LUXORious view, a photo from Luxor, Inland

Photographer's Note

Although I have learned pieces of Egyptian history at school not much remained in my memory. When I stayed in pyramid-shaped Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas I did not even remember where its name comes from. Pyramids of Giza –yes, but Luxor? I was so fortunate that couple of years later I could see Luxor for myself. I did expect a reasonably sized ancient site like Forum Romanum or Acropolis so I was really overwhelmed by what I experienced over there. No wonder Luxor is sometimes called the world’s greatest open air museum. Most people who had the chance to see both the Pyramids of Giza and Luxor indicate the latter as the most spectacular experience in Egypt. I would say you should see both.

Unfortunately I cannot really show you how spectacular this place is. Again I was part of an organized tour. I guess it had some benefits as I was taken straight to the most important sights saving a lot of time. On the other hand I did not have much freedom. For example when we arrived at the Luxor Temple it was exactly blue hour. So obviously I wanted to take some pictures. But then the guide said: Ladies and Gentlemen there will be time for taking photos later, now listen to what I am going to tell you about the history of this place... You can imagine that the lecture on the history lasted longer than the blue hour and my opportunity has passed.

We have spent just two full days in Luxor. This is like having two days in Rome or Paris. You can get an idea and rush through the most important sights but it is just not enough.

This photo was taken on the grounds of the Luxor Temple.

Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes) and was founded in 1400 BCE. , Known in the Egyptian language as ipet resyt, or "the southern sanctuary", the temple was dedicated to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut, and Chons and was built during the New Kingdom, the focus of the annual Opet Festival, in which a cult statue of Amun was paraded down the Nile from nearby Karnak Temple (ipet-isut) to stay there for a while, with his consort Mut, in a celebration of fertility – whence its name.

By the way: the obelisk which is standing today in the middle of Place de la Concorde in Paris was once standing before the entrance to the Luxor Temple.

Kofman, janusz2054, Budapestman, delpeoples, josepmarin, macjake, timecapturer, siolaw, s_lush, bukitgolfb301, abmdsudi, Angshu, nikkitta, danos, paololg, Longroute, adramad, COSTANTINO, ikeharel, ChrisJ ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

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Sonata11 (34119) 2011-09-20 6:30

Witaj Mariusz,
To jest niesamowite widziec na wlasne oczy. Wspaniale doswiadczenie oraz doznane uczucia sa napewno niezapomniane. Wspaniale wykonane zdjecie ktore pozwoli nam zobaczyc fragment tej doskonalosci. Bardzo mi sie podoba. Dzieki za ciekawe informacje. Wspaniale zdjecie, moze bedzie wiecej. Super praca.
Serdecznie pozdrawiam,
Barbara

Graal (103040) 2011-09-20 7:45

Czesc,
slawne miejsce w Egipcie odwiedziles. Fajny efekt mimo sztucznego swiatla. Niezle zbalansowales biel, cieple barwy dominuja - i dobrze, nie zawsze niebo musi byc kontrastowe, granatowe lub czarne. Solidna notka i praca.
Milego wieczoru.
Aleksander

sabermonajati (11537) 2011-09-20 9:39

hi
ancient and splendid statue from egypt you captured.
regard
saber

Ricx (13495) 2011-09-20 10:26

Hi Maurisz, a stunning night shot.. tremendous light management and control nice action created by thye slower shutter speed. well done Ricx

Silvio1953 (220665) 2011-09-20 10:53

Ciao Mariusz, fascinating nocturne shoot, great view of impressive architecture, lovely composition with a lot of people, splendid exposure, wonderful light, very well done my friend, ciao Silvio

limielski (0) 2011-09-20 10:54

oh! Mariuszu - wspaniałe nocne zdjęcie. To podkreśla historycznośc tego miejsca. Super. I duzo ciekawych informacji w opisie - dzieki.

Pozdrawiam, Leszek

janusz2054 (2) 2011-09-20 11:01

Witaj Mariusz,

Rewelacyjne zdjecie architektury starozytnego Egiptu na ktorym mozna podziwiac kunszt pracy antycznych rzemieslnikow .Swietna jakosc zdjecia.
Pozdrawiam
Janusz

Budapestman (82620) 2011-09-20 12:19

Hi Mariusz,
a beautiful nocturnal photo of this famous place with glittering lights, the composition is spectacular, the details are fantastic, Tfs! Have a nice evening! Kellemes estét kívánok!
György

delpeoples (60342) 2011-09-20 20:16

Hi Mariusz

hahahah, clever title. Love the purple and gold tones and the low POV. Thse ruins are absolutely magnificent and you've shot them exquisitely. What an experience. Congratulations, nice shot an it's good to see you posting a bit more. Hope all's well with the job situation.

Slainte
Lisa

josepmarin (59385) 2011-09-21 0:00

Hi Mariusz,
this wonderful Egyptian temple is seen more splendorous because of its lighting and its golden tones, which increase the great beauty of these stones of 3500 years old, perfectly caught in a good night capture.
The framing is very elegant, people provide dynamism to the composition, and the exposure is managed skillfully.
I like your photo, is very attractive and very pleasant at sight.
Best regards,
Josep

mauro61 (53411) 2011-09-21 0:14

ciao Mariusz,
le luci della sera creano uno straordinario effetto sugli antichi ruderi con le statue che sembrano sorgere dalla luce.
Ottima composizione con un'ampia e curata inquadratura,
saluti
maurizio

macjake (98262) 2011-09-21 4:19

Hi Mariusz
oh to have been here in Person many years ago! what a sight it must have been.
reading your note, its for that exact reason that i'd never go on a guided tour again.
my freedom, especially with my camera is whats most important.
well, despite having little time, i'd say the shot came out very well. the illumination is attractive due to the orange and purple combinations.
I see you're digging into the archives again :)
keep looking up
cheers
craig

jafadabret (56501) 2011-09-21 4:37

Bonjour Mariusz,
J'ai beaucoup regretté de n'avoir pas pu visiter ce temple la nuit, ce n'était pas au programme. Merci de combler un peu cette lacune avec cette superbe prise.
Amicalement
Jacques

timecapturer (49288) 2011-09-21 5:15

Hi Mariusz
a wonderfully accomplished shot and composition. The light is amazing and it makes the antiquities so distinctive and impressive. Magnificent!

Warm regards, enjoy your day - Brian

siolaw (38294) 2011-09-21 7:44

Hi Mariusz
Pleasant combination of artificial and natural lights, and a stunning site... We can see the screen of the guy taking a picture!
Good post
Laurent

s_lush (16602) 2011-09-21 8:28

Hello Mariusz,
Due to such a rich sculptural decoration of the Luxor Temple, it surely looks highly luxurious. The good illumination and nightly contrast give even more charm to this historic place. Good composition and high enough quality to show the temple in all its beauty!
Best regards,
Sergiy

rodgerg (55767) 2011-09-21 10:57

Witaj Mariusz,

Excellent managment of light for this beautiful night's shot with the dored light which arise very well. The silhoeut of the turist give life nad too a particulary athmospher to the composition.
Have a nice evening,
Roger

Fis2 (169791) 2011-09-21 11:06

Witaj Mariusz!
Ciekawe miejsce pokazane przy swietle.
Kolorystyka robi wrazenie.
Pozdrawiam
Krzysztof

jurek1951 (42198) 2011-09-21 12:51

Witaj Mariusz,
piekna atmosfera dzieki takiemu oswietleniu,super efekt,pozdrawiam
Jurek

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2011-09-21 14:44

Hi bomjour my dear Mariusz

Sorry for my late reaction to you.
Another great evening secne you get via your high skill!
Great ptesentation for the great atmosphere!
So sharp, clear and comfortable moody image as usual.
Thanks for sharing with your finest work and have a good day, Best regrads.

Takero from Tokyo fine weather

abmdsudi (95869) 2011-09-21 14:57

Hi Mariusz
Lively Luxor by night, a creative title that inspires me!. Looks amazing and love how you've captured the luxorious light and how you have framed the shot so the right hand side leads you into the scene. Excellent viewpoint as you maximised the avalible space competently, great exposed for the available light and really gives a feel of the size and making it looks very atmospheric in good tonal range. The dark space works well adding nice contrast. But when everywhere is glowing it looks eerie yet beautiful.
Just think its a great picture as i love things Egyptian or to do with King Tut. Great capture, Congrats
Best regards

emka (157280) 2011-09-21 15:26

cześć,
Zaden przewodnik by mnie nie zmusił do sluchania, kiedy ja bym wolała robić zdjecia! ja chociaż byłam z Sigmą, pojechałam sobie sama do Luksoru dorozką. I łaziłam po miejscach, gdzie turysci nie docieraja, fantastyczne to było. Nic nie pilnowane, mozna bylo sobie wziąc jakąś mała mumię (nie wzięłam, oczywiście :)). Trzeba zobaczyć i Luksor z Karnakiem, Kolosami Memnona i świątynią Hatszepsut, i Gizę, no i jeszcze koniecznie Abu Simbel. Niekoniecznie fabryki różności, ale bez tego zwykle nie da rady.
fajne zdjęcie. Ja mam niestety tylko wideo.
Pozdrawiam M.

Sądząc z krytyk malo osób bylo w Egipcie. To dziwne, bo w Polsce te wycieczki są bardzo popularne, większość moich koleżanek była.

Angshu (56760) 2011-09-22 22:42

Hello Mariusz
The lit up structures looks straight out of a movie set. Its grand! Perhaps Luxor used to look the same in its prime days, lit up by oil lamps...The contrast with the dark sky makes the giant structures glow. Amazing spectacle!
Best Regards
Angshu

Urs (14082) 2011-09-23 4:11

Wow, that really is Luxor at its best at night. Congrats Mariusz, I like this shot very, very much. The contrasts are absolutely amazing. You really did a good job with the light management. Also your note is very informative. Great photo job.

Warm regards
Urs

nikkitta (17070) 2011-09-23 13:36

Hola Mariusz,

Very good night capture with perspective, deep and wonderful golden colors, did you stay for the Sound and Lumiere show?

Good and informative note
I just send you a message to know if your mail is working

Hehehe, I read your note and quite agree with you, organized trips are a nightmare for photographers, you want to stop and ...nobody cares

Greetings and hope your work research is working for the best

Maria

danos (110407) 2011-09-23 14:37

Hello Mariuz,
nice the night shot from the Luxor Temple with all these lights to floodlight the place and to 'cut' some from the details of the foreground staties..I like the creative perspective as the visitors of the temple.

Have a good weekend,Danos

paololg (31448) 2011-09-26 13:12

Ciao dear Mariusz,
I visited Luxor a few years ago during the day, but now, seeing your photo, the next time I would go there at night to photograph these fascinating lights that increase the magic of this place. Yes, I agree with your notes, the temple of Luxor and the Valley of the Kings are two very memorable experiences. Excellent night photo, with good management of light. Congratulations!
Ciao, have a nice Tuesday!
Paolo

Longroute (19600) 2011-10-16 7:07

I have never seen this place at night, and I didn't even think it was possible to visit it at that hour...
they had a smart idea because these monuments and ruins are more charming by night as this remarkable photo shows. I didn't find the exif data but presumably you had not your tripod with you so you had a very steady hand! The image is outstanding either for the exceptional temple it depicts and for the lovely lights and warm colours of the pillars which contrasts with the dark sky. Also it's good that you managed to get away from the crowds. Well composed and with a fine depth.
An excellent work Mariusz,

Donato

adramad (72564) 2011-11-30 13:13

Hello Mariusz.
Fantastic composition nightlife, this beautiful temple, a very effective frame that shows the greatness of the temple of Luxor, people give a great reference for the scale of these superb columns.
Very good management of exposure to an optimal outcome both in quality and color.
Most cordial greetings.
Luis.

COSTANTINO (115583) 2012-02-03 23:29

Hello
great night shot like a goldness
the figures of people show
that there is life between those
ancient statues
your notes are very useful
have a nice week end
Costantino

ikeharel (112475) 2012-09-19 2:43

Hi Mariusz,
A fantastic lights on the monumental statues, delivering a majestic ancient view.
This is one place I'd want to go, however close in distance - far by politics and culture's diff.
Stunning night scene collected.
Ike

Cricri (176) 2016-12-06 5:16

Hi Mariusz
Vue le site de jour, oh il y a longtemps, cela m'a plu, dommage que je ne suis pas restée le soir, c'est encore plus passionnant a voir, peut aussi plus impressionnant avec les éclairages sur les statues :-)
belle présentation
cricri

ChrisJ (171280) 2021-01-05 17:41

Witaj Mariusz,

I did the sound and light laser show tour at Karnak at night and did not know about the lighting in the Luxor temple at night. Or late blue hour as depicted here. Looks great! The people add scale and the motion blur conveys movement. Tfs!