Tower clock, a photo from Beja, South

Photographer's Note

Hello friends,
On top of these stairs you can see a tower with a clock and one of the two towers of the Church of Santa Maria, also referred to as the Mother Church of Serpa, Alentejo, located near the Castle of Serpa in Largo or Largo de Santa Maria Saints Proculus and Hilarion, in the parish of Santa Maria, Serpa municipality, district of Beja, in Portugal.
Its construction dates from the early fourteenth century, probably having been run over an old mosque árabe.No abroad, highlight the impressive entrance portal and its lateral columns, which support two images of St. Peter and St. Paul. Sports is also a square bell tower on the left. The current structure of quadrangular bell tower houses inside an old cylindrical structure, which may have been the minaret of the mosque.
The interior consists of three naves, divided by arches supported by columns. The chapels have examples of gilt, witnessing the decorative richness of baroque. The main chapel, dominating the whole, the date of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In the remaining decoration, we also highlight a statue of Our Lady of Fatima, images of Christ and other vegetal elements, animals and humans.

Serpa (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɛɾpɐ]) is a municipality in Portugal, in Alentejo Region, with a total area of 1104.0 km² and a total population of 16,178 inhabitants. The Guadiana River flows close to the town of Serpa.
The present Mayor is João Manuel Rocha da Silva, elected by the Unitarian Democratic Coalition and the President of the Municipal Assembly is José Jacinto Sargento Valente, also elected by the Unitarian Democratic Coalition.
Serpa is of ancient origins and its establishment probably preceded the coming of the Romans to the area. After the Roman occupation, the neighbouring town of Beja (known as Pax Julia to the Romans) became the Roman capital of Pacensis (southern subdivision of Lusitania province) and Serpa was settled by Roman settlers. The archeological remains of a Roman Villa today lie close to Serpa.
The Moors settled in Serpa after their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula and remained until their defeat at the hands of Portuguese forces fighting their way south during the period of the Reconquista (the Christian re-conquest of Iberia).
As a result of Serpa's proximity to the Spanish border, the town has always been a defensive stronghold and today is still surrounded by thick castle walls. The town castle stands in the middle of town and is partly damaged as a result of the last Spanish invasion.
Owing to its rich past, Serpa offers much in historical interest to visitors, including archeological sites, the town walls, the castle, the aqueduct, the clock tower, the town's museum and numerous interesting old churches.
The area surrounding Serpa consists mostly of wheat farms and wheat has traditionally been the staple of the local economy employing many people. Due to the area's strong agricultural reliance much of the area's people have traditionally been peasants or sheep herders.
After the Portuguese Revolution of 1974 the Portuguese Communist Party gained strong support in the area and its popularity continues to this day.
Today many urban residents of Lisbon, Beja and other cities maintain country homes in Serpa or take weekend breaks to the area as a result of Serpa's rural location and laid back lifestyle.
Serpa is famous for its cheese, a spicy and strong-smelling cheese made in the area and eaten throughout Portugal, although a good one is now hard to find. Other local and regional specialties include Shepherd's Lamb Stew, a Clam and Pork dish and Sweet Potato Pastries. Slightly to the northeast, Pias 38°1′16″N 7°28′39″W is known for its wine.
The municipal holiday is Holy Tuesday.

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpa

Nikon D40X
2012/07/13 14:06:23.4
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
1/400 sec - F/9
Exposure Comp.: 0 EV
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Optimize Image: Custom
White Balance: Preset
AF Mode: AF-S
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

Budapestman, siamesa, pierrefonds, baddori, delpeoples, mjdundee, timecapturer, PecoBud, marabu61, bukitgolfb301, TopGeo, shevchenko, josepmarin ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

mjw364 (1466) 2012-07-25 11:36

Ola Goncalo

Another very well composed imagewith great graphic lines and a sense of scale.

Well done

Mike

rbellemare (2109) 2012-07-25 11:46

Hi Gonçalo,

Another perfect picture from you. Nice colours and sharpness. The stair is the main attraction in your picture though the clock itself is also beautiful.

Nice composition.

Réjean

HimalAnda (10671) 2012-07-25 12:09

Bonjour Goncalo,

La perspective faite par cet escalier est très belle et guide le regard vers les deux clochers.
Très bien réalisé !

Stéphane

Highmountains (2674) 2012-07-25 12:09

The lines of the Staircase seems to flow on to the clock tower like a wave... The balance and the sense of proportion is excellent. The POV interesting. This is what has mede the photograph unique. The colours are restrained and soft. Wonderful. Thanks for the photograph.

Budapestman (82620) 2012-07-25 12:17

Hi Goncalo,
a splendid photo of this beautiful place, the composition is very attractive, great architectural details and lights, Tfs! Have a nice week! Kellemes hetet kívánok!
György

dta (98848) 2012-07-25 13:56

Ola Goncalo ,
An excellent perspective , from the stairs towards the two towers and the palm tree .
Fine contrast with the perfect blue sky .
Regards

Royaldevon (86400) 2012-07-25 14:01

Ola Goncalo,

Your well judged pov creates a fine, curved lead up the steps to the focal towers. The clarity is superb and the colours nicely saturated.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

mohammad_H (10178) 2012-07-25 15:00

سلام
نمای زیبای معماری و .پله هایی که ان را شکوه داده
معماری کهن در کنار بنای جدید
اسمان ابی به تصویر ارامش داده
شب خوش
Hello
Beautiful landscape and architecture. Steps that it has magnificent
Ancient architecture in the new building
Blue sky to image the tranquility
Good night

siamesa (28231) 2012-07-25 15:04

Olá Gonçalo

Bonita essa torre de tijolos aparentes.Ponto de vista bem escolhido. A palmeira enfeita a varanda.
Abraços
maria

pierrefonds (115488) 2012-07-25 16:35

Hi Goncalo,

The length of the staircase is giving depth to the composition. The point of view is showing the details and colors of the architecture of the clock tower. The afternoon light is giving nice tints to the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

npecanhuk (79329) 2012-07-25 17:25

Oi Gonçalo!
Belo lugar!
Linda foto!
Destaque para o formato vertical, pdv escolhido, manuseio da luz, cores e composição!
Parabéns, abração e até mais,
Neyvan

danyy (0) 2012-07-25 23:20

Ola Goncalo,
une bonne utilisation du grand angle avec peu de distorsion. Belles couleurs naturelles mais les lumières étaient très complices.
Mention spéciale pour ce ciel d'un bleu tueur.
Regards.
Daniel.

baddori (20341) 2012-07-25 23:28

Goncalo
Câmera para escadaria unasplendida baixo e uma para cima visiona.
Imagem e efeito cênico em uma excelente construção fotográfica.
GF

pajaran (117001) 2012-07-26 2:07

Dobar dan.
Vrlo interesantan i dobar tekst, sa lepim opisom, bravo ...
Lep pogled na stepenice i staru kulu sa satom.
Dobra ostrina snimka, kontrast i perspektiva, lepe boje.
Lepe stepenice i arhitektura.
Dobar tekst sa datim podacima o upotrebljenoj tehnici i elementima snimka.
Imajte lep i uspesan dan, sve najbolje.
Paja.

Boa tarde.
Artigo muito interessante e bom, com uma boa descrição, bravo ...
Bela vista da escada e da torre do relógio antigo.
Boa imagem de contraste, nitidez e perspectiva, belas cores.
Escadas e bela arquitetura.
Bom texto com os dados fornecidos para a técnica utilizada e os elementos da imagem.
Tenha um bom dia e bem-sucedido, tudo de melhor.
Paja.

ikeharel (114535) 2012-07-26 2:31

Ola Goncalo,
I must say I enjoy seeing a photo of yours under natural light & colors. Good POV upwards, towards the church and clock-tower, wonder why the worshipers (and tourists) have to climb if they want to see the church...
Fine taken,
Ike

jemaflor (148180) 2012-07-26 3:41

Hi Goncalo,
Good effect with this wide angle and the fg with lines, great depth result, well framed, tfs.

delpeoples (60342) 2012-07-26 3:48

Ola dear Goncalo

Even before I saw your name on this photo, I knew it was yours. Again we see the lovely "Style Goncalo" here. The vertical frame again is well-chosen, the colours are so natural yet perfetly saturated and the clean, sharp lines make a beautiful perspective. I probably would have cropped out the shaded part on the lower left foreground, but this is a question of personal taste and is a small matter. Parabens and thanks for sharing.

Um abraco
Lisa

dkmurphys (79209) 2012-07-26 4:58

Ola Goncalo,
Very beautiful place presented in a great POV. Nice perspective and colors, well seen.

Daniel

Sergiom (117241) 2012-07-26 5:46

Bonjour Goncalo,

Le regard suit naturellement les marches dans l'image et monte vers la tour qui grâce à la contre plongée possède beaucoup d'ampleur et un beau ciel bleu comme arrière plan.

Amicalement

Serge

mjdundee (4663) 2012-07-26 7:07

Hola Goncalo,
You have got this special view that makes pictures like this so attractive. Very geometrical and almost 3D like. Well seen and very well done. TFS
Thomas

marcan44 (6315) 2012-07-26 8:04

Ciao Goncalo,
mi piace molto l'inquadratura dal basso che segue lo sviluppo delle scale accentuando l'effetto prospettico.
La torre con orologio dà ulteriore slancio verticale all'immagine.
Lavoro e qualità dello scatto eccellenti.
Buona serata
Mario

timecapturer (49288) 2012-07-26 8:29

Hi Goncalo
superb POV with such an enticing sweep of lines and elegant symmetry. Superb clarity and light managment make this so attractive and appealing. Executed at your usual high standard and a fascinating presentation.

Warm wishes - Brian.

PecoBud (3824) 2012-07-26 12:13

I love the way you decided to take this photo, showing us a low view and with superb colors, light management, and clarity. Love your POV here Goncalo, great job!!

TFS..........Your Friend from California........Buddy

marabu61 (11587) 2012-07-26 13:43

Hi Goncalo
Fabulous low POV, the eye is led up the stairs towards the bell tower. Greatly framed with the use of a wide angle lens.
Very impressive.
Daniel

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2012-07-26 16:23

Hi dear Goncalo, how are you?

Sorry for my late reaction.
Exactlly a spectacular shot! A marvelous and fantastic shot indeed! So arststic lens work via fisheye.
Perfect framework and sharp / clear presentation as usual. Thanks for your sharing with the finest work and have a good day! Best regards,

Takero in Tokyo

Nicou (193814) 2012-07-27 2:13

Hello

fantastique iamge et compo superbe quel effet sur ces gros escaliers et pavés qui montent et nous aménent vers l'édiffice quel cadrage recherché et iamge superbe.

bravo et amitié

Nciou

lousat (139960) 2012-07-27 3:24

HI Goncalo,fantastic choice of point of view and a spectacular neverending staircase to the sky! Magnificent corner and beautiful place,whit this clock tower in ruin very original.Have a nice weekend and thanks,Luciano

jmdias (116405) 2012-07-27 17:31

gonçalo

curiosa esta torre, parece de origem militar, mas com adornos no topo. muito bom este pov que apanha as escadarias e muitos detalhes deste belo recanto urbano. muito boa a foto. parabéns.

abraços

jorge

TopGeo (38220) 2012-07-27 23:13

Goncalo,
Very beautiful place presented in a great note. Nice perspective and colors, Excelletn POV, excellent framing and composition, great perspective! Flawlessly light management, wonderful colours, excellent definition! Congratulations very impressive photo, very atmospheric, with a beautiful peaceful feeling! Technically ! Great composition and framing, outstanding light management, wonderful colours!
best regards
Georgios

shevchenko (20560) 2012-07-29 19:23

Hi Goncalo,
Good low angle shot to frame the buildings on the slope, clear to show the unique tiling floor and beautiful staircase, lovely old architectures, thanks for sharing a nice charning view in the sunny day.
Ally

Angshu (56760) 2012-08-01 5:42

Ola Goncalo
The perspective with the stairs has been well defined, drawing our eyes along the length of the stairs to the towers in the far end. The colour contrast is also finely rendered in good light
Um Abraco
Angshu

Cricri (176) 2012-08-01 9:38

Hola Goncalo
J'ai louper celle ci :-)
Bon POV de ces grande marches des escaliers, le contraste des bâtiments récents et ancien, comme celui des couleurs, belle présentation
Belle soirée
cricri

josepmarin (59385) 2012-08-03 5:33

Olá, amigo Gonçalo,
la fuerte perspectiva y la fuga de líneas arquitectónicas de la iglesia, del campanario y de las casas del pueblo, que has obtenido gracias a un gran ángulo visual de tu lente, crea una sensación tridimensional magnífica, y da mucha potencia gráfica a la composición.
Buen encuadre, buena luminosidad y colores espléndidos, en esta nítida foto que tiene una alta calidad estética.
Un bello trabajo, perfectamente realizado.
Um abraço,
Pili e Josep

kiks (12805) 2012-08-11 8:21

Hello Goncalo, realy like the perspective you create choosing this low pov in combination with the lens. Lovely composition. Best regards
Kiks

sacavem (18620) 2012-08-14 3:59

Olá Gonçalo,

Bonita vertical com a escadaria a levarmos até à Torre do relógio.A clareza é excelente e as cores bem saturadas.

Cumprimentos,
Filipe

Robert1969 (7160) 2012-08-25 0:43

Ola Goncalo,

Je hebt hier een hele mooie standpunt ingenomen,
want de foto is rijk aan vele diagonale lijnen
en dat creëert hier niet alleen veel diepte,
het nodigt ook de kijker uit om verder in de foto
te gaan wandelen. De verdeling en belichting zijn
net zo verzorgd.....knap fotowerk.

Vriendelijke groeten,
Robert

mkamionka (75079) 2012-09-12 13:38

Hi Goncalo,
it seems I have missed several fantastic new photos in your gallery. This composition is just brilliant. I like the low perspective which adds a great geometric effect here with the stairs in the foreground.
The architecture is very unique and interesting but your presentation I believe makes it double as interesting.
Excellent job!
M