£6,499 too far

An important aspect of my photographic interest is wildlife, an interest that requires long lenses and good field craft. The field craft I am ok with but my relationship with long lenses is a long story.

Stepping back a few years my go to wildlife kit was the Canon EOS 7d mk ii and the venerable Canon 500mm f4 big white. On the Canon APS C crop body this gave me an effective focal length of 800mm a good focal length for birding and coupled with the Canon 100-400mm zoom on a Canon 5d mk iii a good all around wildlife kit, all be it with one major problem, well actually 2 major problems, size and weight (those 4 items alone weighing in at 6.43kg).

En route to Habarana

28th February 2020

Following our 2 days in Wilpattu we had a transfer day over to our home for the next few days near Habarana.  Habarana is the gateway town for the Minneriya National Park one of the best spots to see Asian Elephant on the island but more of that tomorrow.

Wilpattu National Park – Day 2 (Birds Part 1)

27th February 2020

Today was a full day in the park i.e sunrise until sunset – 6.00am to 6.00pm, so an early start.

We arrived at the park entrance at about 5.45am and joined a few other “jeeps” waiting for the park to open.  Had this been Yala Block 1 there would have been many dozens if not hundreds of “jeeps”, fortunately Wilpattu is somewhat off the main tourist route and therefore is much quieter than Yala and all the better for it.  On reflextion we enjoyed Wilpattu far more than Yala and were really glad we included it in our itinerary, many do not.

Le Tour – It’s not just about the riders

In total the tour is said to consist of about 5,000 people, a huge infrastructure exists not just to support the riders but also just running the show and bringing it to the viewing public.

Oysters

On Oleron there is really only one game in town – Huitres (Oysters).

6K Barn Swallow

I was busy photographing the Oyster sheds at La Baudissier when I noticed a Barn Swallow shooting in and out of a gap in one of the sheds, presumably feeding some nestlings.  Up for a challenge I thought this might be a good opportunity to once again test out the 6K functionality of the G9.

Hip to be Square

One of my favourite functions on the Lumix G9, that comes as a consequence of having an electronic viewfinder, is the ability to see the results of different crops (picture modes) in camera or indeed filter effects such as monochrome.

N – E – S – O

Le Phare de Chassiron lies at the western tip of Ile d’Oleron facing out into the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic beyond.  Around the lighthouse the gardens have been laid out in the pattern of the cardinal points of a compass creating leading lines from the north, east, south and west or nord, est, sud and ouest in French.

At the Market

Anyone who has been to France knows that the French have an obsession with food, culturally it is a very important part of their lives.

Landscape or Skyscape

The rule of thirds, which is not really a rule, would have you put the horizon on a third.  But which third ?

More Cabanes

More colourful Cabanes – this time in Le Chateau d’Oleron.  A number of these old Oyster farming cabins have been converted into artists studios whilst others remain in their original use, all in all a rather odd mix – still they do make good photographic  subjects although enough is enough and other subjects await.

Oléron Odysey

Ile d’Oléron is the largest of France’s Atlantic islands.

Saint-Savinien-sur-Charente

Saint-Savinien-sur-Charente is one of the most picturesque villages in Roman Saintonge.  Climbing a rock buttress on the banks of the River Charante the village affords nice views and provides some good places to stand.

Saintes

Saintes an historic town in southwestern France, in the Charente-Maritime department. In Roman times, Saintes was known as Mediolanum Santonum, and during much of its history, the name of the city was spelled Xaintes.

Royan and The Coast of Beauty

A little mish mash today – all taken on a cycle ride along the “cote de beaute” between St-Palais-sur-Mer and Royan.

Charrelets – Belle Epoque Architecture – and that Catherdral again.

Wow !

The most striking building in the French coastal city of Royan is undoubtedly the Cathedral (église Notre-Dame) – it stands on the site of a former neo-gothic church that was destroyed in 1945 (as was much of Royan).  Designed by architects Guillaume Gillet and Marc Hébrard and built between 1955-58 entirely of concrete, it is considered one of the leaders of French contemporary architecture.

Lumix G9 – New Firmware 1.1

On 30th May Panasonic issued the first firmware update for the G9. It can be downloaded from Panasonic’s website here.

Citadelle de Brouage

Founded around 1555 Brouage was at first the centre for European salt trading, before it became a military base under the drive of it’s governor: Richelieu.  It was once the most impressive sea-port of France and Louis XIV, today the bastion lies some distance “inland” surrounded by brackish marshes and provides some interesting photographic opportunities although is perhaps best appreciated from the air.

Talmont sur Gironde

15 kilometres south of Royan, Talmont sits on a rocky peak overlooking the Gironde estuary.

Carrelets

Dotted along the banks of the Gironde Estuary are circa 400 wooden fishing huts which have been built on stilts. Their main implement is a square pulley-operated net (or “filet carré”) which has given the humble shacks their name “carrelets”.