Photo-Blog Hans-Josef Jeanrond

Provence in Winter

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:50:00 +0100

Schnee in der Provence

Neige en Provence

Snow in Provence

After hardly any winter to speak of, the mimosas had started blosoming in Collobrières about six weeks ahead of time. Let us hope they survive the sudden relapse into the season we had expected to be over. (Click on the images to enlarge)

And let us hope in particular that the vinyards are not affected, damaging the business of family and friends - and disappointing our palates a year from now.
In our four years down here, we have had cold winters but had never seen so much snow nor such a firm winter in February.

On the way to my favourite spot at the exit of the village, I realise that the snow has not discouraged two cyclists - unless the same person came and returned along this path. Cycling to the baker on a day like this requires some resolve!
The ground is not quite frozen on this dirt track, and the mud beneath the snow requires rubber boots. That makes waiting for the sun a near freezing experience for my feet, despite thick woolen socks...

The next image, with the mimosa in the foreground is taken waiting for a sun patch to move into my picture. With hardly any wind, an excruciatingly slow movement.
But in the end, the waiting was worth while, even though the sunlight is wintery timid.

The chairs on the terrace were clearly expecting spring rather than snow...

Arcs - Tour Exaltis

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:20:00 +0100

Lichtbögen

Arcs of Light

Arcs de lumière

Tour Exaltis is a relatively late addition to La Défense (2006), designed by architects Bruno Willerval of Bridot-Willerval and Bernardo Fort-Brescia of Architectonica, and built by Bouygues. It houses the headquarters of Mazars.

The arcs of light are lighting strips in the interior of the big entrance hall. The architects have extended them onto the pavement outside the building, as you can see in this image (click to enlarge).

I have taken up that idea and “extended” the arcs of light into the surroundings, structuring the mirror images of la Défense, and blurring the distinction “inside – outside”.

The first image is closely cropped to the pedestrian level of La Défense, with Tour Total and Tour Areva framing the image left and right. The second shows the lower street level - with pedestrians, and the photographer in the lower left corner. (Contrary to Erich Kästner's proverbial saying that the photographer is never in the picture: "Merk's dir, du Schaf, weil's immer gilt: der Photograph ist nie auf'm Bild.")

Here we have two emblematic buildings of La Défense reflected in cascades in the concave structure of Tour Exaltis: La Grande Arche and one of the towers of Société Générale.

"Breaking through"
The reflected image of Pei's EDF tower seems to be breaking through the façade of the Exaltis tower from the inside.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 17:41:00 +0100

"Pink Horizon"

Nous vous souhaitons de bonnes fêtes et beaucoup de bonheur et de succès en 2012

We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy and successful year 2012

Wir wünschen Ihnen frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches und erfolgreiches Jahr 2012

The image "Pink Horizon" is a view from the Col de Babaou, between Collobrières and Bormes-les-Mimosas. This "pass" of about 450m in height is on our way to Bormes, where the mimosas will be flowering in about 6 weeks. Spring will come again!

Berlin Revisited

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:20:00 +0100

Berliner Reflektionen

Reflets de Berlin

Berlin Reflections

Back to Berlin for a 4 day conference, with just the Nikon body and one lens (only one hand luggage! and the computer bag is the obligatory one on this trip), I try to redo some of the images taken 4 years ago with a little compact camera.
After the switch from summer time the previous night, I calculate that 4 pm would be a good time to be on location. Alas, I do not take into account Berlin's north-eastern geography, and light is fading from 3:30 pm onwards!
That results in a few nice (I hope) twilight images, but I have to return another time to get the images I am after. Construction work prevents me to get to the right spot, but I am rather pleased with some of the reflections.

"Lila Dämmerung", Potsdamer Platz

"Fuzzy Geometry", Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus

On the way back to the government district, I pass by Neue Nationalgalerie

and "Legoland" at Potsdamer Platz

The afternoon light and the reflection make the geometry of Paul Löbe Haus and Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus soft but no longer fuzzy:

"Soft Geometry"

"Wege der Demokratie": Stairs, balconies and a bridge linking members of parliament and their staff to each other.

And then, there is Gehry! I did not think one could simply walk past the guard at the entrance of DZ Bank at Pariser Platz, but the guard even holds the door open for you. I had heard about the explosion of "Gehry-forms" behind the stern facade imposed by the city rules around Pariser Platz. But I did not expect this. Magnificent! The meeting room inside the "whale" inside the glass-roofed inner court (“under water”?).

Le Marais de Bourges

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:52:00 +0200

Un énorme verger dans un filet dense de canaux en plein milieu de la ville.
Parfois les immeubles de la ville s’invitent dans l'image par des reflets sur l'eau, parfois en se croit très loin de la ville.
Un écosystème surprenant.

(Cliquer sur les images pour les agrandir)

Abondance

Les habitants du marais

La cathédrale dans la marais

Children!

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:00:00 +0200

Enfants !

Kinder!

Children!

While making a portrait it is tempting to not just show the person in front of you but also the person he or she may have been and may become. With children, the focus is naturally more on what kind of person they may become or would like to become. No problem with girls: They like to project themselves into the future as soon as adolescence begins. Which is more and more early, it seems.

Pélagie, age 11, evolves in front of your eyes in the space of an hour.

Olivia, age 14, has already shown her talents of transformation in previous sessions.

This time she surprises with an even wider range of self-chosen dresses, make-up and poses. (No influence taken by the photographer!)

Lucie, age 14, steps out of the shadow of her older sister, much to the amazement of the latter (not presented here since she is a real adult at 22).

Martin, 8 years old, is the only real kid here. He was so intimidated by the girls and their flirts with the camera that he flatly refused being photographed just after them. He came back with his mother the next morning. Luckily. What an impressive little person!

Studio de portrait - portes ouvertes 23 août 2011 salle des Mouffus, Collobrières

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 11:14:00 +0200

Walk-in Portrait Studio

Portrait Studio Tag der offenen Tür

Avant la rentrée, voilà encore une occasion de faire photographier vos enfants, de faire faire votre portrait ou des photos de famille.
Le champs de l'expression est vaste; à vous de jouer.

Cliquez sur le photos pour les agrandir.

                      Olivia

               Et Olivia différemment...

                  Omer Poletti

           Inigo Kilborn, the Trumpeter

Exposition 31 juillet - 13 août 2011 à Collobrières

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 11:50:00 +0200

Reflets - Réflexions

Continuing the series of exhibitions on this theme that has occupied my mind and my time for a number of years now, some of the recent images of Montparnasse (Paris) and New York will be exhibited for the first time. (See the posts below)

En continuant de la série d'expositions sur ce thème, qui a occupé mon esprit et mon temps depuis quelques années, certaines des images récentes de Montparnasse (Paris) et de New York sont exposées pour la première fois. (Voir les billet ci-dessous).

In der Folge der Ausstellungen zu diesem Thema, das mich seit einigen Jahren beschäftigt, werden hier zum ersten Mal einige der neuen Bilder von Montparnasse (Paris) und New York zu sehen sein. (Siehe dazu die letzten Blog-Einträge)

Montparnasse - Catalogne

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:45:00 +0200

Mont Parnasse - Quartier des muses ?

Mont Parnasse - das Musenviertel?

Mont Parnasse - The Muses Neighbourhood?

At the back of the enormous Gare Montparnasse complex one finds an urban development that hardly anyone will link to the original artists quarter that gave the name "Montparnasse" to the area (In Greece, the place of residence of the 9 Muses). The new development was meant to become the new "rive gauche" business center in the 1960s. Since then, it has been extended by a number of architects with big city ambitions, amongst them Ricardo Bofill with his Place de Catalogne. (Google Map) I don't like Bofill's mock-classic style, but on a sunny evening in late spring, his Place de Séoul, adjacent to Place de Catalogne, seems like a better idea of "dense packing" than the enormous buildings "immeuble Mouchotte" and "immeuble Pasteur" enclosing the "Parc Atlantique" behind the Montparnasse train station.
These images belong to the series "Reflets - Réflexions" that I have been working on for a number of years.

Click on the images to enlarge

We approach the area by rue du Texel, where we get a first glimpse of one of the train station's buildings:

The building to the left in the image above, at the end of rue du Texel, reflects the old-style houses in its windows:

Going closer to the station building, it "deconstructs" the very strict façade of the Hôtel Méridien:

The Place de Catalogne with Bofill's architecture is reflected in the façade of the Hôtel Concorde Montparnasse:

Place des 5 Martyrs du Lycée Buffon, one can see the buildings at the rear of the Gare Montparnasse complex, somewhat "transformed", as in the first image above:

"Bahnhofsschiff"

"Stürzende Neubauten" (No, Frank Gehry was not here!)

Another train station of this enormous complex: Gare Vaugirard, Montparnasse 3:

After Andreas Gurski's treatment of the Mouchotte-wing of the Montparnasse complex (see here for example), it is difficult for a photographer to approach the subject. To avoid any undue comparison, I have taken a view of the building from the Jardin Atlantique and captured its reflection in the neighbouring office building.

And finally, we go to the peace and quiet of Bofill's Place de Séoul:

New York! (4) Reflections

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Tue, 24 May 2011 22:15:00 +0200

Here we are back to the theme I meant to exploit mostly while in New York. But of course, in outside photography you are depending on so many factors. In the particular case of reflections, not only on the weather and the daylight, but also on cleaned windows, traffic, people, etc. So in the end, I did not catch too many good reflections.

Click on the images to enlarge.

                   The White Flag

             St. Patrick's Cathedral

                  "Warped 1"

                 "Warped 2"

      "Shoppers' Paradise" (Time Warner Center)

                "Dark Tower"

Not a reflected image, but a nice counter-point to the "Dark Tower" is this "White Tower" from Chelsea:

New York! (3) Museums

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:25:00 +0200

Impossible to visit all the museums and galleries of New York! Especially if you have already blisters on your feet.
But the architecture of the Guggenheim is of course a must.

The current exhibition bears the title "The great upheaval", referring to the period of 1910 - 1918. Of course, the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright must have come as a great upheaval when the museum was built in the 1940's and 50's. Today, the building looks much less dated than many buildings from the 1960's and 10's!

Click on the images to enlarge

From the cafeteria in the basement of the Whitney Museum.

MoMa

On the lower floors, quite a lot of "conceptual art" that has remained at the state of a concept and not matured into art. Incredible treasures of "older" art on the higher floors.

Brancusi: "Jeune Oiseau" reflecting the exhibition around it.

New York! (2)

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Sun, 22 May 2011 07:10:00 +0200

Twilight

Crépuscule

Dämmerung

The onset of night in New York makes many people think of Times Square. One might argue that the jostling crowds are part of the place. But I have chosen another characteristic: Skyscrapers and billboards. Even this old-fashioned bill board (rather than the omnipresent giant electronic screens) still captures the spirit of the place quite nicely, I think.

Click on the images to enlarge

After taking this picture we turned on our heels and went straight up to the roof-top restaurant of the Marriott Hotel to have dinner in the revolving restaurant - like good tourists. Not a place where you expect to take great pictures - unless you make the blending of inside and outside lights a theme of your photographs. Like in my "interior - exterior" series. The results may not be "great", but they are quite surprising.

Chrysler Building in sunset and, below, in real "twi-light" with the lights of the restaurant being reflected in the windows.

"Above Times Square"
Some of the giant advertising screens are reflected in the lower part of the building, in the center of the image.

The lights of the restaurant being reflected in the windows

New York! (1)

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Sat, 21 May 2011 12:35:00 +0200

Just a view from a hotel room window, and yet, where else could this street be but in New York? .
Loud, bustling, noisy, outsized - and fascinating.
Tall buildings, small trees, lots of yellow cabs, and harsh light and shadow

Of course I could not possibly show all the photographs here that I brought back home. And even a severe selection will not fit into one reasonable blog post. So let's start with a few straight touristy photographs before we get to twilight and reflections.

Click on the images to enlarge.

Another image from our hotel room. Notice the empty space in the left building. The crisis seems to show.

Roof top landscape with one of the characteristic water reservoirs.

Central Park from Bethesda Terrace
The park, like everything in New York, is enormous. We walked what felt like miles and miles, and yet we never made it into the upper half of the park. Very relaxing on a beautiful day, but you can still hear the drone of city traffic in most places.

Spring Exhibition - Exposition du printemps - Frühjahrsausstellung

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:00:00 +0200

Le printemps est de retour

Spring is back

Der Frühling ist zurück

In fact, it has been back for some time, as the image of the mimosa proves, taken around the corner from our house about two months ago.

Time for another exhibition with the Association des Artistes et Créateurs de Collobrières (AACC).
Like last year, we are combining an exhibition of the Tiffany section of the AACC, showing their latest glass works, and of my photographs. The mayor's office has kindly put the nice and spacious Salle des Moufus in the centre of Collobrières at our disposal.
The joint "vernissage" of both exhibitions will be on 23 April, 18h.
This year, the photographic exhibition will be divided into two parts: More photographs of the series "Reflets - Réflexions", and some "straight" landscapes of the Var. Two spots are dealt with in some detail: A view from just outside Gonfaron looking towards the Massif des Maures, and a view of the hills and vineyards on the outskirts of Collobrières going towards Pierrefeu.

The image on the poster is a view from Pierrefeu showing one of the characteristic "shading trees" that are planted next to houses or sheds to shield them from the sun.

Nice in December

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 19:45:00 +0100

Taking the children to the ariport in Nice after their Christmas visit, there was not much time for photography. Just enough to catch this view of the beach along the Promenade des Anglais, showing that it is not empty even at this time of the year, and a few more mirror images to enrich the series "Reflets - Réflexions".

Nice Airport - reflections:

Click on the images to enlarge

Happy New Year 2011

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:10:00 +0100

Nuages ou ciel clair ? Peu importe ! - Je vous souhaite beaucoup de bonheur et de succès en 2011

Whether under clouds or clear skies - I wish you a happy and successful year 2011

Ob unter Wolken oder blauem Himmel - ich wünsche Euch ein glückliches und erfolgreiches Jahr 2011

Hans-Josef Jeanrond

This is a view of the sky from our garden in Collobrières.
Last year's image was taken looking down; this one is looking up at approximately the same spot.

I hope I will be able to post more than 6 entries in this blog during the coming year.
Looking at the statistics, I should be photographing the Louvre pyramid which must account for 80% of the visitors coming to this blog via search engines. Thank you Mister Pei!

Andreas Kuhnlein in der Wintringer Kapelle

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:30:00 +0200

Ausstellung von Skulpturen im Kulturort Wintringer Kapelle

Exposition de sculptures dans un lieu de culture : la chapelle de Wintringen

Exhibition of sculptures in a cultural location: The Wintringen Chapel

Besuch bei den Eltern in der alten Heimat, Mittagessen beim Erntefest des Wintringer Hofes, der von der Lebenshilfe für Menschen mit Behinderung Obere Saar e. V. bewirtschaftet wird. Ein "Pflichtbesuch" für den Vater als Gründer und langjähriger Vorsitzender der Lebenshilfe, Die Restaurierung der Kapelle war ihm lange ein besonderes Anliegen. Heute füllen Peter Michael Lupp und einige Mitstreiter mit viel Enthusiasmus die alte Kapelle mit neuem Leben. (www.kulturort-wintringer-kapelle.de)

Trotz vorangegangener - sehr erfreulicher - Ausstellungsbesuche in der Kapelle sind die Skulpturen Andreas Kuhnleins eine Überraschung, in ihrer Ausdruckskraft fast schon ein Schock. So etwas Starkes hatte ich "im Dorf" nicht erwartet. (www.kuhnlein-bildhauer.de)

Da die Kapelle, eigentlich der Chorraum einer größeren Kirche, eine Station der Pilger auf dem Jakobsweg war, hat Kuhnlein das Motiv des Pilgers bzw. der Pilgerin bearbeitet. Außerdem stellt er Stationen des Lebens durch Köpfe unterschiedlich alter Menschen dar, vom Kind bis zum Greis.
Saisir l'éphémère, mein Thema als Photograph. Allerdings wird das Vergängliche hier nicht als Lichtabdruck festgehalten, sondern mit der Motorsäge hartem Kernholz abgerungen. Kaum zu glauben, dass eine Motorsäge Leichtigkeit erzeugen kann.. Die Figuren sind massiv und leicht, sie erscheinen geradezu zerbrechlich. Kaum ein Besucher wagt sie anzufassen.
Ich bin schwer beeindruckt.

Jeder der in die Gegend kommt, sollte sich die Ausstellung ansehen. (Öffnungszeiten vorher prüfen!)

Summer - white heat, and notes on excursions to be repeated

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:30:00 +0200

If you wonder why there are hardly ever any "summer pictures" on this blog, take a look at the photograph and imagine the heat that goes with the haze in the hills.

Of course, I could have reported on a trip to the newly opened Centre Pompidou in Metz at the end of May, but it was cold and raining then (!), and the light was not right for the pictures I wanted to take. I will be back there soon, I hope.

I could also have reported on an artistic project in my home region of the Saar, where French artist Valérie Hendrich-Kraemer, together with designers Hullmann and Gimmler, works on a topic very close to my heart: Reflections in water. In her case reflections of words taken from poems. Again, the light was not right during my visit, but I will be back there, too.

Spring - Printemps - Frühling 2010

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Sat, 22 May 2010 19:10:00 +0200

Spring at last!

Printemps enfin !

Frühling, endlich!

(Click on the images to enlarge)

This year, it seemed that spring would never come. And perhaps it didn't, since it feels like we have jumped right into summer at this long Pentecost week-end. We moved without transition from opening all curtains in our veranda to get every sun ray heating up the house, to closing them in order to keep out the heat. It seems like yesterday that my hands went numb in an attempt to clean the swimming pool, and yesterday my wife took her first plunge at 22° C.
The last night frost was in the early days of May!

The landscape around us has changed dramatically in a very short time span, as some of these images show. The efforts of the vine are enormous. In about three months, the grapes will already be harvested. The climate in Provence is harsh on plants.

10 days after the image above, on the same spot

Another 18 days later

28 April, and the same spot

on 16 May

Two more images around Cuers, about 20 km from Collobrières.
Despite the short distance, vegetation is already further developed in this valley, open to the southern winds from the sea.

Studio de portraits - portes ouvertes 8-9 mai 2010

Hans-Josef Jeanrond — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:10:00 +0200

Walk-in Portrait Studio

Portrait Sudio Tag der offenen Tür

A l'occasion du Printemps des Arts de Collobrières, organisé par l'Association des Artistes et Créateurs de Collobrières (AACC), j'installerai mon studio de portrait dans la Salle des Association, à coté de la Mairie.
Venez seul, en famille ou entre amis, pour vous faire photographier, sans engagement et sans obligation d'acheter les photos.
Vous trouvez que vous n'êtes pas photogénique ? Réfléchissez à cette définition : "On est photogénique quand on est prêt de donner de soi."

La photo ci-dessus montre une femme de caractère et un original de notre village. Mon hommage à Betsy. (Elisabeth Aguettant ; cliquer sur l'image pour l'agrandir)

Voici un petit échantillon des fruits de mes portes ouvertes.
Voir aussi ici

Olivia, 14 ans, essayant différentes identités :