Ethereal sunset and oak, a photo from Portalegre, South

Photographer's Note

This is another HDR. I used one dark shot to the sky and another brighter one to the earth.

No matter what you can think, the image is quite realistic, as the light was rather strange. I found it much appropriate to the desolated mood of the landscape.

I'll post some other shots of the region, because it is much picturesque, namely for its granite formations that sometimes look like man made pre-historic monuments, something that not so surprisingly also exist there. I resisted the temptation of posting a panorama shot on this same place so soon after my last two. I'll do it one of these days.

The trees are pyrenean oaks (Quercus pyrenaica) and not cork oaks or holm oaks like on my other posts of Alentejo.

Location (latitude, longitude): 39.4545,-7.491

-----
Update 1-July-2007: I didn' resist posting the panorama I mentioned above.

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Critiques | Translate

miapinho (16) 2007-05-02 19:08 [Comment]

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ribeiroantonio (22730) 2007-05-02 19:12

Esta sim, est� linda. O HDR funcionou perfeitamente e a luminosidade em toda a imagem est� maravilhosa. Gosto muito das flores do primeiro plano e gosto tamb閙 do sol atrav閟 das nuvens l� no horizonte. Excelente trabalho.
Ant髇io

paura (25802) 2007-05-02 19:37

Essa t� linda, Jos�. Sua melhor foto. Vai inaugurar minha galeria de prediletas.

Paulo

ewiczek (374) 2007-05-02 19:41

wonderfull landscape photo, great color, and sharpness

grafu (2241) 2007-05-02 20:15

hello Jose. fine work, i feel calmness emanating from your picture, place is certainly special and limited light together with proper exposure did very good work in obtaining details from the ground. congratulations, regards, p.

jwmunro (286) 2007-05-02 21:45

Hello Jose -

Very, very nice! This truly is a winner. Not much more to say but well done!

Thank you for sharing.

John

partha (14023) 2007-05-02 22:33

Hi Jose,
What a great atmosphere. Wonderful lighting and nice eyepleasing colour tone.
Regards.
partha

pboehringer (770) 2007-05-03 0:00

The overall impression really is absolutely great. You're showing what a talent is being born out of all the time that you're investing into TE and photography. Standing ovation, Jose.
Having said all this I hope you won't get mad at me and offend all the other jubilous critiques. It seems that you got so excited with the image that you forgot to correct the horizon alignment. Yes, there is a tilt to the right and I'm very sensitive to such details. The other detail is very personal. I hate powerlines in such a beautiful crafted landscape. Remember my shot from DR with the Juliet & Romeo balcony? Right, I would have done all that work here to get the powerline out of the scene. It really doesn't belong here, but I know that a lot of other people would stone me for that. So the last critique is very personal (my honest opinion).
Well, don't get depressed with my comments. I still think that this is one of the top three shots in your gallery and certainly one of the top 10 shots of today at TE.
Bravo!!!
Regards, Peter

[3] +

DarkoG (8) 2007-05-03 1:23

Like this photo. Very fine mood. Light was perfect and whole scene looks somehow sleepy. Well composed.
Regards Darko

UnTrained (0) 2007-05-03 2:35

Ol� Jos�,
clarity, DOF and contrasts are excellent. Both must have been very short in time because of the sky or you took the sky only from one. By all the technical quality you also find a lovely place to do it with a nice composition which really opens itself for this quality. Fence, grass, stones everything is sharp, clear. Wonderful job.
Lieben Gruss, Ulf

vincz (19113) 2007-05-03 3:27

Excellent picture Jos�. One of your best so far. The quality of light, the dark colours your got in the foregorund, the quality of the details all around, the sun rays through the clouds in the background, verything contributes to a top quality image. Righ in my favorites. Congratulations.

rigoletto (34279) 2007-05-03 3:40

Ola Stego!
I caught you while you are ready to steal the night with this marvel :D
Your style seems to have changed a lot in this one and much closer to the masters of landscape photography.
Lightbeams are killing, while the clarity and quality makes me gape with awe. Please keep this up :)
Cheers,
Deniz

Charo (51290) 2007-05-03 4:46

Hola Jose,
Bell韘ima foto, tiene unos colores fant醩ticos, parece que utilizando HDR te va muy bien.
S髄o una pregunta: Con qu� programa las acoplas despu閟?
Felicitaciones.
Saludos cordiales
Charo

Greg1949 (9011) 2007-05-03 6:33

Jose,

I am still deciding about the technique in general but i think the way you are using it makes sense, extending the range of digital acquisition to better match the lrger range of light that we see.

Beautiful picture, crisp detail, nice capture.

Greg

siolaw (38294) 2007-05-03 6:39

Hi Jose,
First of all you caught an amazing luminosity here and superb colors... a great POV where even the barbed wire doesn't disturb and even the wires in the sky are ok! the only thing i would say, is the horizon is slightly tilted to the right but even this doesn't matter as it is a suberb sight!
Cheers
Laurent

Floydian (30970) 2007-05-03 10:27

Hi Jose,
What can i say...just without words seeing this. The light here is so absolute beautiful, this can't be any better.
Most HDR photo's i see here on TE are absolute crap, all shadows and highlights are flat, no depth. You controlled the highlights and shadows so extremely well, this does not look like a HDR photo, which is a big compliment. Photography is all about playing with light, and you did this here on a very high level...perfect..!!!
Regards, Henk

cuneyt-sb (6576) 2007-05-03 11:37

Hi Stego
You liked HDR technic, ?
Good compo and very good colors, but im not very hot for HDR , i dont know mybe ill try one day , :)
TFS\Kind regards

feather (51130) 2007-05-03 12:16

This is a real beauty. I love the drama of the sky and the sunbeams emerging from that small gap in the clouds, but can well imagine to get it like this the rest of the image would be too dark. Is it 2 RAW conversions of the same image of two different ones at different exposures? I think for the correct balance for the image you have lightened the ground perfectly. Is it also a manual HDR like your others?
Excellent work
In my favourites.
Kath

JRushen (549) 2007-05-03 13:10

This really is a good picture.

fanch (0) 2007-05-03 15:09

Jose ,

Voil� que tu te lances dans les traitements sophistiqu閟 ! L'utilisation du HDR est ici tout � fait justifi閑 car elle donne une vraie profondeur et beaucoup de relief � ton image . Les lumi鑢es sont sublimes et la composition n'est pas mal non plus !

Amicalement ,

batalay (41261) 2007-05-03 16:28

Hello Jos�,

As one would say in the United States, "You've hit a home run," with this picture. In your "golden rectangle," you have a magnificent sky, the variegated grays and whites, the patch of blue on the right, the sunburst effect on the left. In the foreground are the massive rocks, with superb definition. An A+ (While I am grading exams this week).
Warm personal regards,
Bulent

maduixeta (1795) 2007-05-03 16:29

Hola Jose,
fant醩tica imagen. La captura de la luz y los colores es maravillosa.
Saludos,
S騨ia.

gabrielpat (7163) 2007-05-03 18:47

jose,
this shot is really a great work.the landscape is wonderful and your technic simply perfect.

Wanda1 (15142) 2007-05-04 1:14

Hi Jose,
This is a beautiful shot and the light is lovely. I like your sharpness and details throughout the entire shot, I can look at it for a long time. The image also has a nice tranquil atmosphere to it.
Regards
Wanda

Photo65Net (43144) 2007-05-04 4:37

Jose,
Nice capture !
I like how managed with exposure to get so many details in the light and shadowed parts.
Compo is working well too.
Regards,
JB.

sadeik (3282) 2007-05-04 10:54

A very good photo, great balance between all the elements and the shaft of light is an added bonus. Its a shame those electric wires are in the frame but you can only just see them.
Superb image and I like the fence in the foreground

Simon

xuaxo (6854) 2007-05-04 15:08

Ol� Jos�
Esta de repente parecia-me uma imagem da Irlanda: o verde, o c閡 carregado, o horizonte que parece mar.
Se esse PP (HDR) nos permite ter uma imagem muito realista, 髉timo. Est� de facto interessante.
F

Bluejeans (64251) 2007-05-04 17:07

Ola Jose esta simplesmente fantastica!!!
Parabens!!
Um abra鏾 Gon鏰lo
Bom fim de semana!!

sergio1 (12152) 2007-05-04 19:20

Hola amigo

Terrorifico cielo amenazante de tormente pero una gran foto. Realmente has conseguido un excelente trabajo.

Saludos

henrytf (985) 2007-05-04 19:23

Hello Stego
This is one of the most beautiful photographs you have posted on TE so far. The mastership of the light is extaordinary and marvelously well balanced. What a good idea to integrate the white flowers in the foreground and that superb tree on the right. After seeing the result I will surely try to improve my own HDR technique.
Superb
Friendly greetings
Henry

Docarmo (9767) 2007-05-04 22:03

Ol� Jos�,
Esta foto ficou com uma atmosfera m韘tica. As cores est鉶 muito bonitas e a perspectiva excelente!
Abra鏾,
Maria do Carmo

Stepan (27210) 2007-05-05 2:20

The HDR works well here and you composed a beautiful landscape, with that light. The low angle is perfect for that kind of pov. Well done.
St閜hane

zeca (19762) 2007-05-05 4:29

Ol� Jos�!
Uma foto lind韘sima! Estes momentos s鉶 os meus favoritos! C閡 dram醫ico e cores em primeiro plano: beleza! Os raios de luz solar varando as nuvens ao fundo s鉶 um b鬾us e tanto, juntamente 鄐 lindas 醨vores secas. Eu teria apagado os fios de luz, apesar de fazerem parte do local. Parab閚s! Certamente uma de suas melhores!
Abra鏾,
Zeca

cobbydale (1958) 2007-05-05 13:15

Stunning shot Jose. The sky is amazing and the overall composition wonderful.
cheers, Leon.

banyanman (7797) 2007-05-06 10:10

Hi Jose. This is a great example of how the HDR technique can use the available light to create a very dramatic photograph. I was so taken by the beauty of this image, I didn't notice the tilt until I read some of the other critiques (and usually it is one of the first things that I notice if the horizon is not level) so that shows how much I was over-awed by your great HDR work. Cheers . . . David

Yar (793) 2007-05-06 10:18

Hello,
extremely powerful shot. very nice, I like this kind of weather, nothing else to add...

ahmetgedikli (25609) 2007-05-06 18:28

Ola Jose,
Very beautiful sunset and spring composition. Great colors with lights and good POV. Excellent photo!
Well done,
Ahmet

izmirli (3989) 2007-05-06 19:26

merhaba dear jose
wonderful sky,skyline and clouds.wonderful nature and wonderful landscape.well done.
best regards.
g黵kan ak鏰kır.

lucasgalodoido (27698) 2007-05-06 20:46

Ol� Jos�!
Bonita vista com um jogo de luz e contraste muito belo, uma pena os fios, como sempre! A escolha da cerca em 1o. plano ficou 髏ima!
Parab閚s e Abra鏾!
P.S. Estou postando pouco mesmo, estou sem tempo, mas vou voltar a postar com mais frequencia!

jmcl (14535) 2007-05-06 23:49

Wondrous Jos�

You have executed this perfectly .. wonderful tone in both sections and they merge wonderfully .. the sky is magic with the dark clouds and wonderful beams of light the granite in the ground is almost surreal or alien .. I think it is really effective because it is an almost ordinary scene .. but the stones and your wonderful light and exposures make it unique and magical.

take care,

John

Benedict (7076) 2007-05-07 2:00

hey jose,
you now have grown a pro!!
what a beautiful compo and the use of HDR whatever worked well.
i especially like the soft colors and the sunbeams, they bring out dazzling display! more, this kind!
benedict

saylan-cb (12738) 2007-05-07 3:47

Hi Jose
What a great atmosphere!a very good sharpness and perfect composition.
congratulations...

dospordostres (1170) 2007-05-07 15:50

Hola Jose,
Una imagen lindisima, me gusta mucho, y me has dejado picado con lo de HDR. El lugar es precioso, espero poder visitar tu pais pronto.
Saludos y muchas felicidades,
Daniel

adores (46979) 2007-05-07 20:05

Ol� Jos�!
Esta est� muito bonita! A luz pode parecer um pouco estranha mas acho que resultou muito bem.Gosto muito da composi玢o, especialmente da cerca e dos arbustos no primeiro plano.
Anabela

riclopes (35577) 2007-05-09 3:56

Ol� Jos�, n鉶 sei como � que esta me escapou. Est� divinal, e os cinco favoritos atestam isso. Que luz e que c閡! Esta atmosfera escurecida, mas ainda assim deixando-nos disfrutar dos detalhes da paisagem, est� surrealista. Excelente composi玢o com a cerca e peuqenos arbustos em 1� plano. Outra das diferen鏰s para a zona de Benavila, � os calhaus espalhados por todo o lado, que d鉶 um efeito engra鏰do nas vistas. Lind韘sima. Parab閚s!
Bom dia para ti,
ricardo

Donald (136) 2007-05-09 5:55

Hi Jose, good to see that you are still working and taking beautiful photos.
A great sky with that beams of light comming down on to the water, a lovely capture.
donald

bostankorkulugu (42866) 2007-05-09 11:55

definitely one of your best jose, a real cool catch... the divine light on the background is stunning... also the landscape looks poetic... yes the electric lines are a turn off mostly but even they can not manage to spoil this beauty... very well done, congrats my friend...

cheers

korkut:)

alentejo (1954) 2007-05-09 16:40

Ola Jose !
Bem...acho que foi tudo dito !!! Cheguei atrazado mas esta foto esta fantastica. Os diferentes tons do ceu, as arvores, a contra luz do primeiro plano real鏰ndo a profundidade e o relevo, a textura das folhas e da madeira...Tudo de bom. Esta vista � magica, o que � normal...estamos no Alentejo. Viva :-)))
Meus parabens Jos�.

Ja nos meus favoritos...
Um grande abra鏾.

tatadalou (7459) 2007-05-10 12:59

Hi Jos�,
The HDR effect is wonderful and particularly adapted to the atmosphere. The landscape seems very beautiful.
A great one!
Delphine

Tango7174 (0) 2007-05-12 10:02

A very dramatic scene, with dark and threatening skies, recalling paintings from the Romanticism period in the XIXth Century. The framing is excellent as well.
Great work, and thanks for making me discover HDR.

Th鄋h.

robertosalguero (292) 2007-05-13 4:28

Jose this is beautiful. The light filtering through the clouds in the background enhances the mood of the picture. A perfect combination of light and shadows to create this interesting and mysterious scene. Good contrast and sharpness. Perfect!

Roberto

balatrek (7455) 2007-05-15 3:51

Hola amigo,

Impresionante lugar y bell韘ima imagen, la composici髇 que has creado es perfecta y ese cielo tan espectacular fue perfecto para crear este trabajo, sin duda es una gran fotograf韆, luz, colores, todo bien equilibrado y con una atm髎fera muy intensa e interesante, felicidades.

Saludos
Jos�

sarahnatalie (697) 2007-05-16 10:32

Hi Jose,
I thought I had commented on this one, but I guess not. It is stunning! A true work of art and technical ability. I love the light in the sky. Fantastic!!
Sarah

alainh (33209) 2007-05-18 0:53

bonjour Jose
je me permets de te parler en Fran鏰is, j'ai pu constater que le tien etait parfait !!!
alors une tres belle image dans un registre qui me plait beaucoup. j'aime enormenent ces lumieres difficiles de ciel en colere. cet arbre seul est un plus pour ta composition.
bravo pour ta gestion de la lumiere.
la presence du barbel� peut d閞anger mais apporte une petite touche de presence humaine dans ce monde sauvage.
tres joli boulot.
amicalement
alain

vinicio (23423) 2007-05-18 4:20

Excellent HDR treatment of the image Jose, the result is astonishing, compliments, also to the beautiful composition of this image and the peaceful atmosphere of it.
Have a nice week-end
Ciao
Vinicio

clnaef (6289) 2007-05-23 1:18

Bonjour,
Belle ambiance orageuse et composition bien 閝uilibr閑.
Bonne journ閑.
clnaef

anesugur (18789) 2007-05-23 14:42

Ola Jose,
Wonderful shot!
The light, POV and composition are very beautiful.
I like it.
Best wishes. Uğur

berseph (1758) 2007-05-24 20:36

Beautiful capture Jose. This is a gorgous image. Everything in the image is well placed, and I love the sunset coming through the clouds. Well done.

Atousa (7131) 2007-06-03 9:26

Salam Jose,
Its really ethereal!, the sky is wonderful here.

Interesting foreground (barbed wire) too, that is in contradiction with all the delicacies seen in this shot.
Regards,
Atousa

p_m_geraldes (774) 2007-06-05 9:03

Ol�, Jos�!

Gosto muito desta foto, apesar de ser um HDR est� com um aspecto muito natural. Gosto das cores e daquele c閡 carregado.

Cumprimentos

atus (15878) 2007-07-03 14:05

Hello Jos�,
fantastic shot here and excellent use of the hdr technique. The compo is great, with the tree perfectly placed. The fence in the fg. balances well the pic and of course, the filtering sunrays are the major attraction of this great shot.
Well done! Tfs and best wishes.
Attila

corsicastorm (3236) 2007-07-14 12:21

Du charme pour cette image sombre mais riche en d閠ails avec une belle lumi鑢e qui filtre � travers les nuages mena鏰nts.

nataliya (51) 2007-09-02 6:55

Hello Jose!
WOW!
Wonderfull foto!
Beautifull color and sharpness!
Good job!
Thank you for shering!
Best regards,
Nataliya

danyy (0) 2007-10-23 15:37

Bonjour Jose,
des lumi鑢es incroyables ici, la r閡ssite est totale et je ne vois vraiment aucun point que je pourrais critiquer n間ativement ici.
Fabuleux.
Regards.
Daniel.

JCG (35153) 2007-11-26 9:07

Hi again Jose,

As I am afraid to abuse your language I take again English.

Thank you for your tree which enabled me to be able to benefit from this excellent photograph which had escaped to me. Superb light and atmosphere on this image. One recognizes well the tree in this almost unreal splendid landscape.
My compliments on the quality of the image, I like much Jose, cheer.

Warmest regards,

Jean-Charles

ruisc_pt (11594) 2008-01-07 7:23

tRABALHO FABULOSO.
Ainda por cima correspondendo ao "real".
Brilhante HDR
* fav
Ab
R

No_One (4) 2014-08-14 10:12

Hi Jose,
Many thanks for sharing the link on this, what aa beautiful image, a sight to behind. Every element ties the scene together so well, the trees, and livestock and of Course that exiting and enticing sky. You managed the light perfectly here, a lesson to me on my dark foreground in my post. This looks stunning. I was thinking if I should lighten the shadows in mine, and decided not to, but I must revisit that thought. I still have some images to go through from that evening, do I will try something new. Thanks for the lesson and the fantastic picture,
Cheers
Noel