Lo Vedo Life

Life in the Abstract

More abstract photography

Last January I did a post about one of my favorite forms of photography, abstract. I guess it struck a chord with some of you, because I received a lot of mail from that post. So I thought I’d do another one to start 2024.

The world is full of fascinating things to photograph. I’ve found that when I’m fully present and really seeing what’s around me, the first thing I tend to notice is color, and sometimes color by itself can make an intriguing composition. But more often, I move from that to looking at line, form, pattern, and texture. Finally, my photography becomes an exploration of contrast and composition, which is where the rubber meets the road, the place where the real magic happens.

Christmas in France

In early December a friend in the States mentioned that she’d like to see me write a post about how the French celebrate Christmas, et voilà, here it is. Different parts of France have their own traditions, and this post is about how people celebrate here in the Midi region of the South of France.

A start to the season
The photo above is from the light show and Christmas market in nearby Béziers. It has become a bit of a tradition with my group of friends to kick off the holiday season with an evening there, strolling among the lights and pointing excitedly like delighted young children.

Good craic in Donegal

Continuing from my previous post on Ireland, this post is about the 17 days I spent in Donegal, finding beauty, history and plenty of good craic (pronounced crack, meaning fun). I was based in Rathmullan on the dramatic and beautiful Fanad Peninsula.

Contents
• Fanad Peninsula, including a good story
• A day trip to the north
• A day trip to the south
• A day trip to see some beaches
• Places to eat, drink and be merry

A bit o’ fine Irish magic

I’ve recently returned from a trip to Ireland. It was my first time there; I went to escape the heat of southern France. What I found—with the help of some wonderful people—is a place that is bigger than words can convey. Magic and energy and connection. Inescapable history, remembered pain. Ireland is a place of striking contrasts. There is wild surf crashing against rough rocks and impossible cliffs, while woolly sheep quietly graze nearby on velvety green grass. There is the historical pain of attempted colonization, while the people are also the friendliest I’ve ever encountered. There is divine music and Guinness on tap. It’s a little slice of heaven right here on earth.

The Chemin in bloom

Le Chemin fleuri

It’s all about the flowers
In May, my friend Claude and I completed the second half of one section of the Chemin de Compostelle, or Camino de Santiago. The full section starts in Le-Puy-en-Velay and finishes in Conques. You can read about it here. For last year’s two posts about the first half of this section, click here and here.

I always make photographs of flowers, and in May, the flowers were abundant. Because I had so many photos, I decided to do a second post that’s all botanical. I’m also going to try doing this one in both English and French.

Chemin de Compostelle, Redux

This photograph summarizes our walk on the Chemin: wet weather, muddy terrain, and a whole lotta green.

From Le-Puy-en-Velay to Conques
In May we returned to the Lozère-Aveyron area to walk the second half of the section of the Chemin de Saint-Jacques that we had begun in June of 2022. You can read about the beginning of the adventure here and here.

A refresher: my friend Claude had long wanted to walk from Le-Puy-en-Velay to Conques. Many French people consider this to be the prettiest section of the Chemin in all of France, which is saying a lot. Take a look at the black and grey map below to see how France is covered with variations of Chemin routes, nearly all of them converging in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.