Exploring Versailles with Fuji Acros 100
The inner court of the Palace of Versailles as you go in. 1/2500s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.
You can catch up on the previous blogs in this series with the links below:
I’d booked my Eurostar back to London for the evening, so I had an entire day left to visit another of Paris and France’s iconic locations – Versailles. Similar to Berlin & Potsdam it sits a little away from the centre of the city but is easily reached with the commuter trains. During this trip I’d taken along five rolls of Ilford Delta 100 and a backup roll of Fuji Acros 100 just in case I shot slightly more film than I was expecting. Low and behold that did indeed happen not helped by my camera short-changing me by needlessly finishing rolls at thirty-two or thirty-three shots instead of thirty-six or thirty-seven. This was resolved after I came home with a recharge of the batteries, even though the camera never said it was on low battery. Something else important I learned on this trip. The first few photos were taken on the end of my last roll of Ilford Delta 100 and are indicated as such. The rest on my single roll of Fuji Acros 100.
Palace of Versailles from the outside, people were queueing up for their entry time slot. 1/2000s 35mm F1.4 with polariser, Ilford Delta 100.
A wider view from outside of the Palace of Versailles. 1/800s 58mm F1.4 with polariser, Ilford Delta 100.
Gardeners tend to the flower beds nearest the Palace. 1/800s 58mm F1.4 with polariser, Ilford Delta 100.
Looking down to the Orangery in the gardens. 1/2000s 35mm F1.4 with polariser, Ilford Delta 100.
My day at Versailles didn’t get off to the best start. Once again the faulty French ticketing machines meant I couldn’t get through the barriers, though after some confusion this was remedied by a visit to the ticket office on the other side of the tracks. Then when I arrived it transpired that the lockers that has been advertised online were no longer in operation and I was left to carry my heavy rucksack all day along with my camera bag. Slightly comical and I was very tired the day after, but I didn’t have any other options. Bear that in mind when you plan a trip to Versailles, perhaps it’s best not to go on a travel day.
As the gardens are so large you can hire gold buggies to drive around if you are less physically able. 1/1250s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.
Latona’s Fountain and Parterre, this fountain was the grandest still in place during my visit but it still wasn’t turned on. 1/2500s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.
Colonnade Grove, one of the more interesting parts of the gardens without a fountain. 1/640s 35mm F1.4 with polariser.
Tickets are booked for entry at a specific point in time to the palace itself, so I decided to head into the vast gardens first to admire the splendid fountains that they are famous for. Versailles and its estates are massive and it’s even more mind boggling when you think that it is smaller than its original size before the French Revolution. However, unlike Louis XIV I wouldn’t be enjoying views of the fountains as most were either turned off or, as was the case for the Apollo Fountain, not even there, having been taken away in 2022 for restoration. Once again in preparation for the millions of visitors coming to Paris for the Olympics this summer no doubt. Because of that the gardens were an overwhelming disappointment and having had this follow my previous problems it felt like my day was really souring. The layout of the gardens is interesting, but without the centre pieces at full functionality it felt like I was wandering around a big load of nothing.
All that was left of the Apollo Fountain in the foreground after it had been taken away for restoration. It returns to its rightly place this month. 1/500s 100mm F4.0 with polariser.
Enceladus Grove, inspiration was taken from Greco-Roman mythology of the giants being buried under rocks for attempting to climb Mount Olympus. 1/500s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.
One of the few fountains in full operation was the Water Theatre Grove, a much more modern installation. 1/1250s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.
Thankfully my experience inside the palace changed all that. Somehow, I didn’t have anyone challenge me on walking around with my big rucksack and once you are inside you have plenty of time to wander around at your leisure. It wasn’t like Sanssouci where you are relentlessly pushed through by staff with barely enough time to listen to your audio guide. An audio guide is also available here as an extra €5 rental and there are plenty of free maps on hand to help you work your way around.
The Dragon Pool was my favourite for the wonderful mythological elements. It’s a pity it too wasn’t turned on. 1/200s 200mm F4.0 with polariser.
Apollo’s Bath Grove, even the waterfall here wasn’t turned on! But it was still impressive despite the lack of water. 1/500s 58mm F1.4 with polariser.
The Grand Canal gives tourists another opportunity to get out on the water. 1/500s 200mm F4.0 with polariser.
The level of opulence is stunning, far beyond even that of Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. I was starting to understand why people had been so keen to overthrow the monarchy during the French Revolution. I don’t even want to think about the amount of money spent here. Though given the power and lang lasting reign of Louis XIV it’s not hard to see why he wanted to build up a palace fitting of his divine rule. Ceiling paints, gildings, beautiful marble columns and flooring, and that’s just the chapel! The rest of the interior is equally gorgeous with more ceiling paintings, exquisite four-poster beds and grand staircases certainly fit for a monarch. The pièce de résistance is surely the Hall of Mirrors, the palace’s most famous room that is nothing short of breath-taking. Unfortunately, this also made it the most crowded room in the palace and people were jostling everywhere in order to take photos.
The inside of the Palace was vastly more impressive than what I’d seen on the outside. The chapel is one of the first things you see and it sets the stage for what comes later. 1/80s 35mm F1.4.
The ceiling paintings are nothing short of exquisite. 1/80s 35mm F1.4.
This stairway framed in a perfectly smooth archway caught my eye as a photographic subject. 1/250s 35mm F1.4.
My first wide shot was ruined as someone bumped into me just as I pressed the shutter but thankfully the second one came out well. I learned when putting this blog together that it was actually in this room that a unified Germany was proclaimed after victory in the Franco-Prussian war. Something I imagine the French are quite keen to downplay and forget, I don’t remember it being mentioned. My favourite room though is the largest in the palace – The Gallery of Battles. This was not actually built by Louis XIV but by a later king, Louis Philippe I, and covers the history of France in more than thirty paintings from the earliest days after the fall of Rome to the great conquests of Napoleon. A fitting tribute to a great nation.
These stairs were about as austere as it gets inside the palace. 1/60s 35mm F1.4.
Alongside paintings there’s plenty of impressive chandeliers decorating the ceilings. 1/40s 58mm F1.4 -1 stop.
Another good example of the ceiling paintings and gildings. 1/25s 35mm F1.4.
As I mentioned before the estate of Versailles is vast and beyond the palace and gardens lies the Grand Canal and the Estate of Trianon. I did rush over to the latter to have a quick look, but it was nothing more than a quick look and I saw relatively little. Versailles is definitely one I need to come back to as I would like to see the fountains in all their glory and I’m sure walking around the extended grounds on a lazy summer’s day would be a very enjoyable experience.
My second attempt at photographing the Hall of Mirrors, it’s stunning interior made it the most popular room for the crowds of tourists. 1/30s 35mm F1.4.
This large round ceiling painting is found in the Peace Room. With only ISO 100 film my fast F1.4 lenses were my saving grace inside. 1/50s 35mm F1.4.
The Queen’s bedroom, used by Marie Antoinette before she lost her head. 1/25s 35mm F1.4.
And so my time in Paris came to an end, soon after I took the train back to Gare du Nord to hop back on the Eurostar under the sea (sadly they still haven’t converted the tunnel to an aquarium one yet). I certainly packed a lot into a few days, and I was really happy with what I managed to capture with just a few rolls of film. I had just the right amount to shoot with for my more conservative style. I know some would have rattled through at least double the amount of rolls I did, but I find by shooting carefully I can still capture the story of my trips as well as having the time to simply enjoy being there in the moment. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this series of blogs, there will certainly be more content on my trips in 2023 to come.
This stairwell was much grander than the previous one. With so little light I set my shutter speed as low as feasible and hoped there was enough exposure latitude on the film to make up for the three stop underexposure. It worked. 1/20s 35mm F1.4 -3 stops.
My favourite room in the palace - The Gallery of Paintings. The history of France going back fifteen hundred years is represented by over thirty large paintings of famous battles. 1/80s 35mm F1.4.
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