From Paris, With Love.

We are back. The jet lag is seeping away and we are preparing for Christmas with family. But before all the festivities and food, a quick recap of our final days.

Our last days in Strasbourg saw us cleaning the apartment and and packing our very, familiar belongings. We endeavoured to not buy more clothes or "stuff" while we were in France and were mostly successful. Going through our personal items revealed a few socks would not be coming back to Canada and some kid's clothes items would also be left behind.

Our schedule was, for JBN to finish her exam Friday morning, say goodbye to the kid's teachers and school friends, Saturday morning take a taxi to the train station where we would go to Paris and then to fly back to Canada on Sunday. We were travelling with 3 Large duffel bags, 2 back packs, 2 roller cabin bags and a messenger style bag. Not to bad for living on another continent for 3 1/2 months. The train from Strasbourg to Paris is high speed and we saw speeds in excess of 310 km/h. This put us at Charles deGaulle Airport around 3:00 pm. We boarded to the shuttle to the hotel to be informed that we were at the wrong Novotel. There are actually 4 Novotel properties in very close proximity to CDG serviced by a variety of  airport shuttles. We know this because we visited 3 of them (I am slightly curious about the last one, maybe next trip..).

The kids were exhausted by this point and overexcited as well. So we decided to skip going into Paris that night in favour of going in the morning. JBN did some research and found a car hire service that would be, basically, our personal chauffeur for the morning. If you are strapped for time I highly recommend doing this, especially for Paris. We wanted the kids to see the landmarks of Paris and we had a flight departing at 2:00pm. This left us little to not much time to see Paris by Metro. If we were to take the shuttle to CDG and then the Metro train to downtown Paris, that would be 1hr 20 minutes. The return to CDG would be about 1 hour and then the was the question of what to do with the luggage. The personal car service addressed all these concerns and removed the rush and stress. Our driver's name was Victor and he was born in Siberia but moved to Paris in 1995. While his English was better than my French, JBN was able to converse fluently with him. And it turns out, E was able to describe the car accident and his resulting bump over his eye to Victor completely in French. Victor drove us to the Eiffel Tower first as the sun was still rising. See the image gallery here.

We took the opportunity for a quick family selfie. From here we went back the car and Victor and he drove us to the base of the tower. We again left him behind and went under the base of the tower. We did not feel like we had time to go up the tower but I think the kids were impressed. I know I was.

Next we went over to the Champs Élysées and circled the Arc de Triomphe. One more stop was Notre-Dame de Paris, here, we left the car again and went inside. There was mass in session while we were there but that did not stop tourists from being allowed to look around. The incredible architecture may not have impressed the kids much but they were very quiet and respectful and E insisted on lighting a candle for my paternal Grandmother. After exiting the church we strolled down to Le Quasimodo Notre Dame restaurant for crepes and coffee.

Finally it was time to return to Victor and off to the airport. An uneventful departure and flight brought back to Canada and a renewed urgency to find a place to live. In the meantime, thanks to family, we do have a warm and friendly place to stay.

See the gallery of our day in Paris here.

Strasbourg: Capitale de Noël

Just a quick post this week after last weeks epic adventure and I stayed closer to home. Strasbourg has Europe's largest and France's oldest Christmas market. It takes over the centre of the city and millions of visitors come each year.

It is amazing to see and even more amazing to feel. You can't help but be swept up in the Christmas spirit with all sights, smells, sounds and people.

I chose to go on Thursday to avoid the larger crowds and so as not to impede people with my tripod. Security was present and reasonable, a quick inspection of my camera bag and "bon journée"! As I had been here with my family just a week ago I went to all the places I wanted to shoot to find my angles before the sunset. I also prioritized my locations because I couldn't be everywhere at the same time. See the results here.

I got what I wanted and moved through the crowds fairly easily. I did have to wait while shooting in the narrow side streets for the crowd to move into a position I preferred, but even that was not long. Most people were not even aware that I was there.

This is our last week, as we fly back to Canada on the 17th. Let the packing begin!

Click on the gallery here, to see what I saw!

The last time I go to the Black Forest.

Friday I got up and decided to go to a waterfall I had been researching for a while. It is in the Black Forest, the namesake of the cake. Home of the cuckoo clock, the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) gets its name from its dark, slightly sinister canopy of evergreens: this is where Hansel and Gretel encountered the wicked witch.  Burgbach Wasserfall has a drop of 15 metres and a total height of 32 metres making it one of the highest free falling waterfalls in Germany. Friday morning had a light dusting of snow and overcast skies. Great conditions for getting creamy looking water from longer exposures.

The closer I drove to my destination the more the skies started to show some blue. Sunlight peaked through here and there. There was more snow layering trees and the landscape looked picture perfect. See the gallery here. I had to pull over a few times to create photos of the amazing scenery. It was straight out of a snow globe or a postcard.

I made it to where I was supposed to park the car and started to hike to the waterfall. Quick side note, I should learn a little more German if I am going to hike in the woods in case there are any issues, like reading a map. The snow was undisturbed because I was the first person to walk there since it had fallen. The sun and clouds were fully cooperating and it was a perfect -2ºC. It was exciting and exhilarating, when I finally made it to the waterfall it was under a the tree canopy and perfect for shooting. Before I got there I was a little concerned that there might not be enough flow or that it would be iced over, that was not an issue. After shooting a variety of angles and timed exposures, I explored the area and found more vistas overlooking the valley I had just hiked from. I am so happy I went out for the day. A quick glance at my watch and it was time to head back to France. As I could see the road that lead back to my car without me hiking out the same way I came in, I headed in that direction. The snow was a deeper here, sort of mid-thigh. It made for a bit of a workout. The drive home was pleasant I could have spent a couple more hours stopping and shooting but JBN has exams this week and next and needed me home to help with the kids.

Sunday we decided to go to see a castle that we had previously made plans to see but had been delayed. Hohenzollern Castle was roughly 2 hours away so we packed some cheese, bread and fruit and hit the road. We played car games on the road and eventually made our way to the castle. As it came into view it was astonishingly imposing. Sitting high atop a small mountain the castle dominated the landscape. We were diverted into a field and told to park, which left us puzzled why when we were still so far away. We then boarded a bus which took us up to the ticket booth, and then we boarded a second bus, smaller and went to the castle. It is then we found out that the castle was hosting a Christmas market. The place was jammed pack, this explained all the extra steps to get here. Wo wandered around and looked at the various booths and tried to see the castle itself. We felt that we missed out of seeing more of the castle because some areas may have been closed off for the weekend. As the kids got colder and more tired we decided to leave. We got back to our car and told the GPS to take us home.

As we set out it was 3:00 or 3:30pm and the skies were getting dark. After driving for a bit I started to recognize some of the landmarks along the road as I had just passed through this way on Friday. Difference now was it was getting darker and it had started to snow. We climbed higher into the mountains of the Black Forest and eventually we passed the spot were we had seen the paragliders. What lay ahead was twisty roads with steep drops and an 18% grade. There was other cars on the road as well so we pressed on. I soon discovered that our tires were not winter tires, or even all season tires. We were proceeding as slow as we could when a good samaritan stopped in the middle of the road to check on an another car that was off the road in a snow bank because it had not negotiated the corner. I was unable to stop our car in time and we hit the good samaritan’s car. Our impact speed was less than 20km/h, the air bags did not activate in either car. Everyone was uninjured but both cars had bumper damage. Now, I am an English speaking Canadian in Germany with my wife, who speaks functional French, and the other driver is from Czech Republic living in Germany with a few German friends who don’t speak French or English. Trying to exchange driver information and insurance was not going to be a successful endeavour. They were able to get a cell signal and call for the police. While we were waiting, most of the cars that passed us stopped first to see if everyone was okay or if we needed help. Eventually the police were able to to get to us and we started the process of exchanging information and the explanation of what happened. The German police were pleasant and took pictures of the cars and had us fill out a page with our information. They called the tow truck, because at this point, we cannot go down any further with those tires on that car. When the tow truck arrived we were told that we had too many people and only one could go in the tow truck. So, JBN and the kids were put in the back of the police car and followed us down to the closest town were the tow truck was taking our car.

I am so glad we had packed food earlier because that kept us going. After we arrived at the dealership that the tow service was based out of we went inside and started the process of calling the emergency roadside assistance for the rental car and our insurance provider. We were told a taxi would be coming from Strasbourg to pick us up, 40+ minutes away, and that up to a specific dollar amount was covered. The car dealership had a small play area for kids and offered E and M some gummy candies as well.

The taxi was finally able to get there, delayed because of the snow, and we were on our way home. JBN asked the taxi driver about the German road conditions and it was explained that the roads are not salted in Germany for ecological reasons and that French rental cars are not equipped with anything but summer tires. Those are two important facts to consider when driving through snow covered mountain roads.

We eventually rolled into our driveway shortly after 11:00 pm. We carried our two sleeping children up to their beds. I came down and poured my self a shot of The Balvenie Peated Triple Cask aged 14 years single malt scotch and finally let out the breath I had been holding. I don’t think I will be going back to the Black Forest on this trip anymore.

Don’t forget to check out the gallery here.

Rain and tough German frogs.

Trying to find beauty and interest in post-autumn colour and chilly days is challenging. The last few weeks have been dreary. Rainy, cold, just plain miserable. Happily, while the weather is improving, I am refocussing on shooting for the season and accept the challenges that it brings.

Last week the fog rolled in thick and covered everywhere. I had seen this before and had a location in mind for these exact conditions. After dropping the kids off at school I took off to where I knew I wanted to be. I parked the car as close as I could, which was about 1 kilometre away and then walked back to the forest I had only seen from the highway at 130 km/h.

I was vibrating with excitement, everything was so cool. Exactly what I had envisioned with a bonus of a lonely tree out of pattern. I finally looked at the time and realized I had been too long and had to return to help with the kids as JBN had class that afternoon. Time really flies when you are having fun and the sun isn't visible.

Later that week we were expecting another overcast day and I thought, the best conditions to photograph waterfalls is overcast. I googled waterfalls around me and began to look at imagery. I found something not too far away that looked like it had potential, Allerheiligen wasserfälle. I set out after coffee (coffee first, always!) and arrived after an hour and a bit. At the top of the trail is Klosterruine Allerheiligen, they are monastery ruins. There was a little snow dusting the ground and a chill in the air when I started out. Shortly down the trail I saw a nice scene and decided to set up a shot. When I went to step on a rock I realized there was a frog there. I looked closely and and blew across it's eyes and it blinked! Ok, still alive and kicking at near freezing temps in mid-November. That's a tough frog in my books. I continued down the trail following the stream to a series of larger waterfalls. Once again, after having my fill I glanced at the time and realized I needed to hustle back to France and my family.

See all the images here in the gallery.

Famous Castles and a faraway walk by the water.

It has been a few days, very busy days. We are still in Scotland and we were joined by my Mother in Law. We have been busy since then. The Wallace Monument, Edinburgh Castle and I snuck away to Galway, Ireland to meet up with my cousin living there and check out the city.

The Wallace Monument is visible from a long distance away as it stands 220 ft high on top Abbey Craig (which is 364 ft high).  We climbed 246 steps inside the spiral staircase to the top for a commanding view of the surrounding countryside including the Stirling Bridge. This is where William Wallace gained fame at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. "The Battle of Stirling Bridge is depicted in the 1995 film Braveheart, but it bears little resemblance to the real battle, there being no bridge (due mainly to the difficulty of filming around the bridge itself) and tactics resembling the Battle of Bannockburn." Wikipedia

The next day we ventured to Edinburgh to the Edinburgh Castle. Approaching from the south you can see that attacking from this direction would likely be not successful. View the rest of the gallery here. We continued on to the castle, a very busy place, and took in panoramic views of Edinburgh. When we left the castle we went down the Royal Mile to St Giles Cathedral, where we had a lovely lunch. By this time, the kids were running out of steam. We had covered a lot of ground and decided to head back to our AirBnB.

Later that night, I caught a flight to Ireland to catch up with my cousin living in Galway.  I was booked on RyanAir, which is notorious for cheap flights, and experienced the no frills flight. Because I was only going to be there the day I had only my camera bag with a change of clothes and toiletries. In keeping with tradition by bag had to be hand inspected at security.(It has been explained to me that, because I have so many electronics and camera gear in one bag it will always warrant further inspection) The flight was uneventful and short. When I landed I went to pickup my rental car, which when we booked we asked for the smallest car with a built in GPS(or SaNav). They got half of it right, I was given a Skoda Citigo, a tiny tin car with a tiny engine and very few amenities. To rent a portable GPS was an additional €14.95, it is less expensive to turn on my Canadian cell phone and use the map function for the day so I took a pass on the GPS. When I went out to the lot to pick up the car I saw the beast itself. It wasn't pretty. No GPS, no cruise control, no usb port, no bluetooth, and a horrible automatic transmission. When I started to leave the parking spot I thought the park brake must be on because it wasn't moving, nope, first signs that the transmission was not up to the standards I am used to. If you have ever driven with a new driver who is learning how to drive standard for the first time you have an  idea what I talking about. The feeling of someone who keeps their foot on the accelerator as they depress the clutch creating "the lurch" and then, takes a full second or two to release into what feels like two gears higher than they should be and not enough gas. I made it out of the parking garage and started the 2 1/2 hr journey from Dublin to Galway and got in at 12:30am. My cousin and I then proceeded to talk for two hours before going off to sleep. At precisely 8:00am, the construction alarm clock I didn't know I set woke me from the couch. Good time to wake up. My cousin then gave me a quick tour of downtown Galway before she had to go to work. I then proceeded to explore and walk around Galway for the next 5 hours. I walked to the University and then around the narrow streets trying to find my bearings. I did get turned around a few times, but eventually picked up a map. I especially found the waterfront fascinating and made several beautiful images. As the time to leave came near, I left the city, feeling like I will be back.

See the pictures by clicking the gallery here.

Road to Glencoe

We have settled into our new digs in Bridge of Allan. It is a quiet little village near the centre of Scotland. Our first day was spent locally, finding the grocery, the great little park for the kids and where the Tim Hortons is.

Today we went for a drive to Glencoe to just take in the landscapes. It’s been 5 years since I drove right-hand steer cars and it does come back to you. It also takes extra concentration. After a few stops we switched and JBN took the wheel and I was back on the left hand side. Now I could focus on the landscape and you can see the gallery here.

We actually stopped first at Loch Lubnaig where a persistent fog drifted through the photos. At one point, the misty fog, actually enveloped the shore where myself and few other people were taking pictures. I got back to the car after a 1/2 hour of shooting and we proceeded about another kilometer down the lake to another spot and few more shots. I felt it wasn’t quite as good because the water had ripples here.

It’s great to have a partner who not only supports what I do but encourages me to go out and shoot and have fun. I really appreciate that. She also supervises the kids while I do my thing, so she is like, SuperWoman and WonderWomen all rolled up in one package.

We carried on, stopping here and there along the way. I can’t even begin to remember the names of the tiny spots and the cute villages. At one point there was a spot to park that had a snack truck and enough space for quite a few vehicles. It was here that I saw my first red deer. Then I saw a couple more, they were quite a way off in the distance, so I took a picture to show E. When I got home and looked on the computer I realized that there were actually not two deer in the frame, but fourteen. They were so well camouflaged amongst the autumn grasses.  Eventually we made it to Glencoe but, by then, the light had played itself out. I noticed that the quality of light stayed really nice for a really long time. I feel like this part of Scotland sits at the perfect latitude, for this time of year, and that the light is passing through more atmosphere and picking up that golden hue for longer. It makes for awesome shooting conditions for a much longer period.

You will notice a few frames of a little bird with reddish-orange chest, that is a European Robin. It goes quite nicely with my photos of the Australian Robin and the American Robin. BTW, none of them look like the other:)

Schloss and Wasserfälle

This past week I returned to the Liechtenstein Castle (Schloss) to photograph it in morning light. The original plan was for early in the week to keep the fall colours but M. got sick and it wasn't until Thursday morning that she was well enough to go back to school. So Thursday I got up at 4:45am and was on my way by 5:30am. That's early. It is a 2 hr drive from our apartment in Strasbourg back to the castle. So if you want first light.. Truthfully I should have left an hour earlier but, I am not that good at mornings. You can see the results in the gallery here. I was incredibly happy when I arrived and the sun was struggling with cloud cover. Circumstances like that can help create really dramatic photos. I knew from my visit on the weekend I wanted to get some establishing shots from the far side of the valley but, first, I had to find my vantage point. Some wandering on barely marked roads finally got me there. A great sight line at a similar altitude. As I started to set up the light broke through the clouds right onto castle and surrounding forest. I quickly made a few frames before it went away. I then returned for the rest of my equipment and settled down to experiment. The castle itself didn't open until 9:00am so, I had time before I wanted to be there. I tried different lenses and tried a few long exposures with my 10 stop ND filter when a rainbow started to form right behind the castle. I reset to the shot I wanted and fired away. Finally the sun lit the castle and the rainbow gleamed above the forest and, then, it was gone again. No rainbow, no sunlit castle. I waited a few more minutes and one last burst of sun popped through. Now it was time to go to the castle and get inside. As I parked the car the skies had filled in grey and a few raindrops fell. I grabbed a snack and stopped for a coffee before I went for a walk outside the castle walls. After a while, the sky appeared to be brighter and I went into the castle. Shortly after I had gone in a bus pulled up and a tour group fell out. I hoped that they wouldn't be in any shots I wanted when the light was right. They generally wandered around the grounds and then collectively went into the castle proper. Shortly after this the sun did reappear and I was able to create the next series of images I wanted. Happy, but tired, I felt that familiar feeling in neck that meant I was coming down with something. Time for me to go back home.

Monday, I had to grab the kids and get out of the house. JBN has an exam this week and needed to study, uninterrupted. That is not really possible in the same apartment with a 3 yr old and a 4 yr old. So, the kids and I headed back to Germany to go see Geroldsau waterfalls (wasserfälle). It was a nice drive to the falls, about 1 hour 40 minutes and then the was a path of about 1.8 km. We walked most of the way before the kids wanted to turn back, I brought out my camera after we turned back to the car and was able to stop a few times and make images while the kids got a bit of a break. After we returned to the car and had our picnic lunch we returned home. The weather was overcast, but those are the best conditions to shoot waterfalls. I was using my new 16-35 f4 L IS lens and couldn't be happier. A few of the images were shot 1/10 of a second hand held and they are sharp. Good day.

This week we are off to Scotland for 2 weeks, so you can expect something.. different?

This past week I trekked down a bit of the Alsace Wine Route, an area of the region known for its many vineyards. It was stunning. You can see the full gallery here.

I started driving in the general direction of the wine route. I had a few destinations in mind but, was trying to make some wrong turns on the way. The car's GPS was probably very frustrated with me as I meandered. After some time I came across a mysterious chateau in the fog at Thanvillé which piqued my interest. I parked and then continued on foot up the driveway to the courtyard, excited, it was pretty perfect. (No really, go see the Gallery).

From there I returned to the car and went on to Châtenois looking up at the Church of Saint-Georges de Châtenois. Taking in the scene, it is obvious that both the Church and the vineyards are cornerstones of the region. Backed by vineyards, the main church, faces the town with an authenticity of long and beloved use.

From here I went through Kintzheim to Hunawhir which has a lovely fountain. It is over 400 years old and has it's own history. (Saint Hune is supposed to have used the fountain to wash the clothes of the poor).

My next stop was actually on my original itinerary, Riquewhir. Here I explored the vineyards on the hills surrounding the village. I ate my lunch enjoying the view while crows and ravens darted through the sky above me pursuing their urgent bird-errands. Such an amazing way to spend the day, perfect weather in a fantastic setting. The village itself can boast of brightly coloured lanes of close buildings with historic architecture.

After the perfection of the morning, Colmar, had the odds stacked against it for being a high point of my trip.  Its modern and metropolitan feel left me flat, after the charm of my previous meanderings. The guide books I consulted billed the town as a "French Venice", but I was left underwhelmed. Maybe expectations were too high, like seeing an okay movie that all your friends told you was the BEST MOVIE EVER.

Next, I went on to Petite Camargue Alsacienne to walk in nature and maybe track some birds. Unfortunately, the earlier crow ballet was destined to be the bird-highlight of my day, no great bird finds in Camargue. But I did enjoy a lovely sunset walk before returning to Strasbourg.

Saturday we travelled to a German Castle. Yes, that was as cool as it sounds.

Saturday morning, we hopped in the car and punched in the castles we wanted to see into the car's GPS. According to Mary Blackspeedy (the kids named our car) it would be just 2 hours until we reached the first castle. Just a quick stop for gas, we thought, and then we would hit the highway. Check. Now on our way, right?

No, it seems that Mary Blackspeedy is a little behind the times when it comes to minor details like tunnel construction, road construction, or actually any construction in general. Mary advised us to go straight through a closed tunnel and was rather insistent, about it. She kept trying to reroute us back to the tunnel even after several attempts to go around. That took up a bit of time. Eventually we got it right, sort of. (There are a lot of infrastructure construction projects on the go in Germany right now.) By the time we got far enough away for the GPS to take a different route it was obvious that this was going to take longer than we had anticipated.  So we changed our plans. We decided to visit the Lichtenstein Castle first and then, if there was time, stop by another castle on the way back. Part of our detour took us to a gorgeous mountaintop that had a view for miles. We stopped and had lunch there while para-gliders ran over the mountain edge to glide down to the valley below. Was I a little jealous? Perhaps. We continued and eventually made it to the magnificent Lichtenstein Castle. The Castle was showing off for us, having surrounded itself in its best fall colours..(Okay, seriously you HAVE to check out the Gallery this time).

I think I may go back in the morning..

Adding the instagram feed

A new facet.

I am adding something to my repertoire. Headshots. Professional profile pictures. For years I’ve been shooting head shots for magazines and advertising, now this niche gets it’s own page on my website. I’m expanding my services to include professional headshots for LinkedIn and corporate websites. Here’s why:

Today it is easier than ever to find out who the person on the phone really is. LinkedIn and other social media platforms give you the opportunity to put your best face forward. Hiring managers want to know who you are. They want to get a sense what working with you might be like. They want to see whether you are professional, friendly and approachable. All of these attributes can be communicated with a high quality, professional profile photo.  

One of the biggest mistakes that job seekers and networking professionals make is using a sub standard photo. Photos from your grad and that really cute shot where your ex is right beside you (but you can crop them out and it only looks a little bit weird). That just doesn't cut it. LinkedIn and Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr all give the opportunity to put your best face forward.

So do. Here are some profile picture stats: 

•  Your profile is 11X more likely to be viewed if it includes a profile photo (linked in official blog 22Apr2014) 

•  Recruiters spend 19% of the total time they spend on your profile looking at your picture. (Study conducted by TheLadders)

A faceless candidate, or one with a poor quality photo, communicates an incomplete profile, which may be perceived as low motivation, inattention to detail or lackluster enthusiasm. So, you need to have a professionally done profile picture to help improve your chances of landing a job or growing your professional network.  Call me for a quote and chat about what kind of shot will work best for your personal brand. I can be reached at 416-318-3278, or Chris@9YardsPhoto.com