lf-photo.org.uk

A friendly Hello to the UK LF group

I'm a member of the French MF+LF group galerie-photo.info since the group was "virtually" founded in 2001.
http://www.galerie-photo.info/forum/index.php?f=0
What else to say ? It is a long time since my last visit to the British Isles but I keep contact by reading some LF-oriented British litterature

I was directed to here by one of our group member
http://www.galerie-photo.info/forum/rea ... 27&t=11327
who read this thread
viewtopic.php?t=457&sid=e5c00db9a0a17fc ... 64a2d77f81

So the question of actually meeting people in the real world on any side of the Channel is raised !
To the crucial question : should we meet at a fish'n chips restaurant or at a 4-star Michelin-awarded restaurant, the answer is not yet clear if you take into account the price, including processing, of a full box of 25 8x10" colour slides.

But I know of some Frenchmen who would cross the Channel only for the taste of a real British ale
Well see !

All the best,
--
Emmanuel Bigler
Besançon, France

Welcome Emmanuel,

I think Fish and Chips are within my budget. I visited a Michelin Restaurant with my Wife in Beaulieu sur Dordogne back in May, an expensive experience!

My Wife and I hope to make a short visit to your region (Le Jura) in September. I've not been there before but I'm told its very photogenic? I will not have sufficient time this visit for a lot of photography, but would be glad of any pointers for future visits.


Regards

Barry

Je dis, quoi, c'est plutot splendide cette internet chose, n'est-il pas?

I have been wanting to go to the chapel at Ronchamps for the last 10 years (north of Besançon). I am hoping that I will manage that some time in 2008. Apart from that, there is plenty of nice scenery around the Vosges, old buildings and decent wine as well once you get to Alsace. Oh and great cheese too.
Charles

Hello Barry.
I' m glad that you'll visit our region.
The Jura area is characterised by a dense cover of forests, about 45% of the Franche Comté area is covered by woods, the highest of all French regions.
This is also a limestone area with many cliffs, flat "plateaux" carved by deep valleys and caves.
The area is quite wet so it is not as dry as Causses du Larzac for example.
In the Jura you find many lakes like Lac de Chalain and cascades like Cascades du Hérisson, but those sites are quite busy with many tourists, probably not the most attractive place for a large format photographer ..
September is a too early for autumn colors, but is usually fairly sunny.
Depending whether you prefer architecture/culture/towns/villages or nature you'll have many things picturesque to put in front of your tripod.

Besançon the biggest city is worth a photographic visit, if you are interested in military architecture of the XVII-st / XVIII-st century. I let you read the web site.
http://www.besancon.org/
http://www.besancon-tourisme.com/

I could also recommend the Loue valley 30 km south of Besançon where in Ornans you have an exhibition of paintings by Gustave Courbet, a French painter born near Ornans, famous for his landscape views of the Jura.
Near Ornans I could recommend a visit to Source de la Loue, unfortunately this spectacular place were the river jumps out of a cliff never gets any light, it is very difficult to get a decent picture of it.

In the Département du Jura you have the area of Arbois with many nice wine-producing villages (le vignoble) one of the most famous picturesque sites is Reculées de Baume les Messieurs.
The area close to the Swiss border, Haut-Doubs and Haut- Jura offer spectacular vistas over Switzerland and the Alps. I could recommend either to go to Col de la Faucille above Geneva or to climb a small road above Métabief Mont D'or near Pontartler.

I have found that the Green Michelin Guide for touring is excellent for motorists who wish to see and discriminate in a relatively short time the most interesting aspects of Franche Comté, in order to prepare future trips on their own.

To finish I have no idea wheter the Island of Jura in Scotland shares the same origin of the place name as our Jura. Here Jura is supposed to be a celtic word for "forests".

Thank you very much Emmanuel for your very detailed reply. You have provided me with lot's of idea's. I shall start by getting a copy of the Michelin Green Guide to the area.

I have not yet visited the Isle of Jura in Scotland, but have often enjoyed the Malt!

Best regards

Barry

Emmanuel - Welcome to UKLFPG!! - I've enjoyed your initial posts.
Aynsley

Thanks to all for the friendly welcome
I'll be glad to pass you all information you'd be interested in about Franche Comté... and other LF topics of course.
Last Saturday July 21-st we had an informal LF meeting in Franche Comté, some friends traveled from Paris, some like Raph came from Alsace and Jörg came from Frankfurt, Germany; just for the pleasure of meeting us, and incidentally, both friends could show us the best collection of Jena-made Apo Germinars and Germinar-W lenses you could dream of ! (Well I'l just over-saying things a little )

Post Scriptum : our good Friend Henri from the French MF/LF galerie-photo group has just joined this UKLF forum under the pseudonym of Périgraphe.
So you can ask him many things about LF photography as well

An unoffiicial report of the French LF meeting in Arc-et Senans on July 21, 2007
Picture © by Philippe Ossette
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1221/903 ... 23_o_d.jpg