Ile de ré

The Île de Ré is a small island connected by a bridge from La Rochelle. It's a small gateway to the Atlantic Ocean and the seaside coasts of western France.

I've been in the habit of going there since I was little. In September 2024, I went on vacation with my high school friends to the island for few days of van and camping.

In this rather condensed post, I present to you photos of the Ile of Ré captured on four different films. The photos are taken with two Fujifilm films, Fuji200 and Fuji400 and three Kodak films with ultramax 400, Gold 200 and an expired medium format (expired) film, portra vivid color 160.
All film photos are developed and scanned by the Reportage image lab located in Paris.

The cameras used are an Olympus weatherproof camera, a Canon prima zoom 85 and the lubitel 16.

PS: I am currently writing a chronicle on the effects of climate change and storms on the Ile de Ré, which you will be able to find at this link : chronicles very soon.

Gallery

Flora and fauna

As soon as you arrive on this small island of almost 18,000 inhabitants (150.000 in summer), the typical flora and fauna of the region emerges. Maritime pines and holm oaks are home here. The marriage between forests and beaches bordered by dunes reveals a flora typical of dune environments (toadflax, beach pinks). In this regard, it seems that the island of Ré is home to some rare plants including the famous Hairy Cistus (Cistus hirsutus = C. psilosepalus)!

Architecture

The architecture of the island is particularly simple with tiled roofs and the legendary green shutters which give the original houses their identity and authenticity. Stone is the predominant element of these residences.

Source: Maison Rignault

Camping

The population of the Ile de Ré increases from 18,000 to 150,000 during the summer. A key attraction of the island is its campsites.

Camping also means van parking ^ _ ^

To see more photos of the campsite and in particular photos at the swimming pool, here is a series posted here: piscine pics

The island's town center

Saint-Martin-de-Ré...

...and its small port

Heading to Gollandières beach

(Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré)

The beaches on the island offers a typical Atlantic coastline. Wide bays of white or golden sand, a clash between powerful waves and tides facing dry sand dunes in the distance.

Sunsets

The sunsets at the île de Ré island are particularly beautiful. The island, being a window on the Atlantic Ocean, the sun sets deep in the horizon, in the line that separates the sky from the ocean, far away behind the waves.