Old houses of Marvăo, a photo from Portalegre, South

Photographer's Note

Marvăo

Nearby the border with Spain, situated between Castelo de Vide and Portalegre, on the highest point of the lovely Săo Mamede mountain, in Alentejo, is situated this charming village of Marvăo.
In a peacefull and relaxing environment, surrounded by 13th and 17th century defensive walls, Marvăo rises high, with its lovely white houses, narrow and winding streets, showing that time is not as quick as it often seems.
The archaeological vestiges of the region date back to the Palaeolithic and Neolithic Period, with many menhirs and antas all around the area, as well as an important Roman archaeological station.
Its strategic location, on the higher point of the Săo Mamede Mountain, with difficult accesses, that served as a natural protection, and near the border with Spain, made of Marvăo an important Portuguese defensive point for many centuries, being the stage of several battles and political conflicts.
Visiting Marvăo, one has the certain of visiting history itself, along these historical streets, with gothic and manueline inheritances, and medieval testimonies of other times, marked in the typical granite constructions.
The Castle and its imposing walls from the 13th century are unforgettable monuments of the village, yet Marvăo has much more to offer to the visitor, like its Mother Church of the 15th century, or the old Santa Maria Church, nowadays an interesting municipal museum with ethnological and archaeological collections from the region.
Located next to the Serra de Săo Mamede Natural Park, from the highest points in Marvăo, like Torre de Menagem (Watchtower) or the Pousada de Santa Maria, one can enjoy of astonishing landscapes throughout the surrounding natural area.
Outside the village walls, are located the lovely Espírito Santo Chapel and the Nossa Senhora da Estrela Convent, which saint is said to be miraculous and once believed to be the reason of the Portuguese kingdoms protection, and every year the festivities dedicated to her are widely famous.

www.guiadacidade.pt

Nikon D40X
2010/12/26 15:21:41.7
Compressed RAW (12-bit)
Image Size: Large (3872 x 2592)
Color
Lens: 10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 G
Focal Length: 10mm
Exposure Mode: Manual
Metering Mode: Spot
1/320 sec - F/11
Exposure Comp.: 0 EV
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Optimize Image: Custom
White Balance: Preset
AF Mode: AF-C
Color Mode: Mode IIIa (sRGB)
Tone Comp.: More Contrast
Hue Adjustment: +3°
Saturation: Enhanced
Sharpening: Medium high
Long Exposure NR: Off
VR Control: Off
High ISO NR: Off

Reserved copyrights: The present photograph is intellectual workmanship protected by law 9610/98 being forbidden to the reproduction for any way without the previous authorization in writing it author. Please contact Gonçalo Lopes

josepmarin, pierrefonds, adores, vasilpro, danos, dkmurphys, jlbrthnn, jhm, timecapturer, Budapestman, delpeoples, bona, adramad, Angshu oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

dta (98848) 2011-02-24 11:09

Ola Goncalo ,
I like this architecture , white walls and till roofs . But this composition is especially beautiful , with the excellent perspective , and the superb contrasts of lighting .
Verty well done .

dip (21408) 2011-02-24 12:04

Hello Goncalo,
beautiful architectural details,great perspective and amazing blue sky!
well done!
Dimitris.

mauarg (1769) 2011-02-24 12:53

Oi Gonçalo,

Linda mistura de sombras e luzes nas paredes das casas. O céu também está lindo. Boa composiçăo.

Abraço, Maurício

josepmarin (59385) 2011-02-24 12:55

Olá Gonçalo,
la luz y las sombras son elementos muy importantes en tu composición, porque crean un ambiente muy agradable sobre la arquitectura tradicional de este bonito pueblo, y dan un buen equilibrio en la exposición.
Me gusta la perspectiva de la calle y las texturas de su pavimento de piedra, bien visibles gracias a la nitidez de la imagen.
Un bello trabajo, con un alto nivel cromático.
Um abraço,
Josep

ciakgiak (30) 2011-02-24 13:52

Ciao Goncalo,
il posto ed il paesaggio, con queste belle case vecchie, sono molto attraenti.
Mi piace la particolarissima luce che illumina le facciate bianche e che crea bei contrasti, splendido quello col cielo azzurrissimo. Complimenti.
Un caro abbraccio.
Giorgio

lousat (138599) 2011-02-24 13:54

Hi Goncalo,how you're great to builth these perpsectives.Very impressive and long composition whit a fantastic contrast bewteen the white facade and this magnificent sky! Very well done,have a nice day,Luciano

pierrefonds (113572) 2011-02-24 14:28

Hi Goncalo,

The street is sending my eyes toward the arch which is giving depth to the composition. The point of view is showing the details and colors of the architecture of the houses. There is a good contrast between the colors of the sky and the colors of the houses. Have a nice day.

Pierre

adores (46979) 2011-02-24 16:41

Olá Gonçalo!
Mais um recanto de Marvăo! As cores, luz e nitidez estăo excelentes! Gosto da luz a reflectir nas fachadas das casas!

vasilpro (41801) 2011-02-24 22:56

Good morning Goncalo,
Wonderful composition, lovely light and colors, beautiful atmosphere, very good clarity and contrast, excellent POV, interesting architecture.
Have a nice day, Vasilis.

Graal (103040) 2011-02-24 23:33

Hi Goncalo,
nice perspective and contrast. Strong light You had. An interesting gate in BG. Amazing colour of clouds.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

danos (110407) 2011-02-25 0:23

Ola Goncalo,
very nice the perspective and creating depth of the image,as the blue sky over the city.I like the traditional houses of the image with the light and the colour management to be superb.

Have a good day,Danos

dkmurphys (79209) 2011-02-25 1:27

Ola Goncalo,
Wonderful street, very picturesque capture. I like the contrast and the perfect sky colors. Well done, have a nice weekend.

jlbrthnn (76043) 2011-02-25 1:29

Oi o Gonçalo,
eu admiro a boa exposiçăo da fotografia que permite ver as partes iluminado e ombrées tăo claramente. É um prazer para ver esta fachada tradicional, com tal uma limpeza e cores tăo bonitas. Bravo.
Dia bom.
Amicalement
Joël

BennyV (34734) 2011-02-25 2:00

Another fine picture from that fine place, Goncalo. Here it's the light/shadow contrast that does the trick. Especially the shadow on the wall is very, very good. And that blue sky...we can only dream about it here...

Have a fine weekend.

Benny

jhm (211734) 2011-02-25 3:48

Olá Gonçalo,

You chose a very well angle, these care for depth and perspective, we come along these way to the gate in background.
The buildings to the left and the slope to the rightside give a very well compositon.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

pablominto (53746) 2011-02-25 4:21

Hello Gonçalo,

This is a composition with stunning lines!
The play of light and shade also is an eye-catching feature, with the old buildings catching the afternoon sun...

Greetings,
Pablo -

timecapturer (49288) 2011-02-25 4:25

Hi Goncalo
stunning light control here to make this an impressive shot. Love the POV and the amazing blue in the sky. Nicely sharp and wonderful shadow on the wall. Excellent!!

Brian

siamesa (28231) 2011-02-25 6:57

Bom dia Gonçalo

Interessante essa ruazinha que dá um charme ŕs casas antigas. Luz e sombras perfeitos. Linda combinaçăo.
Abraços
maria

peppe59 (14555) 2011-02-25 10:21

Ciao Goncalo,
Esta luz del sol excepcional en el medio, el camino es muy hermoso y típico cielo, hermoso, complementan muy bien esta imagen.
buen fin de semana
peppe

subhendu_bagchi (26091) 2011-02-25 10:42

Namaste Goncalo,
it is a superb composition. Love the colour contrast very much. The sky is excellent. Like also the shadow treatment on white wall. Great shot. Tfs.
Best wishes.
Subhendu

Silvio1953 (220577) 2011-02-25 11:10

Ciao Goncalo, great use of wide angle, splendid perspecive, fantastic sky, wonderful light and colors, very well done my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

Budapestman (82620) 2011-02-25 13:44

Hi Goncalo,
a picturesque photo with amazing colours and lights, the composition is very nice, a nostalgic and peaceful atmosphere, Tfs! Have a nice weekend! Kellemes hétvégét kívánok!
György

jmdias (114262) 2011-02-25 15:02

gonçalo

linda vista desta rua típicamente lusa. gosto do contraste entre o casario alvo e o azul do céu.lindo trabalho, ótimo enquadramento e nitidez

abraços

jorge

danyy (0) 2011-02-26 0:17

Ola Goncalo,
dans un style qui t'est propre, c'est presque signé, un village paisible sous le plus beau des ciels et dans des lumičres trčs douces, j'aime beaucoup.
Regards.
daniel.

delpeoples (60342) 2011-02-26 2:41

Ola dear Goncalo

Excellent management of light and shade. The colours are rich and details well-defined. Thanks for sharing and I wish you a beautiful Saturday.

Um abraco
Lisa

bona (15057) 2011-02-26 14:34

Olá Gonçalo,

gostei desse ponto de vista. Bem interessante o local e que lindo azul conseguiste.
O local parece deserto, vivem poucas pessoas lá, ou era muito cedo?
Abraço
Andre

Ricx (13495) 2011-02-28 1:47

Hi Goncalo, I realy like the strong blue sky against the wonderful old white houses.. Good depth with the angle of the hills and the houses - well done Rich

adramad (72558) 2011-03-02 6:18

Hola Gonçalo.
Maravillosa perspectiva la que has conseguido en este bonito encuadre, la imagen de la calle y fachadas que convergen en el arco del fondo resulta encantador.
El cielo esta fascinante con esas nubes y color. Buen equilibrio de luces y sombras y un colorido ideal.
Pasa una buena tarde.
Un abrazo.
Luis.

paninho (3025) 2011-03-02 6:40

Ola Gonçalo!

Estou de volta de Portugal!

Excelente a gestăo da luz nesta fotografia! Soubeste aproveitar bem a rua para dar profundidade ŕ imagem. Também gostei do céu. Sinceros parabéns por este trabalho!

Um abraço

Antonio

kato (11630) 2011-03-03 15:08

Hi Goncalo,

Well composed, excellent rich tone and a tasteful photograph!
It's impressive for entire color contrast and blue sky.

Regards,
mikio

Angshu (56760) 2011-03-05 23:10

Ola Goncalo
Good use of perspective & good exposure here with the light & shadows playing on the white wall. The path leading to the arch pulls our eye right into the picture. Good contrast with the blue sky!
Um Abraco
Angshu