What is "success"?

Success is not having a paper published about you and your blogs and photos in the June's number of Prima 2008, success is not even having published a book years back.

Success is not even having got a late PhD, not even having wonderful children.

Success is being able to overcome everything that had fallen on you, like Kipling said so well in his poem about how to become a man. Success is being able to rise again, to believe something good will come from it, whatever happens now, and doing everything possible to live on. To discover what is wonderful around the corner.

Every day I add to my blogs:
Retro blog
Il y a de la vie après 70 ans
Photoblog Tranches de vie
and this newest one in english:
julie70 in London
and of course, participate in the !afterclass! group classes day by day on flickr

After flower class

I am still digesting what I learned in the Afterclass, here is a poppy I took first from realitvely near, then nearer and nearer, and last from afar.

At a click on this one, you may see the others and tell me which one do you prefer, also I think that each images gives something different.

After seeing orange poppies, white ones, this "normal" red caught my eye in the garden before my swimming pool. Alas, the pool is no more open in the morning, when I like to go. The eastern holiday is finished and the school's go to teach children there. Which is good. But I still wish it would be open between, let's say 7 and 8 for us, "early birds".

Petit dej à la française

Bonne appétit! Croissants, pains au chocolat, chaussons au pommes...

The 1st May, even if it was a little late, after 10 in the morning, the Mairie, (townhouse?) offered a breakfast, of course, French. Coffee and all this.

I have like most the ones with apple sauce inside: the "chassons au pommes".

But I can say proudly now: "I did not touch any of it", went to take a photo (before they opened to public) and then continued to take pictures of people. I did not loose 15 kg (around 30 pounds) to gain it back! I have to loose some more and become, again, more "me".

I will not be young again and I will not be as thin as I was then either, but at least less will weight on my bones. But if you come to France, do not hesitate: one has to taste them at least once!

Argenteuil en Seine, children

There was a lot of fun and games and things to do at the festival near ne Seine this 1 mai, but one of the things they liked most is dress up.

Here, one of the smallest "canoniers".

Canotier, boater, where in fact rich, not anyone could have a boat on the Seine, but they did invite others, so it became more and more popular.

This was supposed to be their "uniform" with this kind of hats and white shirt, black jacket.

And red scarf too.


That time, beginning of 1900, the impressionists time near the Seine, the ladies had umbrellas to hide from the sun, remain with white skin. We did forget it later, and so many skins got ill! Mine too.

Some of old usages had more then one reason!

Argenteuil en Seine

I took about 500 images in four hours, a big pleasure, indeed. But how much work that represents after taking them!

Each image is worth a reflexion, sometimes an adjustment, here for example a tale or description.

This "old" lady, not much older then me in fact, dressed in very elegant old kind of gown was taking care of small children, his grand children? Others? I did not ask. She was so charming! and also happy to be photographed, so I took a few different pictures of her. From afar and from near too, portrait like and candids too.

She was there in the morning when arrived, near the entrance, and she was almost at same place two hours later, when I left for lunch.

Such a serenity in her look, I just wish I could have the same!

Beautifull festival of 1st May

"Argenteuil en Seine" to remember we need a place near the Seine to walk: for the moment the city does not have one any more, just hoping to regain it again.

Lots of men dressed like the old rascals, with red scarf, the women prefered to put on old kind of hats, like ladies. I took some candids, lots of portraits, some interactions, but in all I have taken more then 400! Here are the first 32.

And with that, the afternoon, I went to an hour "promenade musicale on the Seine" then, after returning we went (four of us) with a Gondolier for half an hour. And here I am with him, after we returned.
(It does look as if I knew him...)

May is about Emotions

We begun a new class, new theme lead by Steve, a photographer who takes sport photos (golf) in different part of the world, and it is about Expressing Emotion in our images.

It is a wonderful challenge for me!

Usually, people smile at me when they look and see they are photographed, but I do not ask them. Sometimes, though, to be more them self, I do ask to think about their loved ones.

Probably, candid photography is best (without them knowing you have taken them) to express a huge range of emotions. Yes, to learn to take those will be a real challenge for me this month!