BLOG — PhoTophe

ROUND ABOUT A GOOD LIFE

This is the first time I’ve been out shooting since the end of lockdown. It felt good to be out concentrating and putting my total attention on one thing. I’ve wanted to photograph this roundabout for a long time now, well, since 2016 after I successfully captured the Ko We Kara roundabout for a local contest. I finally got my image but…

3 images | 28 mm, 30 seconds @ ƒ/11, ISO 100

… the view point is all wrong. I think the better spot, and I can’t confirm this as it’s in a closed off area, would be on top of the hill located on the other side of the roundabout to the left. From that vantage point I’d have a view of the roundabout and the Belle Vie shopping mall behind it and not to the right, out of sight, like in this image. I will check that hill out again in hopes of finding a spot to reshoot this roundabout.

ABOUT THIS PLACE

Belle Vie roundabout is a major intersection in Noumea. From it you can head into the city, the southern suburbs, northern suburbs or head out of the Noumea altogether. To the left, just out of sight, is the Néobus depot, our new bus line that runs from Koutio to the City centre. To the right, just out of sight as well, is the Belle Vie shopping mall. In the mid-right of the roundabout is Magenta Discount and Magenta Bazar. Behind the trees and roundabout is Cheval Distribution, a pet and animal shop. Beyond the left and right of the image are petrol stations and cemeteries. Check out this blog post for a photo of the beautiful cemeteries we have here and, if your interested, a time-lapse over the same cemetery.

HOW I GOT THE IMAGE

This image was made from three photos. A main photo which included the foreground, most of the light trails and the mid-ground. The second photo was taken five minutes before the main photo and used to replace the sky. And the third photo was used to add light trails at the bottom left of the road and over the ghost cars. The blending was done in Photoshop and the editing in Lightroom.

Though I wanted a blue hour image, I start shooting at sunset and straight through blue hour. Glad I did because the photo I used for the sky was shot at the end of golden hour and the beginning of blue hour. Two out of the three images were 30 second exposures and I achieved that by using LEE Filters’ Little Stopper, a 6 stop neutral density filter. I needed the Little Stopper to get the light trails but as you can see in the photo, the cars were stopped long enough to be captured as ghosts. Love that effect though.

As I mentioned above, I think a better shot would be from the other side of the roundabout but I also think a higher perspective and wider angle lens would make for a better, more captivating image.

LOVERS BAY ROAD LOOKOUT

I’ve been talking about Baie des Tortues (Turtle Bay) on my last couple of posts and once or twice before that, but they’ve been detail photos, except for one that was taken from this exact spot but at night, so I thought I’d share a day image of the beach of Baie des Tortues (Turtle Bay).

2 images | 48 mm, 10 seconds @ ƒ/11, ISO 100Little Stopper + Polariser

The luck I had was that it was almost low tide when I took this shot, revealing the tunnel of the cliff, the Pierced Rock (la Roche Percée). Situated smack bang in the middle of the image with it’s own tiny beach in front of the entrance. At low tide you have access to the tunnel from the beach. The hole goes straight through the cliff to the other side where you join the other beach and peninsula, la Roche Percée, which you can see behind the cliff and to the right of the image. The tunnel is quite narrow and is part of the Sentier des Trois Baies (the Three Bay Trail) which includes Baie de la Roche Percée (Pierced Rock Bay), Baie des Tortues (Turtle Bay) and Baie des Amoureux (Lovers Bay). A beautiful walk if ever you have the time.

The beach behind the cliff is where I took the photo from my last post, Le Bourailais. This rock formation at the end of the cliff, known as le Bonhomme (the Man), is a landmark in New Caledonia with spiritual importance in Kanake culture. Hop over to my last post for more information on the Bonhomme de Bourail.

On the left side of the Roche Percée (Pierced Rock) cliff is an amazing 280° lookout point with a shrine dedicated to Notre Dame des Flots (Our Lady of the Waves), who watches over the ships. Magnificent views up there.

And of course, just below that is the beach of Baie des Tortues (Turtle Bay). Well known for it’s turtle nesting season in late January, early February. A beautiful little beach, very popular with the locals and tourists for picnicking. Not a bad spot for a romantic sunset either.

This shot was taken from the Route de la Baies des Amoureux (Lovers Bay Road). This small section of the road is part of the Sentier des Trois Baies (the Three Bay Trail), mentioned above. Two photos were taken to make this image. A long exposure of 10 seconds to smooth out the clouds and water, and a shorter 1/8th second exposure to capture the cliff side when the sun shone on it. It was cloudy and rain was on it’s way, as you can see from the top left of the image, but the sky opened long enough on the horizon to provided me with this beautiful light. I blended the 1/8th exposure on to the 10 second exposure in Photoshop and finished editing in Lightroom. Mainly just accentuating the cliff side, beach and water.

So there you go, the gorgeous Turtle Bay in Bourail, New Caledonia. This whole area is worth a visit if ever you’re round the corner.

LE BOURAILLAIS

An early morning rise in hopes of seeing baby turtles but no such luck. A beautiful, clear sky though gave me the opportunity to tryout and test my LEE Filters. One of the subjects was this guy, le Bonhomme, a well known Bouraillais. This post is a follow up of my last one where I spoke about Turtle Bay, located just behind this rock formation.

75 mm, 2 seconds @ ƒ/8, ISO 100Little Stopper - 6 stop neutral density filterND0.9 (3 stop) soft graduated neutral density filter

Le Bonhomme de Bourail (the Man of Bourail) is a famous monolithe of quartz shaped by the waves at high tide and under threat of collapsing by those same waves eroding it’s base. It is said to resemble the profile of a man’s head wearing a hat and with the water hole next to it, it has spiritual importance in Kanak culture. Few have met their demise here, the powerful suction of the water hole dragging them under, trapping them in the caves below, disappearing forever.

The Bonhomme is located between the Roche Percée peninsula (Pierced Rock) and Baie des Tortues (Turtle Bay) near the village of Bourail. Only a couple of hours drive north from Noumea, it is a popular place for tourists and locals alike, and especially surfers as it is one of the only surf beaches in New Caledonia.

To achieve the 2 second exposure on this photo I had to use my Little Stopper from LEE Filters. A neutral density filter that cuts down 6 stops of light. I also used their ND0.9 soft graduated neutral density filter to cut down 3 stops of light in the sky, giving me a balanced exposure with the foreground still in shadows. Though I focused before putting the filters on, I must have touched ever so slightly the focus ring as the Bonhomme is not as sharp as I would like. A silly mistake but one nonetheless. I had converted this image to black & white but I prefer the contrast of the golden glow on the rock formation to the cooler water and sky. It’s more pleasant to the eye and the reason why I photographed it in the first place. Glad I captured a bit of reflection on the bottom of the image too as it helps to lead the viewer’s eye to the monolithe.

Anyway, that’s it for me my friends, hope to see you on the next post. À bientôt.

BLUE TURTLES

Though I don’t take enough of them, I do love long exposures. The effect it has on the elements, the mood it gives a scene, how it can transform the ordinary into the surreal and the way it shows time differently. Here is an example of what I’m talking about.

55 mm, 2 minutes @ ƒ/11, ISO 100LEE Little Stopper (6 stop neutral density filter)

This is the north end of Baie des Tortues (Turtle Bay) located in Bourail next to La Roche Percée (Pierced Rock). Only a two hour drive from Noumea, the Capital of New Caledonia. This area is very popular with tourists and locals and renowned for two landmarks, the Roche Percée (Pierced Rock) and the Bonhomme (the Man). The Roche Percée is a peninsula and a detached suburb of Bourail, known as one of the only surf spots in New Caledonia. And, it is also a cliff with a hole that runs through it from the Roche Percée beach to Baie des Tortues beach, accessible only at low tides. The Bonhomme is a huge monolith of hard quartz sculpted by the waves to resemble a man’s head wearing a hat. Those same waves render it vulnerable as they erode the base threatening it’s collapse. The waves have already eroded a good part of the cliff mentioned above. A yearly phenomenon also occurs on these same two beaches in late January, early February… turtle nesting season.

The nesting season was one of the reasons we were up here and photography was another of those reasons. We’d decided to go for a stroll along the beach of Turtle Bay and maybe capture a sunset. No such luck with that but I did come home with this blue hour photograph. The two minute long exposure turned this frantic scene of choppy waters and threatening clouds into a calm, tranquil, minimalist image. Even the colours are minimal with their tones of blue and the faint touch of orange/red in the sky. The two minute exposure wouldn’t have been possible without the Little Stopper, a 6 stop neutral density filter, from LEE Filters. Without it, only a two second exposure was possible and wouldn’t have given me that misty water and silky smooth clouds. Except for a lot of cleaning up, there was very little editing done. I did edit a black and white version but I felt the contrast was too harsh and thus stuck with the subtler blue tone version.

I’ll edit a photo of the Bonhomme I took about a week before this one and share it on the next blog post. Hope you’ll check it out. Ciao for now.

160 PORTRAITS

City of Noumea

With the spotlight on racism and discrimination these past few weeks, a referendum for independence knocking at the front door of my country and all the tensions that entails, and having experienced racism and discrimination myself… I felt this photo was appropriate.

This huge canvas measuring 16 x 9 metres on the main wall of the Hotel de Ville de Noumea (the Noumea Council building) represent 160 black & white portraits across Noumea’s population. It was part of a photographic exhibition which also included 100 black & white portraits in A0 format exposed around Place des Cocotiers (Coconut Palm Place) to celebrate the City of Noumea’s 160th anniversary. It also shows, for an island, we have an immense ethnic and cultural diversity.

At the time of this exhibition, I was very interested in black & white architectural photos with street lights from a worm’s eye view. Hence my take on the genre. The lights weren’t on when I took the shot so I add that in. Though they were situated across the street, the perspective make them seem to light the wall. Adds a little more interest in the overall image too. A couple of Radial Filters with Exposure, Highlights and Whites turn all the way up lit the street lights and another with an extra stop of Exposure and a lot of Contrast for the 160 portrait canvas. The rest of the edits were very basic, minor touches.

A last reflection, this world is magnificent and beautiful and wonderful and extraordinary. And I’m not just describing the Earth here but also every species on it including us, the one and only race, humans. Our ethnicity, our cultures, our languages, our beliefs, our stories, our histories… and much more is what make us, unique individuals, so different, so interesting, so beautiful in this world worth visiting, exploring, discovering. All of this and much more is what makes this world so magnificent, beautiful, wonderful, extraordinary. Let’s accept each other’s individuality and live in peace ✌🏽

FERRY PARKING

City of Noumea

Cities change constantly and Noumea is no exception. In the fifteen years since I’ve been back here, a lot of change has occurred, especially in the last five years. This photo was taken from the top deck of the P&O Pearl cruise ship back in 2014.

I recommend to anyone to do a cruise at least once in their life. This was my first and though it left Sydney to visit the the island of my country, New Caledonia, it was a fun and eye opening experience. I actually went on this cruise to surprise my brother and a couple of friends who often went on them.

Seeing Noumea from the top deck of the ship was amazing. It took me a while to put the city into perspective even though I’ve rediscovered it for the last eight years. In this photo you’ll notice the Société Le Nickel (SLN) with the white smoke coming out of it’s four chimneys. The Bingo building just below it. The Municipal Police to the right of that and the Pacific Arcade apartments. The Mobilis tower on the hilltop to the right and the Galliéni 1 building below it. Then we have the Bingo parking between it and Sound City and in front of that the Quai Jules Ferry parking… which doesn’t exist anymore. Three large buildings now adorn this space with their respective parking lot. The smallest of the three buildings situated in front of the Bingo is already occupied by Fitness Park, the other two are not quite finished yet. This project is a follow up from the south Quai Ferry construction built in 2010. The hope is to provide bars, restaurants and commerce to revitalise the area and the city. Either way, tourists should have a better view of Noumea when arriving from cruise ships.

When I get the chance, I’ll photograph the buildings and share it with you. See you soon.

Nikon D7100 body only.jpg — **NIKON D7100**

Nikon’s D7100 is a 24 MP crop sensor DSLR camera (body only). It produce sharp images with great quality. This was my first DSLR and I loved it.

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Giotto Lens Cleaning Kit.jpg — **GIOTTO CLEANING KIT**

This lens cleaning kit from Giotto includes a Rocket blower, a soft dust brush, pointed/rounded cotton buds, a microfibre cloth and cleaning solution. I also use it to clean the outside of my camera.

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ONE DAY

Nouville, Noumea

Having a new-born in your life leaves little time to go out shooting. Very busy figuring out a lot of things from the baby’s needs to medical visits, everyday chores and who does what, when. Organisation and finding a routine is key though. Apart from eating and sleeping, babies don’t do much else but a small shifted of just 30 minutes in their routine can make or break your day… and night. Ozalee started to have a fairly steady night routine about five or six days ago. Let’s hope it lasts.

So I may not have a lot of time to go out and about shooting sunrises or sunsets, I do have the time to photograph my baby girl. Videos are important too. They show how they move, react to things, their changing facial expressions, their laughter, the sounds they make and many more things that a photograph can not portray. Don’t worry, I won’t bombard you with baby photos. I have a Lightroom catalogue full of photos I want to share with you.

This photo was taken the day after her birth and at approximately the same time too. She’s one day old here. I took a few shots from different angles and this was the best of the lot. The photo was taken with the Sony a7 III with the Tamron 28-75 ƒ2.8 lens, zoomed all the way in at 75 mm. I went with an aperture of ƒ/4 to get enough depth of field to get all her eye in focus. A shutter speed of 1/125th second was plenty as she wasn’t moving. The ISO was too high for my liking but I had no choice with just a small light illuminating the room. I was pleasantly surprised though to see the photo void of noise. The light, shadows, tones and subject made for a beautiful black & white conversion and very little edit was needed. I’m going to get this one printed for sure.

Well thank everyone for you patience and putting up with my baby photos. Hope to see you in a few days for an old photo dating back to 2013.

Sony a7 III body only.jpg — **SONY a7 III**

24MP full-frame mirrorless camera from Sony’s Alpha series. Also does 4K video. A great all-round camera.

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Tamron E 28-75mm ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD.jpg — **TAMRON STANDARD ZOOM LENS**

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Cleaning swabs by UES for full-frame sensor cameras. DSLR or mirrorless. I clean my camera sensor at least once a year, more depending on where I’ve been.

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LODGE FLOWERS

Mount Koghi, Dumbea

We have been officially out of confinement since the 4th May. This is a six week trial. Let’s hope we don’t get a case in that time.

A beautiful Spring day brought us, my grandmother, mother, aunt, a friend and her two kids, to the Auberge du Mont Koghi (Mount Koghi Lodge). This was back in 2018 when my mother was visiting from Australia. I came back with a few memorable family photos and these closeup shots.

55 mm, 1/125th second @ ƒ/5.6, ISO 200

55 mm, 1/320th second @ ƒ/5.6, ISO 200

55 mm, 1/500th second @ ƒ/5.6, ISO 200

55 mm, 1/400th second @ ƒ/5.6, ISO 400

55 mm, 1/320th second @ ƒ/5.6, ISO 800

It was the end of Winter and we were slowly moving into Spring. A lot of flowers had already blossomed and others waiting for a little more warmth before doing so. It had been a long time since we’d visited the Auberge du Mont Koghi and it had been sold and closed for quite a while too. The lodge reopened mid June 2018 with new management, staff and all new chef specials on the menu but retained it’s special French Savoyard cuisine it was known for. Isolated in the Koghi Mountains in Dumbea yet no more than a 30 minute drive from Noumea, it’s a great place to get away and relax for the day or a few in one of their refurbished bungalows. Checkout the magnificent panoramic view or go for a stroll in the forest. Enjoy lunch, dinner, coffee or a sunset drink… there are plenty of reasons to go there but with a place like this, you don’t need one.

These closeup (macro-ish) photos were taken with my Canon EOS 1300D/Rebel T6 camera and kit lens. Zoomed all the way in at 55 mm to get really close to my subjects and get a blurred background. The widest aperture available for that focal length is ƒ/5.6, helped achieve the blurred background and let in as much light as possible. A native ISO of 200 gave me clean, noiseless images and I adjusted for more light when needed. Minimum shutter speed was at least twice that of the focal length, 1/125th second, to get those clean, sharp images and I increased it depending on the wind. Apart from missing my focus by a millimetre on a couple of shot, I’’m very happy with these photos. I thought I would have gotten a slightly larger depth of field at ƒ/5.6 but I can’t complain to much with such a beautiful blurred background. And the colours are just gorgeous.

As many of you know from my last post, a new chapter has begun in my life with the birth of my daughter. We’re in the process of finding a balance between family, work and our hobbies/passions and I know we’ll get there. I’m asking for your understanding and patience if at any time there’s a lack of content on the blog. Saying that, I’d like to thank everyone for your support so far. Thank very you.

Before going, I hear more and more countries are coming out of auto-confinement which is great news, nonetheless, remember the protective measures are still in vigour. Stay safe everyone and I hope to see you on the next post.

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**WANDRD PRVKE**

PRVKE 31 lt. travel/camera backpack from WANDRD. Has a laptop sleeve, a tablet sleeve, a hidden pocket, room for a camera insert and storage to spare. Also extends to provide 6 lt. of extra storage. It’s my everyday carry.

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**WANDRD CAMERA CUBE**

The WANDRD camera cube insert is a perfect fit for the PRVKE backpack. Can also be used on it’s own too.

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**SANDISK MEMORY CARDS**

SanDisk Extreme Pro SDXC memory cards are fast and reliable. With 128 GB you never run out of storage for photos or videos. It’s what I choose to use.

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**GIOTTO CLEANING KIT**

This lens cleaning kit from Giotto includes a Rocket blower, a soft dust brush, pointed and rounded cotton buds, a microfibre cloth and cleaning solution. Also great for cleaning the outside of your camera too.

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**UES CLEANING SWABS**

Cleaning swabs by UES for crop sensor cameras with APS-C, CMOS and CCD sensors. I clean my camera sensor at least once a year, more depending on where I’ve been.

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OZALEE

Noumea

I have the immense pleasure in announcing to you the birth of our daughter, Ozalee, born on the 3rd May 2020 at 4:55 p.m.

I apologies for the lack of content lately but as you now know, my attention was elsewhere. Mother and baby are doing great and arrived home from the clinic yesterday. The beginning of a new chapter in my life and I’m very excited about it. Anyway, I won’t go all gaga on you, suffice to say I’m on cloud 9.

I’m absolutely stoked about this portrait of Ozalee. Things happen quickly at birth and the baby constantly moves. Taken only an hour and a half after birth, I was praying I had gotten the shot. There isn’t a lot of light in the delivery room so I used a high ISO (3200). Aperture was wide open (ƒ/2.8) to let in as much light as possible and shutter speed (1/160th) at least twice that of my focal length (64 mm) to make sure I freeze the moment. I used AF-C (continuous auto-focus) to nail the focus every time. OK, I missed a few times but it worked most of the time. And I got the shots because I used Hi-speed shooting to capture that crucial moment.

I can’t tell you how priceless these photos are. Unlike studio shoots where you have the time to stimulate and grab the baby’s attention to capture expressions and poses, in the delivery room you don’t have the luxury of time. You have to take advantage of every opportunity to snap as many photos as possible. There’s no second chance here. Studio photos are taken a week or more after the birth… you can do them any time. They’re beautiful and amazing too and a must for anyone who can afford to do them. But a photo of your baby seconds, minutes, hours after birth are memories you’ll cherish all your life.

Enough said, I hope everyone’s staying safe and are still using the protective measures. This thing isn’t over yet. Stay safe and cherish the moments with your loved ones.

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Sony a7 III (body only) a full-frame, mirrorless camera. A great all-round camera.

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TAMRON STANDARD ZOOM LENS

Tamron E 28-75 mm ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD standard zoom lens for E-mount cameras.

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Sony NP-FZ100 lithium-ion z series battery.

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SANDISK MEMORY CARD

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GIOTTO CLEANING KIT

Giotto cleaning kit for lenses includes a rocket blower, a dust brush, pointed and rounded tip cotton buds, a microfibre cloth and a cleaning solution.

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UES CLEANING SWABS

UES cleaning swabs for full-frame sensors.

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New CaledoniaCHRIStophe Robert HERVOUËTMay 8, 2020portrait, new caledonia, nouvelle caledonie, noumea, sony, a7 3, a7 III, tamron e 28-75 mm f2.8 di iii rxd, christophe robert hervouet, christophe hervouet, baby, b&w, black & white, monochrome, new born, ozalee

THE SOUTHERN WAY

La Roche Percée, Bourail

Second week of our slow exit from confinement and people are starting to forget to implement the protective measures that are still very important.

Back in October I wrote a blog post about getting a new camera setup and trying astro-photography. This is one of those photos I captured. I’ve looked at this photos a few times but it was only on my last edit check that I realised I had captured, not only, the Milky Way but the Southern Cross as well. And that’s because of the research I did for a recent blog post, Celestial Confinement, where I learned to use Alpha Centauri AB and the Southern Cross to find the South Celestial Pole.

28 mm, 10 seconds @ ƒ/2.8, ISO 12800Sony a7 III + Tamron E 28-75 mm ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD

In January of last year, I spent a few days with my friend, who was minding a house here, at La Roche Percée. Located on the coast of Bourail which is about a two hour drive north of Noumea. It’s a very popular area with one of New Caledonia’s renowned landmark, Le Bonhomme. Plenty of accommodation, from camping to four star hotel, around the area. Lots to do as well.

It was turtle nesting season and I went out in hopes of seeing baby turtles. No such luck but since there was a fairly clear sky filled with stars, I decided to test my new camera setup (the Sony A7 III with the Tamron E 28-75mm ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD lens) and my hand at capturing the night sky. I admit, I could’ve taken my time to find a better foreground interest but, in my defence, I just wanted to see how well I could capture the stars with my setup.

I hadn’t planned this shot at all. It was a spur of the moment thing when I saw the Milky Way above me. So I set my tripod right where I was and took several exposures with different settings. I noticed the longest exposure I could take without creating star trails was 15 seconds with an ISO of 6400. A longer exposure would create oval shaped stars, especially in the corners, the beginning of star trails. This shot is a 10 second exposure with ISO at a whopping 12,800. Not necessary at all but I wanted to see the amount of noise I’d get with a long exposure. Very little noticeable noise in the sky though very noticeable in the foreground. For best results, a second, very long exposure would’ve been needed for a cleaner and brighter foreground.

I looked at a lot of tutorials on how to edit the Milky Way and it took me a long time and many trials before finding my own editing process and achieve something I was happy with. No fancy Photoshop edit, just some Lightroom brush work.

It was once the photo was ready for sharing that I recognised the two bright stars of Alpha Centauri AB at the bottom of the Milky Way, and the Southern Cross just above it. I was so stoked. This, of course, was thanks to research I did a few weeks ago for my blog post Celestial Confinement. I have to say, this photo means a lot more to me now.

I got a little too excited and provided the illustrated photo to the right for those who are not into astrology. I hope you find this fascinating though or, at least, interesting. Especially for you amateurs and enthusiasts out there, who are getting into this kind of photography. Taking beautiful photos is great but having knowleadge what you’re I think it gives more meaning to your photos. Let me know what you think over on Twitter at @Hervouet.

Now please everyone, whether you’re still in auto-confinement or not, make sure you’re implementing the protective measures of washing hands, social distancing, no touching, coughing and sneezing in your elbow and when possible wear a mask and gloves. Stay safe.

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A full-frame, mirrorless DSLR from the Sony Alpha series cameras.

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**VANGUARD TRIPOD**

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**L-BRACKET**

L-bracket / plate for Sony Alpha series cameras.

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**SANDISK EXTREME PRO**

128GB Extreme Pro SDXC memory card from SanDisk.

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**LETMY HEADLAMP**

LED headlamp from Letmy with white and red light.

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DREHU VILLAGE POOL

Wé, Lifou

27th and last day of confinement.

Almost three years ago now, I had the honour to photograph my cousin’s wedding in Lifou. We spent five days in total to, not only, photograph the administrative, religious and traditional wedding but also photograph and visit this beautiful Loyalty Island, that is Lifou. We stayed, here, at the Drehu Village hotel in Wé, the capital of Lifou. I’ve got a few more photos over on my profiles Facebook, Instagram and Flickr if you’d like to see more of Lifou.

5 images HDR | 11 mm, 2 seconds @ ƒ/8, ISO 200Panasonic Lumix LX100

The Drehu Village hotel offers a couple of suites and 28 bungalows. They’re clean, comfortable, spacious and quiet. The bar area, just off to the right of this photo, doubles as the breakfast area. The restaurant, to the left with the green and purple lights, serves delicious and beautifully presented meals made from fresh, local ingredients. And of course, a pool. The staff are kind and their services efficient. Different activities are also available along the gorgeous beach of Chateaubriand Bay, where the hotel is located. Nothing bad to say about this hotel, really. You can even get good deals all year round.

This is a HDR (High Dynamic Range) image comprising of five exposures of two to thirty seconds. They were taken with a great little point & shoot camera, the Panasonic Lumix LX100. I’d bought it, after I had all my gear stolen, just to have a small camera to shoot with while saving for a DSLR. And yes, I photographed the wedding with it. Back to the image, composition-wise, I should’ve framed to the right a touch to included more of the bar area. And also towards the end of blue hour for a more pleasing image with the complimenting colour in the sky. Apart from those things I’m quite happy with it and quite surprised at the quality of the end image. The five long exposures were blended and edited in Lightroom with a number of local adjustments. Clarity and highlights on the wood panels in the foreground and the swimming pool. Colour correction at the bar and the restaurant. And a bit of Defringe in the sky and the roofs. I’m pretty happy with this image.

The Panasonic Lumix LX100 has it’s limits but within them, it produces amazingly good images which means you can take great photos with it. It’s got full manual controls, a Leica lens and can shoot 4K video. This camera is great for someone who’s looking for a fairly compact, point & shoot system and would like to get off Auto and into Manual shooting. Or even someone who shoots Manual but wants a compact point & shoot camera. Looks pretty stylish too, in my opinion.

So, I hope everyone’s is dealing well with confinement and using this time to improve your skills in whatever you’re interested in or learning new skills. There’s no better time for it. Starting tomorrow, here in New Caledonia, we’re slowly coming out of auto-confinement. Great for morales and the economy. But, that doesn’t mean everything is back to normal. On the contrary, it is more important than ever to follow the strict measures or protection. The distance between each other, washing our hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, coughing or sneezing into our elbows and, if possible, wear a mask. Any mask. And please, protect yourself, those you love and others by staying safe at home.

**PANASONIC LUMIX LX100**

12.8 MP point and shoot camera with 4K video

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**VANGUARD TRIPOD**

Vanguard VEO 235AB tripod with TBH-50 ball head

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**SANDISK MEMORY CARD**

SanDisk Extreme Pro 128 GB class 10 SDXC memory card

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**THINK TANK MEMORY CARD CASE**

Think Tank Photo Pixel Pocket Rocket SD memory card case

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**GIOTTO LENS CLEANING KIT**

Giotto rocket air blower, fine dust brush, rounded & pointed tips cotton buds, microfibre cloth and cleaning solution

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**WANDRD PRVKE**

WANDRD PRVKE 31 lt. travel and camera backpack

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CELESTIAL CONFINEMENT

6ème Kilomètre, Noumea

Day 20 of auto-confinement announces an extra week of… confinement.

My failure to capture the Super-moon this week pushed me to try my hand at capturing the South Celestial Pole. Though the conditions weren’t the best (the full moon), the opportunity was, with clear skies and the terrace facing south/west. I don’t think it’s too bad for my first attempt, what do you think?

The South Celestial Pole is difficult to explain. It’s an imaginary point in the sky that shows the rotational axis of the Earth. It’s a point in the sky where stars seem to rotate in a circle but in fact it’s the Earth rotating. The South Celestial Pole is only visible from the Southern Hemisphere and the North Celestial Pole only from the Northern Hemisphere.

535 images | 28 mm, 30 seconds @ ƒ/8, ISO 400Sony a7 III + Tamron E 28-75 mm ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD

The idea was to capture the South Celestial Pole through multiple long exposures. Then stack them using StarStax (or any other software that can do the same job) to produce a single image. I would need a few hundred photos for the effect wanted so, apart from a camera and lens, I would need a tripod and an intervalometer. Even though I have a wired remote shutter release, I used the Sony a7 III’s in-body intervalometer for this project. I ended up shooting for about five and half hours but that’s because I miscalculated the total duration time of the project. I based my calculations just on the intervalometer which gave me an hour and half total duration time (1800 exposures x 3 second intervals or pauses between exposures). My mistake was not realising that the intervalometer wasn’t taking into consideration the exposure time of 30 seconds for each of the 1800 exposures, which gives me fifteen hours of just exposure time. Yep, off by that much. I used the PhotoPills app to find the South Celestial Pole but unfortunately, the calibration was slightly off and thus the pole isn’t centred above the flame, as I’d intended. No matter, now I know and will give it a go another time.

I started shooting around 11:30 pm and stopped round 5 am, which gave me about 600 photos. I didn’t use all of them as a few in the beginning and end had too many clouds and a handful in the middle had moved when I stepped out onto the terrace at 1 am thinking it was all finished. It’s also when I thought about why my calculation was off. I ended up using 535 photos for this image. I edited the first one in Lightroom then synched the edit to all the images. I exported them to a folder on my desktop then imported them into the StarStax application. Oh, I forgot to mention that I took a dark frame at the end of the shoot. That is, the exact same exposure as the other 600 but with the lens cap on, to capture a dark image. I also imported this frame into StarStax. It helps with noise and other stuff. Astro-photographers say you should also take bias frames but I didn’t bother. I mean, I almost forgot about the dark frame let alone the bias ones. Anyway, once the 535 photos and dark frame imported, I just clicked on process and left the application do it’s thing. The stacked image shown wasn’t great, to tell you the truth. So I reprocessed the 535 photos multiple times with different settings/configurations but the stacked image was never… it never seemed quite finished. It wasn’t the results I was hoping for. Until I decided to go ahead and export one of the stacked images and saw it was just fine, great even. The application must do a final rendering as it exports the final stacked image because the difference is day and night. Happy with the image, I brought it back into Lightroom for a final edit then into Photoshop for a bit of cleaning and added the flame on the torch. I couldn’t let the torch burn all night so decided to photoshop it in instead. Not the best work but it does the trick, no?

I hope I’ve explained myself clearly enough for you to understand how I came away with this image. If not, let me give you a simpler explanation. I took lots of photos of the exact same scene/picture. Now the foreground (terrace, buildings and trees) don’t move but the stars do, they rotate in the sky. So once I stacked all the photos on top of each other, because the foreground (terrace, buildings and trees) hasn’t moved, it stays exactly the same in the final image. The stars though have moved/rotated during the night, so once stacked, it shows the path they’ve travelled during the night, hence the circles in the final image.

I hope that has helped a little and I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. Talk to you soon and don’t forget, if your area is in auto-confinement, please stay home and if not or you’re working, please protect yourself and others by implementing the protective measures. Stay safe.

**SONY a7 III**

24 MP full-frame, mirrorless camera (body only)

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**TAMRON LENS**

E-mount 28-75 mm ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD standard zoom lens

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**SANDISK MEMORY CARD**

SanDisk Extreme Pro 128 GB SDXC memory card

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**WIRED SHUTTER RELEASE**

JJC wired remote timer/shutter release for Sony Alpha series cameras

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**L-PLATE/BRACKET**

quick release arca-swiss L-plate/bracket for Sony Alpha series cameras

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THE OLD KOUTIO TOLLS

L’ANCIEN PÉAGE DE KOUTIO

Koutio, Dumbea

Doing just fine on this 13th day of auto-confinement.

Glad I came across these photos because it documents an era in New Caledonian history, road tolls. I’ve even had a hard time finding relevant information and there aren’t a lot of photos either. So I’m glad I can share something that doesn’t exist anymore.

18 mm, 15 seconds @ ƒ/8, ISO 100Nikon D3200 + Nikkor AF-S DX 18-55mm ƒ/3.5-5.6G VR

The Voie Express no.2 (E2) or, more locally known as, Savexpress is a highway that expands from Dumbea to Païta. The highway opened in 1979 and the tolls a year later, they provided a rapid entry/exit into Noumea from the north. After 33 years in operation, the toll gates closed at the end of 2013 and were destroyed in 2014, only a few months after these photos was taken.

Quite controversial since it’s opening, users on one hand cut travel times down dramatically but, on the other, would spend on average $150-$200 a month for the privilege. A couple of years before it’s destruction, there were talks of moving it farther north toward the international airport La Tontouta. In the end they decided to get rid of the tolls altogether.

My Fujifilm FinePix S9500 died on me a few months earlier but I was very lucky to have a colleague and friend, Tony, not only lend me his Nikon D3200 with the kit lens but also suggest I photograph the structure before it disappeared forever. Thank you very much Tony.

18 mm, 1/80th second @ ƒ/8, ISO 100Nikon D3200 + Nikkor AF-S DX 18-55 mm ƒ/3.5-5.6G VR

I edited the very first photo (top of page) multiple times over the years without satisfaction. I’ve learnt a lot since 2014 and, not long ago, I realised I was over doing it with the edits. Since my research on the subject, I decided to use these images to document an era in New Caledonian history. The top image is in colour because the contrast of colours work well together between the tolls and blue hour. The other photos, I felt, looked better desaturated with one of my split-tone presets applied. Actually, I like to edit a lot of old structures and things this way. It does depend on the image, of course. For example, colour didn’t bring anything special to these ones. The slight vintage look though changes to mood, put more emphasis on the structure and/or scene.

I’m sure these photos bring back a few souvenirs and stories amongst some of you. And for others, absolutely nothing but a part of history you’ll never know. I hope everyone enjoys the photos.

Once again, protect yourself and others by staying home. Wash your hands, keep your distance, sneeze and cough in your elbow… you know what to do. If we all do our part, we’ll beat this Covid-19 a lot faster. Stay safe everyone.

**NIKON D3200 + KIT LENS**

Nikon D3200 crop sensor DSLR with standard zoom Nikkor AF-S DX 18-55 mm ƒ/3.5-5.6G VR lens

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**SANDISK EXTREME PRO**

SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SDXC Class 10 memory card

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**GIOTTO LENS CLEANING KIT**

Giotto lens cleaning kit including brush, blower, microfibre cloth, rounded & pointed cotton tips and cleaning solution.

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JJC REMOTE SHUTTER RELEASE

JJC wired timer/shutter release (not compatible with the Nikon D3200)

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**WANDRD PRVKE BACKPACK**

PRVKE 31 lt. travel/camera backpack from WANDRD

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SOCIETE LE NICKEL

Noumea, South Province

Day 7 of auto-confinement and we’re doing just fine. I came across this photo in my Lightroom catalogue yesterday. I was torn between two photo of the Société Le Nickel (SLN), this one and another zoomed in toward the chimneys. I chose the former because it showed the majority of the refinery and my friend said it reminded her of movie scenes where someone’s spying on or looking for a way in to a compound. And I agree.

6 mm, 1/12 @ ƒ/8, ISO 100Fujifilm FinePix S9500

This refinery was founded in 1912 by Société Des Hauts Fourneaux De Nouméa, owned by L. Ballande et Fils. It merged in 1931 with Société Le Nickel which was founded in 1880. Until 2009, it was the only metallurgical producer in New Caledonia. It is now one of three including Vale Inco (opened in 2009) in Yate in the South Province and Koniambo Nickel (opened in 2013) in Voh in the North Province. Wikipedia has interesting reading on SLN, Vale Inco and Koniambo Nickel. I ‘m sorry but I couldn’t find Wikipedia articles in English for the first two.

This photo dates back to 2013 before they fenced the outer periphery of the refinery. I drove up to their water reserve then followed a small track alongside it to this location. It was a very cloudy day but it hadn’t and didn’t rain. I had caught the photography bug about a year ago and the SLN was a fascinating construction for me. Still using my first hybrid camera, the Fujifilm FinePix S9500, and a very cheap tripod, I managed to capture this image.

Though the resolution isn’t the best, the image is technically sound. I decided to edit in black & white because of the old fashion look of the construction. To enhance this look, I put one of my split-tone presets over it then added grain. The grain, not only, added to the vintage look but helped to hide the lacklustre resolution. I like this photo, I really do.

Now, please everyone, protect yourself and others by staying home. Wash your hands, keep your distance, sneeze and cough in your elbow… you know what to do. If we all do our part, we’ll beat this Covid-19 a lot faster. Stay safe everyone.

TIEBAGHI VILLAGE

Koumac, Tiebaghi Village

With the corona virus (Covid-19) here in New Caledonia since last week and with auto-confinement in place since midnight monday, photo outings are no more. I’m lucky I have a stock of images to get through and share with you. This set is one of them. A trip to Koumac, in June last year, with the family brought back memories to my mum of her childhood in Tiebaghi Village. Her father, my grandfather, worked in Human Resources on the mine and, apparently, was well liked by everyone. I remember my grandmother telling me that he’d never say no to anyone but told them he’d see what he could do. Anyway, I deviated a little.

8 image panorama | 28 mm, 1/250th second @ ƒ/8, ISO 400Sony a7 III + Tamron E 28-75mm ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD

The above panorama shows the village of Tiebaghi. From the social club on the left to the bakery on the right. In-between are a couple of grocery stores, a chapel, a playground, an engine dock, a few houses farther down, etc and behind me, from where I took this photo, there’s the clinic. Plenty to see and visit and if you’re interested and there’s a three hour guided tour that you can book with a lot of history knowledge and humour. Check out the current dates of the visits through the Province Nord website. It’s a visit worth doing if ever you have the chance. It’s kids friendly and you don’t need a four wheel drive to get there, we were in a minivan.

The Tiebaghi plateau opened in 1877 when Chromite Ore was discovered and it became the largest Chromium provider in the world in 1941. It also produced Nickel during World War II. The mine closed for the first time in 1962 and reopened in 1982 before definitely shutting down in 1990.

All the instruments and objects photographed above, were found in the clinic. A power box for dentistry, x-ray command box, a telecom switch, really old suitcases, a remote control box for… something, a crank phone, a couple of calculators and another instrument I have no idea what it was used for. Very interesting stuff and there were dozens more things I could’ve photographed but I just wanted to get a few detail shots of a handful of things. The clinic is situated above the village and has a fantastic view as you can see from the panorama photo which was taken from there.

Just a couple of photos from the social club. It’s just a empty hall and there wasn’t much in it apart from this beautiful film projector. Spectacular north-eastern views as well from the club. There are a lot of photographs of past events in the hall. It’s great to see what life was like back then.

This wasn’t my first time visiting the Tiebaghi and because of that I didn’t take a lot of photos of the exterior even though there are very interesting things to photograph. This old, rusted truck, for example, with the company name on the passenger door. There’s also a small cargo rail and cable car for the minerals and whatnot. The engine dock is quite interesting as well with it’s massive equipments.

One thing we HAD to do was find and visit the house my mum grew up in. We found it, isolated on a hill with magnificent views of the valley and mountain range. Still standing and in good condition, apart from the roof, these houses were built to last. Evidence after a few tropical depressions and cyclones. It’s difficult to imaging what life was like on Tiebaghi Village but from what my grandmother told me, though hard, camaraderie was high amongst this mining community.

I think the best time to visit Tebaghi Village would be in October during heritage month. Over a weekend they have guided visits of the village and botanical path, artisanal stands and expositions and reopen the old bakery to make and explain how bread was made in the old days. I plan on making this visit this year, if all goes well.

SONY a7 III

full-frame, mirrorless camera (body only)