscine Jean-Médecin – Nice
9 lignes obliques – Nice
CGT building – Cannes
Le Marchand de pastèques – Cannes
Pictures are done with KodakPortra 160 and Kodak Ektar 100 all shot at 100ISO.
So actually on the french national day I was going to the market and I came across a guy in traditional dress holding a drum so just followed and realized he was going to the local celebration of the national day. I took a few shots with the Dacora Digna, my beloved holiday camera, and with the LeicaIII that I brought with me for the summer holidays back home.
French National Day
The Leica shots are done with the Summitar 50mmF2 on a Rollei RPX 100 Film and I managed to ruin the shots by trying to process the film at home using the Caffenol method. The film was not well developed and very difficult to scan, hence the grain. I’ll come back on the Caffenol story later.
Veterans, French National Day 2013
Veterans, French National Day 2013
Veterans, French National Day 2013
I like the shot I called “The photographers”, the Asian tourist with her phone on the foreground and the official photog in the background.
This Dacora Digna use to belong to my wife’s late uncle.
These camera were manufactured in Germany in the mid 1950’s.
It has a collapsible 80mm/F8 lens and a very simple shutter, made from a single spring, two apertures F8 or F11, made from a disk with holes of two different sizes. The shutter speed is said to be around 1/50th. The distance is set via guess-o-meter with a dial that indicates 1 to 3, 3 to 8, more than 8 meters.
It takes modern 120 films.
The shutter was stuck but it was easily sorted out and works great since I got in summer 2008.
So during Christmas time I went back to France, and pulled it from the treasure chest (an old Tamrac Bag). The only film I had at hand was a 100ASA Elite-chrome Slide film from Kodak, not the best choice for a camera with so little settings.
But here are the results, thanks to shiny weather ad sheer luck.
Sunday Lunch – Bijou Plage – Cannes
This one is the best of the lot ; people having a picnic on the beach the Sunday after Christmas, thanks to the mild weather.
Port-Canto – Cannes
The Port Canto, I like the depth of the colors coming out of the slides.Not much post processing was involved appart from cloning dust out. This camera is the only one which is giving me this problem of putting dust on the film resulting in black spots once exposed.
La capitainerie
The building of the “Capitainerie” of Port Canto in Cannes.
One of the first films in Cafenol; nice harbor under July mid-day sun. I’ve been walking around nice with the Hassie and the d700+17-35 for the last two hours, I definitely looked like a sweaty tourist. This is the last shot of the film, I put a Portra in just after and make a couple of very similar shots.. maybe another post tomorrow?
La plage
Nice is nice I think “Nice is nice” is part of lyrics of a song, this made us laugh our heads out when we were teenagers.
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