A Summer Visit To The Cascade Du Rouget

Last time I visited the Cascade du Rouget I had to hike for an hour through snow. It was a nervy journey with a few slips here and there. Not my most enjoyable hike in the French Alps! As I parked the car just metres from the waterfall this summer I felt conflicted about the road being so close by. Surely something of such natural beauty was worthy of more effort than that?!

Unfortunately I actually prefer the wider composition of my winter shot. The falls are much more powerful in the summer, and there was way too much spray to get into the same position. I set up my tripod further to one side and started shooting, but it quickly became clear the spray was still going to be an issue.

I had to cover my lens with a lens cloth, start the 10-second timer I use for tripod shots to avoid camera shake, count to 9 and then remove the lens cloth just before the shutter opened. Of course this was not an exact science, and I had plenty of attempts where the lens got wet before the shot was taken or I removed the lens cloth too late. I should really invest in a remote shutter release!

Poolside At Big Island’s Fairmont Orchid

One morning I was up early enough to try and get some shots of an empty swimming pool at the Fairmont Orchid on Big Island. It’s not often you see these places empty during the day, so I took my chance and did a full circuit around the water’s edge.

You’ll probably be unsurprised to hear that I’m not the kind of traveller who likes to spend their day sitting by the pool engrossed in a good novel. I find photography pretty relaxing for the most part, and when I need a break I’d rather find a beach and just listen to the ocean. While doing my utmost to remain out of the sun!

I wanted to try and evoke that classic Hawaiian postcard feeling with this shot. I boosted the temperature way up to around 13,000 for the entire image to get the yellow tint, and then played around with the hue, saturation and luminance of blue to get the colour I was after in the sky.

Daisy After The Storm

I don’t often go for black and white with my landscape shots, but it seemed like the perfect way to highlight this daisy standing tall in the long grass near La Chaîne du Bargy in the French Alps. After taking shelter from a stormy shower passing through the valley I ventured out toward the woodland before coming across this beautiful scene.

I noticed a few daisies dotted around so started searching for a decent composition with one in the foreground. Fortunately I found this spot, and I took a few handheld shots at different apertures to make sure I came away with something acceptable.

I was slightly disappointed that the weather turned on me. I’d started out on a longer hike to Lac Benit but decided not to continue after the thunder started rolling in. Better safe than sorry! But after the worst of the weather had passed the cloudy skies were so dreamy, I didn’t stay disappointed for too long.

A Celebration of Summer: Fêtes de Genève

For two weeks every summer the area in Geneva around Lac Leman becomes a festival of sights and sounds. The boats are moved from their every day positions lining the shore, and in their place sprout fairground rides, DJ booths and an array of stalls selling culinary delights from across the world. It’s a fantastic time of year to visit, and if you can coincide a trip with the firework display that closes the festival you’re in for a treat.

I took an evening to go out and wander around the lake, exploring the corners of the festival I’d not seen before. It was great to be in a place where everybody was there just to have fun. The atmosphere was infectious, even though I was just snapping photos. Unfortunately I only managed to get a few shots I was happy with. As the sun was setting I found it more and more difficult to keep my hands steady without a tripod. I really need to get one of those!