Patricia Sands

Author

photography

An addiction to the doors of France

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

I love the front doors of people’s homes in France. Every time I visit that magnificent country I take endless numbers of photos of doors (okay, and windows too … but that’s another post). The wood, the trim, the left-over remnants of ancient locks, from simple and rustic to extravagant, they all speak to me. I want to know their stories.

Living in Antibes this past summer for four and a half months …  *excuse me while I hyperventilate for a few moments at the memory* …  okay, okay, I’ll be fine … back on track. Practically every single morning I walked various routes through the old town for an hour, my trusty camera in hand, before I stopped in at the daily market. There were few days that I didn’t pause to drink in the beauty of yet another door that oozed history or mystery or charm so visceral I could hardly stand it.

What amazes me is the fact that rarely do you find a new door on any old residence, from a tiny village house to an elegant manor. Checking with one of the town historians, most are at least a few hundred years old. I’ll share a few with you today.

Trust me, this could go on for hours! I hope you received as much pleasure out of these photos as I do sharing them with you. Imagine the tales they might tell. Any one of these doors could present a great starter for a story. Do you share my curiosity and attraction to them? Do you ever use photos as inspiration for your writing?

Summer’s over? How did that happen?

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Well that’s it, right? Labour Day (or Labor, for our friends south of the border) weekend, no matter where you live in North America, is the signal that summer is over. In Toronto, the Canadian National Exhibition (fondly referred to as The Ex or the CNE) has been a feature during the last two and a half weeks of August beginning in 1879. When the Ex is on, you know the bell is tolling!

Of course there will still be nice weather (hopefully) but students are in their classrooms, summer holidays planned and anticipated for so long are in the memory bank, and fall/winter clothes are in the shop windows.

Did you take a lot of photos this summer? I did. Well, okay, I’m always taking photos no matter what the season or the reason.

What images from this summer will stand out for you?

Digital photography has had such an impact, I only know one person who still buys film for her camera. Do you? Do you print some of your photos and keep them in albums or do you store everything on disks or post them on a blog? Do you have a camera or do you take all your photos on your phone? I’ve been astounded by the quality of some cell phone photos.

I’m really interested in hearing how your approach to photography has changed in the last few years so, if you have a minute, leave a comment and let me know.

In the meantime, I’ve attached a terrific photo slideshow of summer images compiled by The Denver Post. Just click on the link below to see it. Afterwards, make a slideshow of the favourite photos you took this summer!

Captured: The Last Days of Summer | Plog — World, National Photos, Photography and Reportage — The Denver Post.