Blue hour in Mostar, a photo from Bosniak-Croat, West

Photographer's Note

For Slavic people like myself the name of the town Mostar sounds as being related to a bridge (Polish: most). And indeed the Stari Most (old bridge) is the main attraction of the old town.
One of the guidebook suggestions to this region was to avoid asking questions about the language or religion since the topics may touch some still sensitive memories of the recent war.
I have seen in my trip to Western Balkans some beautiful Roman Catholic churches, Orthodox churches and mosques. My uneducated guess is that the border between Roman and Byzantine empires was passing somewhere in this area, on top of that this region was for a long time a part of the Ottoman empire hence the coexistence of Orthodox and Catholic Christians and Moslems at the same time. Stari Most, a beautiful example of Ottoman architecture, as well as the whole old town of Mostar is located mainly in the Moslem part of the town. The bridge was destroyed in the recent war but it was rebuilt as a symbol of "building bridges".

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pajaran, danos, ikeharel, holmertz, cornejo, daddo, PaulVDV, jhm, PiotrF, alvaraalto, ChrisJ, delpeoples, Angshu, Gigidusud, tyro, COSTANTINO oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

dkmurphys (79209) 2016-07-03 23:46

Hi Mariusz,
Spectacular moment in your capture. Love this iconic postcard from that picturesque town. well done!

Daniel

rychem (72187) 2016-07-03 23:49

Piekne oswietlenie o zmierzchu, doskonale skomponowane, pierwszorzedne wrazenie
pozdrawiam Ryszard

Tue (91488) 2016-07-04 0:27

Hello Mariusz,
Beautiful view down the river towards the famous bridge. The light is beautiful again and the illuminated city stands out wonderfully against the dark silhouettes of the mountains. The smooth, silky effect on the water is very well captured too.
Lars

danos (110407) 2016-07-04 0:43

Witaj Mariusz,
nice the blue hour shot of the famous old bridge in Mostar.I like the excellent light and colour management with the pause of the running water in the river to makes the image even more effective.

Regards,Danos

ikeharel (112395) 2016-07-04 1:03

Good morning Mariusz,
Beautiful take onto the river and famous bridge that was renovated after the war, when it was completly destroyd. I remember the day we saw on TV the destruction of it.
Fine night scenery from a high POV, there was some mist, but the outcome is outstanding.
Have a nice new week,
Ike

holmertz (101930) 2016-07-04 3:29

Hello Mariusz,
You captured a good atmosphere around this famous bridge. The bridge is beautifully illuminated and the reflections in the river are terrific. It's a very good and clear photo from a fine POV.
Kind regards,
Gert

cornejo (61504) 2016-07-04 3:53

Mariusz Witaj, very good picture of this interesting and beautiful composition at the blue hour of the beautiful city, very well captured in this beautiful image with good sharpness, depth, light, color and quality. Very good and interesting work perfectly realized, my congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this beautiful work.

Good night and happy start to the week.
Warm greetings from southern Spain.
Angel.

daddo (28748) 2016-07-04 3:57

Zdravo Mariusz. I see that you have spent time in my favourite town. The sad events of the recent war are not even slightly apparent in this glorious image. A beautiful example of ottoman engineering and aesthetics. Your long exposure has created a dreamlike atmosphere. I love it. Pozdrav. Klaudio.

PaulVDV (62770) 2016-07-04 4:12

Hello Mariusz,
Taken from a good high viewpoint the illuminated bridge, the adjacent tower and the tall minaret are a wonderful sight. Even more with the dark mountains on the background.
The curve of the river and the silhouettes of the trees make the foreground more attractive.
You mention language. I knew about the coexistence of the three religions but not that they would speak all their own language. This is a funny thing that is very noticeable for someone from my country. In the Yugoslavian era we were taught that its inhabitants spoke Serbo-Croatian. After the formation of the various republics in the 90's, it turned out that each republic had its own language of which some were strongly related with others. If I understand your note well, the three population groups (classified by religion) do each speak their own language in Mostar and in Bosnia.
Best regards, Paul

jhm (211734) 2016-07-04 4:31

Witaj Mariusz,

The world famous and infamous bridge in Mostar, but wonderful recovered
Again a wonderful blue hour picture with the yellow gold colour in foreground through the light.
An excellent composition pleasant presentation.
Sharpness and clarity are perfect.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

Cricri (176) 2016-07-04 4:40

Hi Mariusz
Belle prise a heure bleu, belle vue sur la rivičre avec les reflets et le pont éclairée,
trčs jolie réalisation
belle journée
cricri

Sergiom (117241) 2016-07-04 5:37

Bonjour Mariusz,

Elle est trčs belle cette photo ŕ l'heure bleue. Le regard suit le cours d'eau vers le pont qui est certainement la vedette avec cette trčs jolie illumination.

Amicalement

Serge

Nicou (193806) 2016-07-04 10:45

Hello

Fantastique compo nocturne quel clocher quel pont et ces reflet quel rendu des lumičre superbe captage et image merveilleux.
Bravo et amitié
Nicou

lousat (138551) 2016-07-04 15:15

Hi Mariusz,a spectacular capture of one of the most famous bridges of Balkans,a bad recent history but now still there with its unique beautiful style in a magic scenery,i like it! Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

PiotrF (54246) 2016-07-04 15:32

Czesc Mariusz
Widze, ze znalazles sie w odpowiednim miejscu w odpowiednim czasie. Zdjecie o tej porze mostu musialo po prostu byc rewelacyjne. Swietna jakosc i atrakcyjna kolorystyka.
pozdrawiam
Piotr

emka (157280) 2016-07-05 1:21

Cześć Mariusz,

Wyobrażam,sobie, ze wszystko tu zaplanowałeś - żeby być dokładnie o czasie błękitnej godziny i w miejscu gdzie jest najbardziej klasyczny widok na most w Mostarze. I jest tego efekt, piękne zdjęcie, wspaniały kadr, kolory, ta jedwabista woda..

Byłam w Mostarze z moja mamą w pamiętnym 1968 roku, na jesieni, a więc po wydarzeniach w Czechoslowacji. To i Sarajewo to było moje pierwsze zetknięcie z kultura muzułmańską. Byłam zafascynowana widokiem meczetów z minaretami jak ołówki, cmentarzami, kobiety chodziły jeszcze w szarawarach, szkoda, ze nie mam żadnych zdjęć. A ta fascynacja została mi do dzis.

Pozdrawiam Małgorzata

Silvio1953 (220495) 2016-07-07 12:00

Ciao Mariusz, fascinating blue hour with fantastic bridge, wonderful colors, splendid light and excellent exposure, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

alvaraalto (42804) 2016-07-07 12:08

Hello Mariusz.
I can remember that the bridge in Mostar was destroyed and rebuilt later. It is good you tell the story of this region and show the symbol of Building Bridges with this marvellous picture.
Groet Rob

Fis2 (169635) 2016-07-07 13:04

Czesc Mariusz!
Kocham mosty, ten jest imponujący.
Wspanialy widok, piekne miejsce.
Twoja ulubiona niebieska godzina.
Znakomita kompozycja i kadr.
Kolory sa eleganckie.
Dobrej nocy!
Krzysztof

carlo62 (81265) 2016-07-07 15:35

Ciao Mariusz
che bella questa notturna, ottima esposizione e bellissima atmosfera. La bellezza del ponte non si discute, ma č tutto l'insieme che č vincente.
Saluti
Carlo

ChrisJ (171146) 2016-07-09 2:17

Hi Mariusz,

A superb blue hour shot of the Mostar bridge & it's great to see it repaired and open once again after the craziness of the Balkan wars 20 odd years ago. Good sharpness and a great time exposure. Tfs!

abmdsudi (95869) 2016-07-10 16:59

Hi Mariusz
An enjoyable blue hour shot of the famous old 'new' bridge as centre piece with its awesome colours, stunning exposure and impressively composed using the rule of thirds. But I think this treatment of it is very special heightened by gorgeous reflections and the effect the long exposure has had on water. The warm tones on the edifices are the added bonus. Delightful.
Best wishes

delpeoples (60342) 2016-07-11 2:40

Ciao dear Mariusz

A delightful Blue Hour shot of this iconic bridge. You really have judged the light perfectly, handling the extreme dark areas with the bright areas so well, balancing everything nicely. I love the soft silvery blue tones, they're magic and you haven't fallen into the trap of over-saturating or over-sharpening. A beautiful, subtle and romantic image. Superb.

Warmest wishes
Lisa

Angshu (56760) 2016-07-13 6:00

Hello Mariusz
I think the mountains create a fine backdrop for the famous bridge & the minaret. Fine blue hour shot. Apart from the above, its interesting to see specks of light in the lower slope of the hill behind. Good exposure & work!
Best Regards
Angshu

Gigidusud (21679) 2016-07-14 14:20

Hello Mariusz,
A beautiful blue hour with the bridge illuminated, the reflections on the water are splendid. Excellent POV and a good long exposure. I like a lot!
Best regards.
Gigi

tyro (30513) 2016-09-01 23:49

Hi Mariusz,

I must have been away on holiday when you posted this picture - otherwise I would most certainly have commented upon it!

Not only have you managed to find the perfect viewpoint from which to take this photograph but you have also found exactly the right time of day when there has been the most beautiful mixture of natural and artificial lighting. Of course, the light levels must have been low but your long exposure has smoothed the water beautifully and I see almost a soft haze or mist above the water, especially under the arch of the bridge.

I love your composition in which the bridge is perfectly placed in the frame and flanked on either side by those lovely cylindrical towers with their conical roofs. The light and colours are delicious, your exposure perfect and the details and sharpness exquisite.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

COSTANTINO (115451) 2019-01-06 23:17

Hello dear friend and have a nice time
and a happy new week
Is this a scenery from a fairy tale???
won derful execution with romantic
and artistic details very well composed
regards
Costantino

kasianowak (17672) 2020-01-01 12:25

Czesc Mariusz
Fajne ujecie, bardzo dobry punkt widokowy. Podoba mi sie to, jak uchwyciles most w otoczeniu innych budowli i morza swiatelek, a przede wszystkim gory, ktorych na moim zdjeciu nie widac (a wlasciwie odgrywaja role nieba).
Zycze Szczesliwego Nowego Roku.
Kasia