Facade of Segovia, a photo from Segovia, Castilla y Leon

Photographer's Note

I still have a couple of photos from 羦ila that I want to post, but for now let's move on to Segovia.

Segovia is a charming town of 55000 inhabitants that lies North of the mountain range of Sierra de Guadarrama. These mountains, whose highest point lies 2428 m / 7965 ft above sea level, separate it from Madrid, which is just 90 Km away (45 min by highway).

The town is famous for its imposing Roman Aqueduct, the best preserved of the Roman monuments in Iberian Peninsula (a region where that kind of monument is far from scarce) and the Alc醶ar, the fairy tale medieval palace that inspired Walt Disney to design the Cinderella castle. Perhaps a little less known, another landmark of the town, the most outstanding when one looks at the town from the distance is the cathedral with its 90 m / 295 ft bell tower.

The name of the place denounces its Celtic origin - the original name, not changed by the Romans, was Segobriga (Sego [victory] + briga [city] in Celtic language). The Aqueduct proves its importance during the Roman period. Although the Alc醶ar was originally a Moor fortress (again the name indicates that, as it derives from the Arabic Al-Ksar, which mean "the castle") that was built on the top of some Roman fortifications, it appears that the city had little importance during the Moorish period and some even believe that it was practically abandoned. It regained importance during after the Christian reconquest and it was often the residence of the Castillian court in the 14 and 15th centuries.

WS: a less cropped version of the same shot.

Link to all my posts of Segovia: *.

Location (latitude, longitude): 40.95032,-4.12135

-----
Update 12-Feb-2009: A resident of Segovia pointed me the exact location of this house (the original coordinates were wrong by about 70 meters) and told me that the present construction is from 2003. Regrettably, to build this new building, they demolished a charming house from the 1920's that was known as "la casa vasca" (the Basque house) because its architecture reminisced the popular architecture of Basque country.

lucasgalodoido, ls7902, shevchenko, Docarmo, bakes888, Floydian, jhm, mydrjoe, gabrielpat, feather, avene, jlbrthnn, Jardim, parbo, Atousa, gracious, jusninasirun, AiresSantos, Gerrit, Didi, Emile, adores, paura, riclopes, danos, jaywalker, edytungkal, trekks, sothy81, tober, JCG, bostankorkulugu, ruisc_pt has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

omerozden (1259) 2008-11-06 17:40

hello jose
the balconies and the windows have unique style on each of the floors which is intriguing and eyecatching. well composed and presented.
regads
omer

lucasgalodoido (27698) 2008-11-06 18:18

Ol� Jos�,
o mais interessante aqui s鉶 as plantas nas sacadas, cada andar com seu estilo pr髉rio. Um detalhe que passaria desapercebido diante de muitas lentes, inclusive a minha. Belo trabalho.
Parab閚s e Abra鏾

ls7902 (7380) 2008-11-06 18:39

Hello Jose,
Very interesting photo in square format with symmetrical and repeating windows. The top level occupants take better care of their plants on their balconies ... or maybe the plants are more hardy for the present climate. Lovely light, colors, and shadows. Well presented. Regards. Latiff.

shevchenko (20560) 2008-11-06 18:44

Hello Jose,
Creative work to show those many small frames inside a big frame, every balcony with it potted plants have their own story, interesting composition, good shoot.
Ally

serp2000 (47063) 2008-11-06 19:46

Good morning, Jose,
Fine work! I like this simmetry. Nice colours, excellent sharpness! Brave shot! TFS!
Have a nice day!
Serghei

Docarmo (9767) 2008-11-06 20:26

Ol� Jos�,
Fant醩tica esta tomada, em close nas sacadas. O grafismo dado pela repeti玢o e pelas sombras ficou muito bonito.
Excelente trabalho!
MCV

aadilj (18102) 2008-11-06 21:41

Nice composition with a superlative graphical view. the colorus and the tones are great and well managed and handled. the imapct is good

TGULUMSER (13252) 2008-11-06 22:52

Hello Jose,
High graphical effect and nice details,
Best regards,
Tulay

Morac (27725) 2008-11-06 23:54

Bonjour Jos�,

Belle fa鏰de et beau travail avec la lumi鑢e et les ombres du balcon.
J抋urai sans doute essayer de corriger la perspective pour accentuer encore l抏ffet d抋lignement.
Bonne journ閑
Marc

bakes888 (18499) 2008-11-07 0:18

Hi Jose. Great photo. Wonderful patterns and symmetry. Good colours and sharpness also. Well composed and thanks for sharing.
Have a good weekend, Paul.

Floydian (30970) 2008-11-07 1:16

Hi Jose,
Some pictures have my attention right from the thumbnail...just like this one. Lines, crop, frame, it all comes in perfect and once open it to large size i'm not dissapointed, it looks even better on colour but especially details.
The sunblinds look great, and the play with light and slight amount of shadow is just enough to show all these little though important details...wonderful picture....really good.
Regards, Henk

gildasjan (43826) 2008-11-07 1:42

Bonjour Jos�
Une image dont le cadrage et la g閛m閠rie sont tr鑣 soign閟 de plus la mumi鑢e est tr鑣 bonne pour mettre ces fen阾res en valeur.
Bonne journ閑
Amicalement
Gildas

jhm (211738) 2008-11-07 3:05

Hello Jos�,

You show here a excellent symetry picture with this front of this building.
I find the shadow lines of the balconies very nice.
Very well composition, attractive of colours, pleasure for look it.
Very well done, TFS.

Nice weekend,
John.

mydrjoe (1240) 2008-11-07 3:21

Ol� Jose,

Una buena foto de esta abalconada fachada, perfecta simetr韆, excelente color, nitidez y contraste de luces y sombras. Los diferentes tipos de adornos dan vida y rompen la uniformidad del conjunto. Excelente toma!

Abra鏾,
JR

gabrielpat (7163) 2008-11-07 4:57

hola jos�,
un buen grafismo,con colores cailentes,en este mundo,cada uno,pone un poco de flores en su vida?
amistades ,patrick.

Rafer (0) 2008-11-07 5:18

Grafismo y luz insuperable,,,fant醩tica...saludos

sunamoon (10) 2008-11-07 5:21

Muy buen encuadre y precioso juego de luces y sombras,
unos colores realmente bonitos, muy buena definici髇 y equilibrio optimo!

Buen trabajo

Un saludo,
Elena

feather (51130) 2008-11-07 8:26

Definitely the best of the two. The crop works well to make a pattern without surrounding interference. Even the occupants are cooperating in the pattern making by their choice of plants for the balconies. (Far right middle needs his pot back!;D) The light is also in your favour for providing the graphic shadows.
Kath

avene (12675) 2008-11-07 9:04

hello Jose,
I like this photo a lot, the repetitive patterns of the windows and balconies create a fascinating image, while the different flowerpots and odd lamp add the element of randomness. nice one :)

regards,
Kristine

jlbrthnn (76043) 2008-11-07 9:33

Bom-dia Jos�,
Gosto deesta imagem muito gr醘ica, enquadrada com precis鉶. As cores s鉶 s骲rias e magn韋icas. � uma uma bonita realiza玢o, acompanhada de uma nota muito interessante. Uma beleza e bom trabalho.
Passa um bom fim de dia e um bom fim de semana.
Cordialmente
Jo雔

Jardim (3243) 2008-11-07 13:55

Ol� Jos�,

A geometria das janelas em que as persianas umas mais abertas outra mais fechadas e as sombras d鉶 um ritmo e um efeito especial.

JJ

parbo (11092) 2008-11-07 18:59

Ol� Jos�,

The texture of marble facade is very attractive with its own colors but your very well finished PP and crop already created splendidly repeating windows and balconies. Shadow of balconies and their ferro barriers are very well seen and added to frame. A very clever view as same its high quality of capture. Have a nice weekend.

Parab閚s e Abra鏾!

Ertugrul

Atousa (7131) 2008-11-07 21:02

Salam Jose,

Its so appealing..lots of windows/doors in a form of a single one in front of our eyes..the shadows are a nice plus here to give more depth n beauty to this shot ..good colours too..very well seen n captured ..thank you.
Best regards, A

gracious (20025) 2008-11-07 21:53

Ola Jose,
Oh! I loved this image with so many balconies with those wonderful colouration! I especally liked the great displayed of the light and shadows over it!
amazing sharpness here with very nice colour and details
my compliment!
take good care
tony

jusninasirun (17529) 2008-11-08 1:11

Hi Jos�. Light, shadow and repetitions captured so well in this wonderfully framed shot. Well metered sharpness exposing stunning clarity and details. TFS and well done. Jusni

AiresSantos (56155) 2008-11-08 1:45

Ola Jose
Uma foto com um grafismo estupendo. As cores e as sombras estao magnificas. Bom enquadramento e definicao
BFS
Aires

Gerrit (62042) 2008-11-08 2:12

Hi Jose,
fine view with a great repetition of the windows and especially of the state of beiing of the plantds on the balconies.
Regards, Gerrit

Didi (61589) 2008-11-08 3:13

Salut cher Jos�
Un cadrage serr� avec une int閞essante sym閠rie qui met en valeur cet immeuble.
J'appr閏ie bien les diagonales d'ombres qui relient les balcons entre eux.
Chapeau pour la nettet� !
Amiti閟.

Emile (20352) 2008-11-08 8:57

Hola Jos�.
Una foto muy sim閠rica con las ventanas y preciosos balcones encuadradas de una forma perfecta en tu muy buena fotograf韆. En Segovia hacen ya unos a駉 tu la fortuna de almorzar donde hacen el mejor cochinillo de Espa馻, al pie del acueducto Romano, un excelente restaurante que ahora no recuerdo el nombre, espero que tu habr醩 almorzado ah�.
Un fuerte abrazo y cari駉s a la familia.

vascao (192) 2008-11-08 11:50

Jos�, que composi玢o maravilhosa! A simetria, os padr鮡s, a luz produzindo sombras t鉶 profundas e um toque diagonal � imagem, as cores... Irrepreens韛el. Nada do convencional com rela玢o a janelas, uma obra de arte o que tens aqui.
[]'s
Sergio

adores (46979) 2008-11-08 17:59

Ol� jos�!
As janelas deram uma bonita composi玢o, especialmente com as sombras que criaram um efeito excelente. Gosto tamb閙 dos vasinhos, diferentes em cada janela.

testmaniac (13508) 2008-11-08 20:30

Hello Jose, very good photo and nice facade of Segovia. Excellent composition and colors.

TFS and regards,

Phil

paura (25802) 2008-11-09 1:04

Jos�,
A repeti玢o sistem醫ica dos desenhos arquitet鬾icos propiciou um interessante efeito gr醘ico. Muito bonita.

Abra鏾

Paulo

riclopes (35577) 2008-11-09 3:02

Bom dia Jos�, que maravilha de imagem. Um pouco ao estilo do Izzet ;-) O trabalho que fizeste a partir do WS � fabuloso. E no entanto, at� � uma boa imagem com um azul de c閡 atraente. Mas esta chegou mais longe. O grafismo resultante � irresist韛el. � um prazer observar o efeito de repeti玢o e ao mesmo tempo detectar as diferen鏰s entre cada varanda. Grande foto.
um abra鏾,
ricardo

danos (110407) 2008-11-09 8:35

Ola Jose,
nice the minimalistic facade of this building in Segovia,with the attractive windows and the balconies to are an eye catcher.I like the shadows that fall on the facade and create elegance harmony on the scene.In the someone can see almost the whole building,but i prefer this one.Well done.

Regards,Danos

zeynepe (0) 2008-11-09 10:39

Selam Jose,
Thanks to your detailed notes, we are able to learn so many things about the places that you visited.You are like Evliya Celebi:)
Fantastic graphical effects make the composition very attractive.The texture of the wall looks superb but the unwanted air conditioners are there:)
Congrats and have a nice Sunday,
Warm regards,
Zeynep

ElAprendiz (30) 2008-11-09 13:57

Hola mi amigo:

Una imagen con mucha simetr韆 y equilibrio, en un perfecto encuadre.

Las formas lineales son apropiadas a la fuerte iluminaci髇, lo que determina destacar unas bellas tonalidades. Doce balcones bien decorados, detallados con nitidez y gran definici髇.

Saludos, John

robiuk (10807) 2008-11-09 14:05

Very clean 4x3 composition with windows where you found
a certain graphism and visually pleasant uniformity.
A facade difficult to shoot due to harsh light, but on the other side you got these shadows that complement the
graphic quality.
Cheers,
Robi

ifanik (21679) 2008-11-09 19:50

Hi my friend
Very nice and symmetrical frame
The colors are very good and the shadows too
Well done
Best regards
Nick

Graal (103040) 2008-11-10 2:24

Hi Jose,
very nice presentation. Amazing pattern, good symetry, light and colours. I like it a lot.
Gr., Aleksander

jaywalker (16105) 2008-11-10 11:46

Hi Jose, Brilliant symmetry & wonderful light, the simple composition & strong shadows add to the beauty, the square framing is perfect, TFS, kind regards Wilson.

edytungkal (4551) 2008-11-10 22:05

This is very interesting shot Jose, perfect balance and very good of using the lights. But i just imagine if someone / beautiful woman standing on the corner and looking at your camera, it would be a nice combination. Nonetheless its a very well composition Jose, i like it....
tfs and have a great day

daniel

trekks (14348) 2008-11-11 23:38

hi Jose

I like this better than WS.

Apart from the interesting architecture, the light+shadow effect that you have placed on this view is making it more graphically impressive.

tfs, bill

sothy81 (9646) 2008-11-12 18:46

Jose, this is such a beautiful picture. I like the graphical view of this photo a lot. Also interesting to see the upper level has more trees and the lower has nothing. The shadow also makes a huge difference. The colors are also very nice. Well done. Sothy

Burberry1 (6041) 2008-11-13 1:52

Excellent and very well taken image full of great light and shapes.
It look sooo real and I really like it Jose!

Agnieszka

fkokol (1636) 2008-11-13 3:51

Wonderful architectural detail. Nice cropping as well. great composition.
Greetings,

tober (8797) 2008-11-13 14:09

Ol� Jos�, especialmente eu gostei do grafismo e da defini玢o. Bel韘simo enquadramento. Adorei tamb閙 o jogo de luz e sombras. Muitos Parabens ! Tolga

delkoo (68) 2008-11-13 14:27

bonsoir jos�
tu as b閚閒ici� d'une lumi鑢e particuli鑢ement belle qui projette des ombres int閞essantes sur la fa鏰de, la r閜閠ition des fen阾res donne un certain rythme a la photo.

bien vu
didier

Bluejeans (64251) 2008-11-14 14:15

Oi amigo ,
Bela foto com um grafismo muito bonito de sombras e luz , a parede tem uma textura muito interessante com manchas , gostei muito da disposi玢o dos vasos vermelhos e das plantas no 3 piso , parab閚s!!
Um abra鏾 Gon鏰lo

JCG (35153) 2008-11-19 22:17

Bonjour Jos�,

Une bonne vue s閘ective sur cette belle fa鏰de o� la lumi鑢e fait merveille et nous offre des ombres bien int閞essantes. Je remarque aussi en WS que la vue g閚閞ale nous montre un bel immeuble, bien fini, j'appr閏ie les bow windows de chaque c魌�. La nettet� de l'image est superbe mettant bien en valeur chaque d閠ail. Bien vu Jos� et merci pour la note toujours bien fournie et int閞essante.

Avec toutes mes amiti閟 et une tr鑣 bonne journ閑,

Jean-Charles

sacavem (18620) 2008-11-24 6:59

Ol� Jose,

Gosto muito da vista deste pr閐io com simetria e enquadramento muito bom. Excelentes detalhes, luminosidade e sombras.

Um abra鏾,
Filipe

bostankorkulugu (42866) 2008-12-09 7:11

well all you needed was a sexy lady on one of those balconies to make this one even more delightful, but still a very good shot my friend... loved the geometry in it... all the best...

korkut

ruisc_pt (11594) 2009-07-04 5:10

Ol� Jos�
Este g閚ero de imagens com padr鮡s repetitivos "patterned images" � um dos que mais me fascina.
Gosto desta particularmente... a nota como sempre espl阯dida.
Ab
R