They say the reason so many artists flocked to the South of France is the light. The way the sun illuminates the scenery. It really is true. On an early morning walk along the Promenade des Anglais on the Côte d'Azur in Nice, I noticed that the colors shone brighter, bolder almost super saturated. The best light for photography is early in the morning or just before dusk, so at 7am I started out from The West End Hotel, and headed left along the Promenade. It was very peaceful, not many people were out yet. Walking along the beach I was struck by the blues….the sea, the sky and the umbrellas. This shot was awarded the first prize in our local photography show and remains one of my favorites. The value of being up early is being able to capture the shot without people.

Further along there was a man walking a dog. Using the “rule of thirds” I waited until the boat was at the 1/3 mark, and he was at the 2/3 mark. It was an added benefit that he turned to talk to the dog.

Walking down the bank past the waterfall, you come to the bottom of the hill and the Cours Saleya Market. It was just opening and everywhere you looked it was a feast for your eyes.