Following the success of the previous editions in , and , it was a real pleasure to renew my association, for a fourth consecutive year this June with Loire Atlantique Photo , for a weekend of Street Photography in Nantes and Saint Nazaire. After all the restrictions and uncertainties encountered during this pandemic period, it was a great relief both for myself and the ten members of the local photo clubs who had signed up for the workshop, to finally wander the streets freely, looking to capture a few magic moments of everyday life.
Saturday morning, on the eve of the Summer solstice, proceedings began in rain-soaked conditions! Despite this seemingly inauspicious start, the effect of being together in a group, forced us immediately to venture out of our comfort zone , and the results were impressive. After an hour, the rain showed no sign of abating, if anything it was getting even wetter. Fortunately, the participants kept their spirits up and saw the amusing side of things.
Nevertheless, it was becoming ever more necessary to protect our gear. We began the afternoon with some exercises based on low and high-angle points of view at two symbolic locations in the centre of town, the Passage Pommeraye and the Rainbow coloured staircase. With the sun starting to emerge, and brighter colours more in evidence, the participants began to find their inspiration.
Despite the improved weather we were surprised to notice how calm the city centre appeared to be, with many streets almost deserted. Suddenly we realised there was a rational explanation. We looked for nearby spots to capture the rising emotion of supporters. It was 4. The ideal moment to put into practice the skills needed to created very graphic urban images with deep shadows , by deliberately exposing for the highlights. In order to ensure this exercise was more fun than a purely technical accomplishment, I invited the participants to play an active part in the scenes we were focusing on.
To finish off the day we headed for a tour of the Castle ramparts. Come Saturday evening, the participants were putting in a serious overtime shift! During these two or so hours of image critique , I aim, as much as possible to offer constructive advice. After this early-morning indoor debriefing session, we headed for the coast, some sea air and new sources of inspiration around the town of Saint Nazaire.
