For experience, it was a first time for me to use the bus from the airport to Antibes where the hotel is. We also walked a lot.

And yay! I forgot how charming some old French ladies (on the bus) are and I am glad I do have a rejoinder to tell them when they get a tad nasty. Apart from that, everyone were very nice.

Below are some of my images from the trip…

Whenever the weather is clear I do try to get take a couple of photographs from the airplane window. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Lucky on this trip, I got excellent shots from the window.

Lac de Ste Croix

We got to the hotel late, checked in and went to have a stroll and take low light photos. Using 50mm f1.4 lenses, we managed without tripod.

The Antibes Rallye was still going and we got to to shoot the racing cars parked for the night.

We got up really early to capture the lovely sunrise and I got to take long exposure shots with the see and the old town of Antibes.

The port of Antibes is lined with private yachts of all sizes!

We arrived in Monaco and we immediately took pictures! With all the wonderfully arranged lights, I played with the manual focus of the Sigma 50mm f1.4 lens and mostly took “bokeh” shots

The Monaco Kart Cup was on as well so half the time in Monaco went to shooting the race.

We did go to the Monaco Oceanographic Museum which is located at the seafront on which is known as Le Rocher or the Rock where the Palais is located.

The aquariums are excellent, clear and full of active fish. It was well lit so we did not encounter any problem while photographing them.

We went to Cannes and got some curious looks from the people around us since we were mostly taking photographs of the scene. However, I whipped out my Olympus 35-100mm f2.0 telephoto lens which looked really intimidating. With that I receive a couple of scowls.

And up to the time we were waiting to board out plane back to London, we still took photographs (in the airport).

Conclusion:
Overall it was an excellent trip and yes, I will do it again. And it will be around the same time of the year when the hotel cost is more affordable. There were a lot of photo opportunities and without being hassled by the authorities. Also, I must say that the food was great.

If you are thinking of joining us next year, keep an eye on the blog for updates. One thing for sure we will have is a car to drive around. A vehicle will enable us to visit St Paul de Vence, Eze Village and Nice.

View from hotel room

When: October 16-19, 2009
Hotel: La Petite Reserve.  A small family run hotel in front of the beach, maximum capacity is 15 ppl (more with room sharing).
Please visit hotel’s website to reserve your room.

Our itinerary includes several beautiful locations with a lot of photographic potential. Most are on the seaside and some are perched on top of a hill.  All are photographer friendly and safe.
We will wander around Antibes, its port, beaches and the old town – rain or shine this place is beautiful. We will go to Nice  for the flower market, where we will photograph people selling, buying or just admiring what’s on the stalls.  We will go to Monaco and visit the the port, watch the changing of the guards (depends on schedule) and visit the aquarium for its stunning collection of history, fish and the view from the roof top

Of course if weather permits, we will get up early to catch the sunrise and sunset on the beach. We will also find us a place for some night photography.

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Beginner: You will be shown  some tips on how to better photograph these locations and what new techniques you can try. It won’t be one to one tuition but I am sure you will enjoy the trip and learn a bit about photography.

Intermediate and Advanced: I will take you to different locations where you can practice your photographic skills and capture some stunning photographs.  The book will include information on some walks if you need to wander to do something different.

BOOKING:

Booking  with Holiday guide book £25.00
[quickshop:1009-01 French Riviera + book:price:25:shipping:3:shipping2:0:end]
Last day to book: September 25, 2009

Booking without holiday guide book £20.00
[quickshop:1009-02 French Riviera:price:20:shipping:0:shipping2:0:end]
Last day to book: October 12,2009

Please note that accommodation and transportation are not included in the booking fee.  Please contact the hotel to book your room(s), room rates vary from room to room.

Antibes and seaside night shots

taken in November

perched village, Eze

The Rock, Monaco