Alentejo in a cloudy June day, a photo from Portalegre, South

Photographer's Note

Despite the overcast weather, that day I went trying my luck shooting landscapes and megalithic monuments that abound in this area of the North of the concelho of Marvão (I guess that the best translation of concelho is district or county). I am not sure if the many photos I took are good, but it surely was a day well spent.

As far as I remember, the "HDR appearance" is much more natural than it appears, because the light was rather strange, I guess because of the position of the sun above the bright clouds. I used an exposure blending, though, made out of two images produced with different exposure adjustments on the raw conversion.

The "megalithic winery" that I posted some months ago is located near the bigger tree that is in the visible part of the road. On the top of the rocky hill in front there are traces of a settlement from the Neolithic and Copper Age and on the top of the hill to the left archaeologists believe that existed a castro (hill fort), a fortified settlement of Bronze and Iron Ages, usually associated with Celts, that was inhabited at least until the Roman occupation, perhaps later, as some tombs generally associated with the people that followed the Roman Empire, namely Visigoths, were found in the area. The abundant vestiges of Roman ceramics on the field to the right suggest that the area made part of a Roman latifundia whose villa was in the field to the right of the road seen here.

WS: View from the rocky hill seen towards the POV of this photo.

Link to other post of mine of the Marvão district: ***.

Location (latitude, longitude): 39.4551,-7.3074

SofiaVinagre, ribeiroantonio, trekks, bakes888, Buin, Sne011, feather, tober, xuaxo, gracious, paura, JCG, robiuk, Didi, shevchenko, sacavem, saylan-cb, parbo, danos, ChrisJ, Docarmo, Atousa, ruisc_pt, ilDottore, ls7902, Emile, npecanhuk ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

SofiaVinagre (246) 2009-01-05 18:31

Hello
This is a very god image about Alentejo! It doesn't look like Alentejo with the traditional flat landscape!
I like very much the light. It gives the idea that it's about to rain at any moment despite the blue sky.
Sofia

ribeiroantonio (22730) 2009-01-05 19:04

Está bonita. Gosto da diagonal curva da estrada, das flores do canto inferior esquerdo, da colina rochosa lá do fundo e das nuvens grossas do céu. Gosto também da foto do WS e quase que diria que preferia vê-la como principal.
Um abraço,
António

trekks (14348) 2009-01-05 20:54

hello Jose

I will be happy with a landscape shot like this showing the lovely 'garden' effect of the countryside's plants and vegetation and a road that is so typical of a country path with grass in the middle when the tyre tracks would not leavve a trail.

The rocks and the cloudy sky. It adds up to a great daylight scene. The composition helps to convince about this shot.

tfs, bill

bakes888 (18499) 2009-01-05 22:42

Hi Jose. The white flowers on the left we have here growing wild also. Nice catch. Well composed with good lead-in for depth and perspective. Thanks for sharing.
Have a good week, Paul.

wolf38 (30) 2009-01-05 22:52

Hello Jose. Your beautiful landscape photo is a small work of art. The composition is absolutely exemplary. Best regards, Wolfgang.

zeynepe (0) 2009-01-06 0:34

Ola Jose,
Follow the curve of the path to the right and at the end the fantastic clouds are waiting us.The green tones brings out the yellow tones and balances them with cool contrast. I wish the sky were more polarized.
Parabéns!!
Um abraço :)
Zeynep

Buin (42580) 2009-01-06 0:43

Hallo Jose!
A wonderful scenery - the viewer nearly can feel warmth and hear the cricktes. The point of view creates an impreswsive depth here and this path really looks inviting. I would like to step into your photo now ...
Greetings from cold Germany (-13°c this morning)!
Frank

dta (98848) 2009-01-06 1:49

Bonjour Stego ,
Un chemin sur la droite de l'image , et formant une belle courbe , cela est toujours du plus bel effet . Mais en plus , ici , le paysage estival est de toute beauté , avec ces murs de pierres , ces prés grillés , ces beaux rochers . Et quel ciel splendide !
Bravo
Denis

Greg1949 (9011) 2009-01-06 4:25

Jose, this is a fine capture, it has a great warm feel to it and the colors and detail are nice. Fine presentation.

Greg

Morac (27725) 2009-01-06 4:37

Bonjour Jose,

C'est une belle composition : un ciel superbe bien mis en valeur par la douceur des couleus de la campagne.
Cordialement
Marc

rey316 (24) 2009-01-06 5:24

Hej Jose
Beautiful photos.
The details are very accurate. The beautiful tone and colours
Andrey

delkoo (68) 2009-01-06 5:37

bonjour josé,
la composition bien étudiée nous améne a travers l'image par ce chemin qui sert de fil conducteur, l'ensemble est agréable, bien stimulé par un cie lnuageux.
didier

Sne011 (3084) 2009-01-06 6:05

Bom dia Jose,
Beautiful landscape, very good DOF. I like natural colors, good perspective...There's something magical here!
Have a nice day,
Sneza

feather (51130) 2009-01-06 6:50

I don't think it has an 'HDR appearance' at all; it looks very natural. Looking at the light around the clouds I would guess you were shooting in the direction of the sun, and exposure blending would be necessary to stop the foreground being underexposed. I love the long sweep of the path that draws the eye in. The detail and clarity of the plants along the path are superb. Could that be the result of using a tripod? The WS is also a good image and gives us more detail about this place you love so much.
Kath

tober (8797) 2009-01-06 7:49

Hello Jose, whenever I go to Alentejo, I always feel the friendship of the untouched nature and the mystery of megalithic monuments together. Nice, typical shot from a region which I like most in Portugal. But I do prefer the vast plains of Southern Alentejo, especially in the spring time.

Best regards Jose.

Tolga

xuaxo (6854) 2009-01-06 10:09

Olá José
Nada como uma bela paisagem alto-alentejana para desenjoar da arquitectura espanhola ;-)
(cf. minha última crítica.)
O limite entre o horizonte e o céu é que parece que tem um brilhozinho a mais.
As plantas no canto inferior direito ficaram muito bem.
Cumprimentos
..-. .-. .- -. -.-. .. ... -.-. ---

gracious (20025) 2009-01-06 10:20

Ola Jose,
A day well spent alright!
beautiful landscape with the nature at it's best!
I loved the pov very much especially with that curved road with lovely stone boarder and flowers around it!
the distance rocks and clouds formation adds a lot of perspective towards this fine composition
well done
take care and sincere regards
Tony

paura (25802) 2009-01-06 10:45

José,
A luz não estava tua amigha mas, mesmo assim, você conseguiu um trabalho de mestre. Muito boa.

Abraço

Paulo

JCG (35153) 2009-01-06 11:24

Bonsoir José,

Photos, incluant le WS, sur la nature comme je les aimes. Belle composition avec un bon équilibre dans la prise de vue avec ce chemin qui donne un agréable profondeur à l'image. La luminosité est agréable et, finalement, ce léger HDR est bienvenu. Joli coup d'oeil et merci pour la note toujour intéressante.

Avec mes amitiés et une très bonne soirée,

Jean-Charles

Cara (2059) 2009-01-06 11:40

Olá José,
Tenho de admitir que não gosto muito dos HDR... Esta imagem ficou bonita principalmente pela composição apresentada com a diagonal a sair do canto e pela bela paisagem com que a estrada nos presenteia.
Cumprimentos, Daniel

robiuk (10807) 2009-01-06 14:54

Hi Jose,
well, I have to tell you you did a great job in editing
this one as I haven't noticed that HDR appearance you
mention - the pic looks absolutely natural to me, but the
light might appear a bit different as because it's been
diffused by the clouds.
I absolutely love this one and it's what I need in these
cold winter days when the temperature is well below zero!
Cheers,
Robi

Didi (61589) 2009-01-06 17:16

Salut José
Le contre-jour est intéressant, si tu as utilisé le mode HDR, c'est assez discret, le soleil masqué évite l'éclairage trop dur.
Intéressante perspective par le sentier.
Une ambiance chaude, ici il fait -10°C
Amitiés et bonne année.

shevchenko (20560) 2009-01-06 21:09

Hello Jose,
Good pov to show a winding road in perspective effect, I like the wild flowers at the road side, good WS to show the natural broad landscape, thanks for sharing the relaxing view.
Ally

batalay (41261) 2009-01-06 21:42

Hello José,

A number of aspects of this post are especially interesting for me. The murky, threatening clouds are critical. The crest of the hill draws the eyes immediately. The path curving away converging into the distance has a real appeal, but, it would been better if it curved into, rather than away from the focal point — in a pincer shape. The note is very good, as usual. Oh yes, I see that you posted it on my birthday, which is not at all essential.

Warm regards, José. Early in the morning, we leave for New York, where I will give a talk, and meet with the new Executive Editor of Smithsonian Books (publisher of Math and the Mona Lisa). Meanwhile, on December 30 the Britannicca Bogs was published, "Ten Must-Have Books for 2008." It included the "Leonardo's Univere," which is being released officially today.

Bulent

John_F_Kennedy (43797) 2009-01-07 5:11

The road adds superb curved perspective. The contrast in your photo is great, very good POV and nice photo.
Best wishes,
Achim

sacavem (18620) 2009-01-07 8:41

Olá José,

Tenho visto alguns HDR que realmente não gosto, mas este resultou bem, gosto das tonalidades criadas nas cores pela mistura das imagens.A luminosidade criada pelos ajustes na exposição ficaram a meu ver muito bons. Mas existe um senão, a aureola (risco branco)que contorna a montanha em toda a sua extensão.
No global gosto muito da fotografia.
Um abraço,
Filipe

saylan-cb (12738) 2009-01-07 14:21

Hi jose,
Very nice landscape photo!Great colours and light,details,POV all excellent.
TFS/Regards

parbo (11092) 2009-01-07 16:15

Olá José,

Wonderful effect and clear result after your merge of two different shoots. I like the road with tire tracks with its curve and rock formation that surrounds the yellow field. Your complementary post shows very well how different the opposite site is.

Parabéns e Abraço!

Ertugrul

danos (110407) 2009-01-08 0:55

Good morning Jose,
nice the perspective and the creative depth of this earthy road of Alentejo.In spite od June as i see the sky is moody,but the stones and the plants,especially in the foreground have great sharpness and clarity.Informative and your links.Well done.

Have a nice day,Danos

ChrisJ (171340) 2009-01-08 2:18

Hi Jose

I like the dual curving dirt tracks at right. Nice colour contrast between the red earth, & blue sky. Good sharpness & well composed. Tfs!

denisn72 (8314) 2009-01-08 17:20

Hello José
The little road makes an interesting curve that drives my glance far away on the right. Soft colours and excellent exposure. I like that composition showing a great summer landscape. Well done!
Best regards
Denis!

Docarmo (9767) 2009-01-08 22:05

Olá José,
Uma composição bem equilibrada e bem iluminada, com ótima profundidade. A vegetação tem cores "bem transadas" (essa expressão deve soar já antiga no Brasil ;-)
Gosto muito do WS também.
Parabéns!
MCV

Atousa (7131) 2009-01-09 22:06

Salam Jose,

I really like this kind of rural scenes n roads.. beautiful elements through this image..a lovely simplicity n good natural colours.. thanks for sharing.
Best regards, A

cam (9043) 2009-01-10 17:22

Hi Jose
This photo talks to my soul, it says, jump through the monitor, and walk along this path, where you will discover so much beauties, that you will never want to come back.

HDR treatment that is so subtle, that we wil never noticed it, the best in my mind.
Have a good WE
Charles

ruisc_pt (11584) 2009-01-11 8:12

Uma imagem bem diferente do "alentejo".
Composição impecável e controlo da luz excelente.
TFS
Rui

ilDottore (5252) 2009-01-13 16:10

Hi Stego,
So careful composition makes almost painting from this photography!
Natural, delicate colours.
High level of details without oversharping.
Very peaceful and moody photography.
Congratulations!
Chris

Bluejeans (64251) 2009-01-14 11:26

Oi amigo ,
Bonita esta foto paisagem alentejana com a estrada de terra batida em curva com o pequeno muro de pedra acompanhar , achei magnificas estas flores brancas deram muita beleza a foto , gostei dos montes com as árvores espalhadas, bom enquadramento da foto , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

ls7902 (7380) 2009-01-14 18:16

Hello Jose,
Te country road offers a scenic view of the landscape. Nice separation of field, road, and hill that look like a rock garden. I have some photos with similar looking lighting in the clouds. They look overexpose but they are not. I like the white flowers on the road side that add charm to the scenery. Regards. Latiff.

Emile (20352) 2009-01-15 6:14

Hola José.
Una sencilla pero linda foto con el camino que hace una curva muy bien vista, las flores le dan un toque especial, el cielo con sus nubes esta estupendo. Buen POV.
Abrazos mi querido amigo.

hatti52 (12786) 2009-01-18 1:47

Ola Jose,
wonderful landscape image
i like the curve of road
well done

npecanhuk (79329) 2009-01-25 4:05

Oi José!
Também escolhi esta para comentar hoje pois a achei muito bonita e interssante! A luz aqui estava difícil mas gostei bastante do efeito obtido, com aquele céu que me agrada bastante e toda a paisagem com um tom mais escuro que me permite, porém, ver bem todos os detalhes do lugar! O ponto de vista foi muito bem escolhido e a composição muito bem feita, na qual gosto principalmente de como foi colocada a estradinha dentro da imagem: perfeito e lindo!
Parabéns, abraços e até mais!
Neyvan

carper (96) 2009-02-14 1:07

very nice shot here of the road Jose
marvelous landscape shot, well handled the light and good composition with a good balance in it, well done, have a good weekend.
regard jaap