In April 2012, Dick and I went on an incredible photography trip to Monet’s Garden in France and Keukenhof Gardens in Holland with the talented photographer, Charles Needle. I processed many of our photos and blogged about some of the places that captured our hearts. Our lives were turned upside down in May 2012 when Dick was diagnosed with glioblastoma. The luxury of processing photos became a memory. This week I have been motivated to look over our France photos as I am getting ready to join the dear friends we made on that trip at a reunion in Callaway Gardens. Back in France,...

While we were in France we visited the town of Vernon, situated on the banks of the River Seine about 70 km from Paris. We spent most of our time in the village of Giverny, so visiting Vernon (population 25,000), was like venturing off to the big city. They hold an outdoor marketplace twice a week which covers a 16 block area in the town center. It was filled with everything from live chickens and parakeets and luscious fruits and vegetables, to brilliant cloth and stylish dresses. There was ready to eat barbecue chicken and raw fish. There were shoppers overflowing onto the streets. The scene...

These photos were all shot at a 16th century farm near Giverny, France. Most of them were shot in HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode.We took three photos of the same image at different shutter speeds. We then combined the photos with a software process to bring out the details in both the shadows and the highlights to get a deeper range of color.This ancient farm was the perfect setting to experiment with the HDR process with the varied textures and contrasts of the rustic buildings.We also enjoyed photographing the beautiful French countryside. Everywhere we went you could see these incredible fields...

Monet's distinctive pink stucco house with green trim overlooks a one hectare (2 and one half acre) walled garden. The flower garden is known as Le Clos Normand. On either side of the central path, there are multiple paths with exquisite flower beds in an array of colors that both contrast and complement each other. Vertical arbors are used for climbing vines.We had the pleasure of photographing in the garden for 5 days and made new discoveries every day! You can see why impressionist artist Claude Monet used his gardens at Giverny as inspiration for his works. Please see my blog post of 6/24/12...

We spent five incredible days in Giverny, France, the home of Monet's Garden. Giverny is a small village located 80 km. west of Paris. It has a few bed & breakfasts, galleries and restaurants. There are, however, no drug stores, grocery stores or commercial enterprises. Tha main attraction to this quaint village is Claude Monet's home and garden and museums dedicated to Monet and Impressionism. Our photography group, led by Charles Needle, was fortunate to have access to the gardens in the early morning hours and again in the late afternoon and evening hours when the grounds were closed...