I spend far too much time reading. Reading books, articles, blogs. So much so, I don’t produce enough of my own stuff. So, inspired by a blog I just read, I thought I’d write a quick photo essay.

Recently, I had to make a journey to Avignon in the south of France. One day, I was at a loose end, and being not far from the center, and it also being the festival of Avignon, I took a couple of hours to have a walk around the old town and take a couple of street photos. I’m not a photographer, and I don’t have a decent camera any more. So the shots were all taken on an iPhone 14 Pro. Not the greatest in the world. To make things more interesting, I decided not to deviate from the default focal length and shot in black and white (set in the camera app), but in DNG in case I wanted to have an image in colour. All the photos have been cropped and only lightly edited to bring out shadows or highlights.

I like the idea of self-imposed constraints to try to force me to look harder for more interesting images and place myself more thoughtfully when taking a shot.

A local had given me a tip about where I could park for free and take a free park-and-ride bus that would drop me off near one of the ancient entrances to the fortress city. I was so close, I could have walked. Which is what I did on the way back.

Entering the city, it was obvious why Avignon is considered a beautiful place to visit. The streets are narrow, full of character, and full of characters. After a short walk, I stopped at this square. The geometrical shapes of the spire, the trees and the onlooking buildings felt like a good opportunity. I’m a little shy and don’t like imposing myself too much, so this felt like a good loosener shot to try.

The beauty of Avignon is the myriad of small alleys and back ways that are all over the city. This felt like a good opportunity to take a photo with people, without breaching privacy too much. I liked the shadows and texture of this shot.

In another square, a couple of musicians were busking. They were also promoting that evening’s show in one of the seemingly hundreds of venues that were hosting performances during the festival. Sadly, I only had a couple of hours free, but I did drop a couple of coins into the hat as a thank you for them letting me photograph them.

I don’t know why I looked at this door, or why it attracted me at the time. I think it was about the shadows. I liked the inverted L-shape of the shadow from the sun of the afternoon, casting a contrast on an already dark door. You can’t see it in black and white, but the door was virtually back in colour. I liked that it had posters all around the frame too.

Another geometrically interesting shot of another corner of a square. Nothing amazing. I just liked the details, shadows, and shapes. The plants add another layer of texture that the walls of the building can’t, making for another interesting contrast.

I’ve never tried this idea before. Namely, taking a shot from low down to emphasise the street and the cobbles. I think it turned out OK, but I think it is a little over exposed, washing some of that beautiful cobble texture out. Another edit might help. I’ll see.

Another alleyway shot. This time, three protagonists. Each looking in a different direction. The gentle curvature suggests a gentle exit. The sitters were previously talking to the man leaving the scene, so I waited a couple of seconds for him to start walking before taking a snap. Luckily, I captured the moment the woman looked at me and her friend was still looking at her, whilst the gentleman walked away.

I really like this shot, but I think that a different crop, slightly tighter, could add more to it.

Once funds permit, I’d like to purchase a new camera, but that won’t be for some time yet.

I want a small rangefinder and am torn between a couple of ideas. Leica D-Lux 8, or a Fujifilm X100vi / Fujifilm X-E5 with a pancake prime.

If you have not been to Avignon, and you have the chance, you should go without hesitation. A lovely place, even if you have no intention of taking photos.