In My Bag | © 2013 David Keochkerian

Photographer David Keochkerian was drawn to Ambleteuse on the northern coast of France, not only for its beauty, but also for its history.

Henry VIII of England built two forts there. In a couple of years, they were taken over by Henry II of France. Later, Napoleon created a harbor there and during World War II, Vichy France built bunkers and a concentration camp on the site. What follows is Keochkerian’s recollections of his recent shoot there.

The Fortess | © 2013 David Keochkerian

The North coast of France is beautiful. The water is not clear and turquoise, but so many things have happened here that this coast has a soul. Ambleteuse is just one of the places there that is rich in history.

The morning I was there the weather was not very good, rain and wind, but there was interesting light. The wind was actually really strong, 80km/h, but the sun piercing through the clouds was just sublime so I took out my D800, Nikon 16-35mm f4, Lee Big Stopper, and my Induro CT114 tripod and PHQ1 pan head. I need a multi-purpose tripod that can be taken anywhere and is very stable, even in fairly extreme conditions.

©2013 David Keochkerian

For each composition I made several different exposures, in general -2EV,-1EV, 0, +1 EV, +2 EV, with and without the filter. I generally take about 10 images of the same composition, which allows me to combine those that interest me in Photoshop. I really need a very rigid and stable tripod because my processing technique depends on images that are perfectly aligned.

Shadows and Light | © 2013 David Keochkerian

© 2013 David Keochkerian

This shoot was a real treat and the weather made for amazing moods. The North coast of France is truly a special place.

See more of David’s work on DK Photographie. He has prints for sale, including the one in this post!