Don't Blink!

Blink and you're dead! Ok, you may only get that if you are a Dr. Who nerd-fan like me, but trust me if you ever watch that episode, you will never look at statues the same ever again!

I loved taking photos of the stone statues and figures during our honeymoon in France. I especially loved the idea of photographing them in black & white which is new to me. I am actually really happy with some of the results... and yes, still a little creeped out, but happy none the less.

Olympus Pen F - Kodak BW400CN for black & white prints (but developed as colour film)

I would like to thank Suzie of Black-eyed Angel, Elisabelle of On My Way, and Nichole of Little Brown Pen for the suggestions of places to visit and photograph while in France (check them out, their photos are absolutely delicious!). The blogging community can be a wonderful thing :)

La Tour Eiffel

The Eiffel tower... speaks for itself.

On film - Olympus Pen F, Fuji 200 Color Superia Film

And on digital - Canon Rebel XS DSLR. 
A few of the benefits of the digital over my Olympus Film camera - being able to zoom to get perfect framing (I only have a prime lens for my Olympus), and being able to switch between colour and black & white at will (I had hoped to get some Eiffel Tower shots on b&w film, but ran out before we got there).

Reflection in puddle

MelRoy Self-portrait fail :)

WAW #?? - Doorways

So I am all mixed up and behind on my weekly assignments, I have no idea which number I am on or exactly what I have missed... but I am going to try to catch up and keep up with this thing.
Fortunately for me, last week's assignment was doorways, and by chance I had a complete love affair with doors and entrances during our honeymoon in France. I once remember Nichole of Little Brown Pen talking about her obsession with doorways in France... and now, I totally get it! By the way, her photos of Paris are fantastic and you can even buy copies for yourself here!
I really do think that we neglect entrances in North America. They don't get the attention or credit they deserve.
Medieval Doorways in the South of France (Haut-de-Cagnes & Vence) on film - Olympus Pen F, Fuji 200 Color Superia Film

Parisian Doorways on Film - Olympus Pen F, Fuji 200 Color Superia Film

Parisian Doorway on Film - Olympus Pen F, Kodak BW400CN for black & white prints (but developed as colour film)

Parisian Doorways on digital - Canon EOS Rebel XS DSLR

Entrance to the Louvre

Close-up Entrance to the Louvre

Entrance to Notre Dame Cathedral

Doorways in the South of France on digital - Canon EOS Rebel XS DSLR

"Guarded" doorway - Vence 

I loved how even the tiny little entrances in the old medieval villages seemed to have character and detail.

Vivre la France, Vivre les macarons!

We finally got our film photos back from the honeymoon and I am so thrilled! There was a bit of tension there for awhile as we debated where to take the rolls to be developed since our usual place closed down (I think I'll save that whole story for another post).
We had a total of 7 rolls between the 2 of us (3 were mine, 4 were Jeffrey's - though to be honest, I shot only with my Olympus Pen F half-frame, so my 3 rolls were really more like 6. Boo-ya!). But when you have this many rolls of film, how do you decide where to begin posting?
Well, a recent, enthusiastic discussion about macarons by a few of my friends inspired me to start there... At La Duree a.k.a amazing patisseries on the Champs Elysees. La Duree's windows of macarons not only make one's mouth water, but also make a photographer's eye salivate (if that were possible).
While I was in Paris, I decided to try to shoot some black & white film (for the first time!), which was perfect for capturing the old architecture, etc. but I wasn't sure how it would fair on the colours of La Duree. Well, I am actually very pleasantly surprised!

As a comparison, here are a few of the shots I took on the digital camera in colour. I really do still prefer the texture and depth of film.
Don't get me wrong, we got some great digital shots, and I am so happy that we have it as an option.
Film just holds a special place in my heart... like that old friend from high school that you don't necessarily keep in touch with anymore, but always makes you smile when you think of them.

As a side note, said friends and I are going to take on a macaron challenge and find the best macarons in the city. Do you have any suggestions for great places to buy macarons?

Team MelRoy ties the knot!

So in case you hadn't heard, we got married this summer! It was wonderful and perfect and exactly what we wanted it to be. For now, we are in recover mode from a busy few months of planning, celebrating and honeymooning, but we will have a ton of pictures to share... eventually.
However, my very talented friend Michelle at Un Peu Capoté (who also decorated our wedding cakes for us) put together a lovely summary of the highlights on her blog. You should totally check it out here.
And thanks Michelle for doing such a great job of taking pictures for us!

photo by Michelle

WAW #19 - Negative space

So this week has been insane, but absolutely wonderful! I got married on Saturday and all the events leading up to and after the big day were jam packed and fantastic. I am still kind of in a state of shock... but I am so happy that it all worked out, and most importantly that I am now married to my best friend and love.
But before the craziness began, I had the chance to hang out with my friend and "Weekly Assignment Wednesday" organizer Michelle and our respective beaus. We spent the evening walking, hanging out with puppies, talking, eating and of course, taking some photos. Knowing that the week would be crazy, and that I would be leaving soon after for 2 weeks (Yay honeymoon in France! More on that to come later)... I decided to use the walk to focus on my assignment this week - Negative space.
I still don't know how I feel about the photos I get with my digital. I don't know if it is because I am too lazy to really figure out all the settings, or whether I just don't have a fancy enough lens, or if I just generally prefer the aesthetic of film... but I just can't seem to get photos that I am really proud of.
I do however, really like the composition of these ones, though I think they are lacking a little "je ne sais quoi".
P.S. Note the horizontal and diagonal lines? Guess I wasn't quite done with WAW #17 & 18 just yet.

Next week's assignment is - Reflections. Since I will be away and I know that I already have a tonne of photos with reflections, I will just refer you to this previous post.
All photos taken with my Canon EOS Rebel XS - Digital SLR
~ M