Sweet Treat © Harold Davis

In Auvers-sur-Oise, I stayed at the Hostellerie du Nord—described in the Rick Steves guidebook as “a small, friendly, polished treat for those who want to sleep in luxury” with a “seriously good” restaurant.

All true, but what Rick Steves didn’t convey was the flavor of the place as a rendezvous spot for Parisian couples who wanted a long, languorous and seductive meal before proceeding upstairs to one of the sensuous rooms. Mine was decorated with reproductions of Gauguin paintings of bare-breasted Tahitian beauties.

The atmosphere oozed seductiveness, from the omnipresent statuary of buxom women and Art Nouveau glass to the style of the dinner—formal and extensive, but slow enough and with so much variety that one wouldn’t really get overfull. As I ate I enjoyed playing the voyeur and watching the attractive couples around me, and fantasizing about what would happen once the many courses were done. I would have liked to share my strawberry tasting dessert, shown above in an iPhone photo, while lazily thinking about the sweet treat that might follow!

Villandry © Harold Davis

This geometric fantasy is largely the creation of Dr. Joachim Carvallo, and dates from the early years of the twentieth century. Dr. Carvallo was a Spanish-born doctor and medical researcher who married an American heiress. Together, they restored the Chateau at Villandry, and created what is considered by some the most beautiful garden in the world.

Meditation at Giverny © Harold Davis

In Monet’s time, a train track bisected his garden in the horizontal direction, with the water garden on the other side of the tracks from his house and primary flower garden. There still are essentially two distinct areas, connected via an underground passage, but the trains have been replaced with a fairly busy road.

I spent the bulk of my time in the water garden area. Sure, the flower garden was nice, and the tulips were in bloom—but in some ways it was fairly conventional, organized in rows and beds. But there is nothing in the whole world like Monet’s waterlilies.

There’s a sense in which the views and vistas at Giverny evoke a subliminal memory of Monet’s paintings just by the elements that are present, such as the green, arching bridge. I tried to present that almost Proustian feeling of a visual memory at the threshold of recognition in my photos.

My approach and philosophy was to photograph the pieces that I thought I would need, taking my time with my camera on the tripod. The goal in post-production would be to combine the exposures, and to use the arts of digital post-production to create imagery that evoke feelings that might perhaps be worthy of the setting, and the connection with Monet.

With this image, I used the long exposure times combined with elements that were moving in the fairly stiff breeze to add an intentionally impressionistic effect. Combining multiple exposures allowed me to extend the “impressionism” across a broader swath of the image than would have been possible in a single exposure.

Exposure and processing data: 200mm, five exposures (two at 3/5 of a second, one each at 1/4 of a second, 1.3 seconds, and 2.5 seconds), circular Polarizer, +4ND filter, each exposure at f/29 and ISO 200, tripod mounted; processed and combined in Nik HDR Efex Pro and Photoshop, with effects added using LAB color adjustments, Nik Color Efex, Topaz Adjust, Topaz Simplify, and PixelBender.

Here’s what one collector says about her copy of Botanique: “All I can say is WOW. What a magnificent piece of work this is.  It seems that each time I turn the pages I find something different and unique to look at in each of the flowers. What a masterpiece.  My words cannot do it justice. I am proud to own this exquisite artwork.”

Monochromatic Visions portfolio by Harold Davis

Monochromatic Visions, my limited edition portfolio of twelve spectacular black & white prints, is still in pre-publication. You can order a copy of the entire portfolio via the Monochromatic Visions Kickstarter project for a pledge of $1200. Individual prints from the portfolio are also available, with pledges starting at $200.

Speaking of the Monochromatic Visions Kickstarter, you can challenge me as an artist and help me achieve my artistic goals by helping towards the “stretch goal” of sending me to Japan to create a washi portfolio of prints. Pledge rewards for this stretch goal start as low as $20, and include an original print from the project for $250 or the entire portfolio of 12 washi prints from Japan at $650 (two copies are left at this price). Please visit the Kickstarter project for details, and thank you for your support.

•  This week, I am giving a webinar on Thursday, May 23 about post-production in night photography, specifically about how to handle some of the issues that come up in long exposures to make for more exciting images. Here’s the link for registration and more information.
  

  Ghosts of Paris © Harold Davis

• On Sunday, June 2 we are sponsoring a free, unguided shoot in memory of my friend and student Jack Tasoff. Click here for more information about the event.
• There’s only one spot remaining in the Sunday, June 23 full moon Golden Gate workshop. Click here to register. I don’t expect this spot to stay available for long!
• My Photographing Flowers for Transparency workshop is unique, as I am the inventor of many of the techniques you’ll learn. I give the workshop, which covers all aspects of the process from conception, arrangement and photography through post-production, with plenty of time for you to create your own hands-on imagery. I only plan to give this workshop once a year. In December 2013 it will be hosted in Berkeley, CA, and in 2014 I will give the workshop in Germany. Click here for information and registration for the 2013 Photographing Flowers for Transparency workshop.

I have some exciting new events planned for the autumn, and will let you know as these plans materialize.

Mark Brokering and I are planning to lead another photography workshop in Paris in the spring of 2014. The tentative dates are April 26, 2014 through May 4, 2014. This is one day longer than the 2013 workshop.

City of Light © Harold Davis

We are planning in 2014 to include a visit to Monet’s garden at Giverny, along with exclusive access after hours, as this was one of the highlights in 2013 (I can’t wait to go back to Giverny!). Click here to see 2013 workshop participants on the steps of Monet’s house at Giverny.

We’ll also include many of the highlights and best locations of the 2013 workshop, along with some new destinations, such as the relatively unknown Parc de Sceaux. As in 2013, we’ll be hosted at the historic and extraordinary 4-star left-bank Hotel Lutetia.

Parc de Sceaux © Harold Davis

Luxembourg Gardens © Harold Davis

The dates for the 2014 workshop are still tentative, in part because I’d like the workshop to follow the opening for my planned gallery exhibition in Paris. I’m hoping it will work out so that anyone who wants to fly in a few days earlier can also come to my opening.

Participation in the 2014 Photography with Harold Davis in Paris workshop will of course be limited, and priority will be given to 2013 participants who (like me) can’t get enough of Paris!

If you are interested in the 2014 workshop, please drop me a (non-binding) expression of interest, and also feel free to ask me or Mark Brokering any questions you may have about the 2014 workshop.

A full prospectus and itinerary for the 2014 workshop, along with online registration, will be available in the next few weeks…stay tuned!

Eiffel Tower from Sacre Coeur Dome © Harold Davis

Exposure data: 24mm, nine exposures at shutter speeds from 1/800 of a second to 2/5 of a second, each exposure at ISO 200 and f/25; tripod mounted; exposures combined using Nik HDR Efex Pro, processed in Photoshop, and converted to monochromatic using Photoshop and Nik Silver Efex Pro.

Chateau de Nazelles © Harold Davis

Exposure info: Nine exposures, each exposure at f/22 and ISO 100, with shutter speeds ranging from one second to 1/200 of a second; tripod mounted; exposures combined using Nik HDR Efex Pro and processed in Photoshop, with monochromatic conversion using Nik Silver Efex Pro and Photoshop black & white adjustment layers.

Eiffel © Harold Davis

To make this image, I turned my camera up towards the tour. To exaggerate the open and lacy feeling of the structure, I overexposed by about 2 EVs. This made sure that the darker areas of the tower didn’t go entirely black, and allowed the filigree patterns in the less dense areas to emerge.

The final settings at 22mm focal length and ISO 200 were a 1/80 of a second shutter speed and f/4.5.

Katie Rose is 5 © Harold Davis

How time flies! Five years ago we were caught in that country where the boundaries of life and death come close. How reassuring it would have been to look forward those years to see her now.

Click here to read more about The Story of Katie Rose.