PPF's Blog

Time lapse photography is the name given to the technique of taking a series of still photographs at pre-determined intervals and then displaying them in quick succession in a short movie sequence. It’s very interesting to do and anyone who has a tripod and a camera fitted with an intervalometer can do it. However, it often gets a bit clichéd – clouds scudding across the sky, plants opening from bud to full flower in the space of a couple of seconds, buildings under construction, and so on – but yesterday we came across this example, using photos taken by Dr. Don Pettit during his time spent on the International Space Station, which we found both awe-inspiring, beautiful and totally fascinating.

So when you have a spare 15 minutes, we recommend that you go and get a drink, then sit back and watch this video. And when you do, you’ll see that it’s not just of interest to photographers, it’s for everyone who appreciates incredible images and the beauty of the planet we live on.

Incidentally, if you pause the video around the 14:04 / 14:05 time mark, you can see Bordeaux, Toulouse, Paris and London all in the same frame as the ISS passes right over us at night. If we’d known what was going on, we’d have gone outside and switched on all our security lights 

To watch the video full-screen (recommended), click the ‘Play’ arrow, then click on the four-pronged symbol between ‘HD’ and ‘Vimeo’

Some of you who’ve been to holiday with us may recall our tales of the migrating cranes that pass over us twice each year – in November, flying southwest to Spain, and again in February, returning northeast to their breeding grounds in Scandinavia and Russia.

Well, late this afternoon, we were cycling home after an outing with Holly when, just a hundred metres from the house, we heard a familiar sound coming from high above us. Looking up, this is the sight that met our gaze. Including a further flight following behind this one, we guessed there must have been well over a thousand birds in total. They fly very high and very fast.

It’s interesting because the French for ‘the crane’ is ‘la grue’ and we often wonder if the name of our village ‘Lagruere’ has anything to do with these birds. They do put down around 60 kms south of us on both journeys to beef themselves up for several weeks before and after their high altitude flight over the Pyrenees. Maybe back in the 12thC when the village was founded, they were using this area as a stopover? We must do some proper research!

For the photographers reading this, the image was taken with a Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini smartphone – proving the adage that the best camera is the one you have with you 

Several years ago, we went with some friends to see them at the end of their February stay in France. This next image was captured in late February, late in the afternoon (not with a mobile phone!) :

Le Miroir d’Eau – Bordeaux

Updated 26th February – this week is now fully  booked once more:

A regular guest has unfortunately had to give up his place on the 21st September Advanced Course. We therefore now have one room available for that week. So if there is a photographer out there (with or without a painting partner) who got left out in the rush when we first announced the week, now is your chance!

Bill, we’re really sorry you’ve had to pull out; the season just won’t be the same without you, old friend. We know we speak on behalf of everyone who has had the pleasure of meeting you in the ‘PPF family’ -  including Nathan and Marie, your photogenic young friends in Bordeaux – when we pass on to you our very best wishes for a full recovery.

Pete & Jill

Just a few weeks after being listed, the Advanced Photography Week we organised for 21st September became fully booked. So now we have added a second, similar week starting June 15th and, believe it or not, that too is already almost fully booked. So, if there’s a photographer out there who wants to join us as a single occupancy, or with a painting partner*, or even with a non-participating partner*, you’d better get your booking in quickly as we have just one room left available!   Full details here

UPDATE 02-01-2013 – NOW FULLY BOOKED!

click for larger image

Meow everyone, Lottie here – you know, that little cat that runs away every time you try to stroke her? The one that sits up on the first floor window sills and watches your comings and goings? Anyway, those of you who follow this page may recall that, in August, the big black, attention-seeking canine that lives with us here (unfortunately) was given the chance to post a message to you with her ‘Holly Blog’.   Well, now it’s my turn!

For some reason, towards the end of every year, Pete & Jill put up this big tree in the lounge for me to climb around in. Not only that, but they hang really interesting shiny things from it so that I can have a go at batting them around like a boxer’s punch-ball (sometimes even knocking them off the tree, which is great!). Oh, and they always put this ‘Handy Bendy Santa’ right up on the very top of it; for eight years I’ve tried to knock the stupid thing off its perch and this week I finally managed it!

So anyway, there I was up in the tree having a nice relaxing time when Pete & Jill asked me to pose for this Christmas greetings photo. I didn’t have much choice really, before I could even sign a model release and negotiate extra cat biscuits – Flash Bang Wallop! – it was all over and done!

OK, to be honest this is proving to be really difficult; it’s taken me ages to get this far  – my claws keep getting stuck between the keys – so I’m going to hand over to Pete & Jill neow 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks Lottie, great job and nice pose!  Well for our part, we just want to say that we both look back with fond memories of previous guests and of great times spent story-telling, joking, eating, drinking, swimming, relaxing and, of course, doing lots and lots of painting and photography in between!  We’re now looking forward very much to next season when we will have the pleasure of meeting some of you again and, of course, when we will have the opportunity to meet more new guests too. So, thank you all again for your interest in us and our little operation here in south-west France and, whether you’re reading this in a sunny Australia, Africa or South America or in a wintery Europe, USA or Canada….

We wish everyone
a Very Merry Christmas
and
a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year

Pete & Jill

~~~~~~~~~~

Jordi Ruiz Cirera, a 28-year-old Spanish photographer based in London has been awarded the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012 for his photograph of a woman from Bolivia. Cirera was presented with the £12,000 award on 5th November 2012 at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

So there you go. Don’t take any notice of anything Pete says!

Photo data: 1/800th @ f5.6 – ISO 200 – 24mm – Fill Flash (off camera)

Full details can be found here

Thanks to those who suggested it

Well that’s it folks – the end of another great season. It seemed to fly by.

Our thanks and best wishes go to all those who came here to spend time with us. We look forward to seeing some of you again in 2013 and others a little later.

We leave you with a photo taken from the balcony of everyone’s favourite restaurant – Quai 36  – a photo taken, rather appropriately, on the last evening of the last week of the 2012 season.

View west along the Garonne to Tonneins bridge and beyond
Click for larger image

Photo Data:  Fuji X10 – 1/13th sec @ f2 – ISO 100

Well folks, after pressure from family, friends and previous guests, we’ve finally given in and now have a page on Facebook. You can see it here and give us a ‘Like’ (if you can be bothered!)

We will still be using this Blog as our main means of communication, certainly if we have any images to publish; Facebook’s Terms and Conditions allow them to use any images posted on their pages for whatever purpose they choose without permission and without recompense – one of the reasons we’ve resisted Mr Zuckerberg’s outfit for so long.

But you can rest assured, we will Tweet you not. I’m sure no-one is interested that it’s 35C outside, or that Pete’s just on his way to Bordeaux airport, or that Jill bought a lovely chicken in Tonneins market this morning! 

Woof woof everyone!

As Pete & Jill aren’t blogging until September (they’re enjoying their break) I thought I’d let you know that they took me to a classic car and bike show in Tonneins today. There was lots to sniff and loads of people to jump at (except I wasn’t allowed to do that ‘cos I was on a lead) and, all in all, it was great and a nice change from being left on my own at the house.

My favourite bit was where a Snoopy look-alike got to ride on a Harley:

Some dogs get all the luck!  –   (Click for a larger image)

Oh, I’ve been told to add some nerdy technical stuff which is: Shutter Priority – Matrix metering – 1/60th @ f22 – 200 ISO – 48mm. I hope somebody understands that, ‘cos I don’t.

I think Pete & Jill might go to Bordeaux for the day tomorrow as the weather is going to be good (yet again) so I’ll probably get dumped at one of their friends’ houses. I just hope it’s the one where my friends, Mitzi and Sadie, live, then we can catch up on some girly dog-talk (like there’s a new Alsation up in the village who looks really dishy

Oh well, thanks for reading my first Holly-Blog. If it’s appreciated, I might get to do another one some time.

All the best

Big wet licks to all

Holly