The Church of Santa Maria, a photo from Beja, South

Photographer's Note

Hello friends,
Here we find this little square with a church background, was very difficult to take this picture because the light is very intense in this very hot day.

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 14:05:19.9
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

Highmountains, timecapturer, pierrefonds, jlbrthnn, aliabazari, delpeoples, Sonata11, Sonata11, josepmarin, kato ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

mohammad_H (10178) 2012-08-16 2:54

Olá
As linhas finas na fachada e construir este belo edifício
As fotos parecem com o guarda-chuva céu azul
Boa resolução e bons momentos
Tenha um bom dia

[workshop] [compare]

timecapturer (49288) 2012-08-16 2:58

Hi Goncalo
a blue sky and detailed fg that sandwich a real beauty of a little church. The heat here is palpable and the effect so charming and elegant. The little splash of red roofing is perfectly placed. Excellent imagery!

Enjoy your day - regards Brian.

Highmountains (2674) 2012-08-16 2:59

The simplicity of the church is nice. the simplicity of the photograph - that of a traveller viewing this church under the hod midday sun is good to watch. The flat colourful stones on the foreground has been well captured. The peeling off in the walls beside the window of the church is significant to the mood of the photograph. Its made of brick and mortar I suppose ? The white paint of the facade adds to the simplicity of the structure. The azure sky is sharp and contrasts with the white of the buildings. The small cottages beyond the church - with small trees with twisted branches is well taken.
Thanks for sharing.

jmdias (116511) 2012-08-16 3:13

gonçalo

esta igreja tem uma fachada diferente. vemos aqui alguns elements comuns em outras igrejas lusas, mas a maneira como eles aparecem é diferente e as proporções e formas são algo distorcidas se comparadas à maneira tradicional. muito bom este ângulo atravessado. bela foto. bem feito.

abraços

jorge

Gigidusud (21679) 2012-08-16 4:11

Hola Goncalo,
Excellent POV on this beautiful architecture with nice contrast of light and shadow.Bravo!
Felicitaciones.
Ghislaine

pierrefonds (115572) 2012-08-16 4:47

Hi Goncalo,

The wideness of the square is giving depth to the composition. The point of view is showing the details and colors of the architecture of the church of Santa Maria. The afternoon light is enhancing the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

wolf38 (30) 2012-08-16 4:48

Hi Goncalo. An interesting urban scene with a remarkable church. The special is the skillful composition. Especially the shadow of the houses (left) fit perfectly into the overall composition. Well done. Best regards wolfgang.

SNOOP_Chan (4377) 2012-08-16 5:35

Hello Goncalo, i love your composition, the angle of the shot. Great vertical format. The Latin Maerican churches are so unusual. Nice composition, good contrast.
Regards!

Oceania (5202) 2012-08-16 7:00

Hi Goncalo,

It's nice with vertical format, very artistic.

lousat (139992) 2012-08-16 8:49

Hi Goncalo,the hot day had a vantage,no people inside the pic..ehehe...beautiful point of view as usual and a very hard light well managed,great architechtural style and nice contrast whit the blue sky! Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

jlbrthnn (76043) 2012-08-16 9:37

Oi Gonçalo,
A visão destaca a beleza simples desta linda igreja. O piso é o melhor efeito. Luz, cor e clareza são excelentes. Bravo.
Bom dia.
Amicalement
Joël

Silvio1953 (222959) 2012-08-16 11:27

Ciao Goncalo, fascinating view of lovely little church, splendid light wonderful colors and excellent perspective, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

yaya13baut (3344) 2012-08-16 12:18

hi Goncalo,
a nice capture of this beautiful church.
interesting architecture.
good composition and frame with a large place given to the floor, leading the eye to the church.
good light and contrasted colours (a fine blue sky).
Yannis

dkmurphys (79209) 2012-08-16 22:24

Ola Goncalo,
Very fine POV to illustrate that old church. Nice colors as ususal. Well done!

Daniel

emka (158860) 2012-08-16 23:35

Hi Amazing view, the square is so big and looks deserted. One can feel it is very hot so propbably all are making siesta. Interesting pavement, nice architecture of the old church.

WArm regrads

MAlgo

rbellemare (2109) 2012-08-17 5:17

Hello Goncalo,

Nice picture of this typical church. I like the bell tower a lot. It's full of texture. You've taken a nice low POV. the depth of field is perfect.

Regards,

Réjean

Cricri (176) 2012-08-18 9:30

Ola Goncalo
Très ancienne architecture, pour les détails de la façade et son clocher en forme de tour, bonne gestion de la lumière, les détails du sol et le fond bleu, très belle réalisation
Belle soirée
cricri

aliabazari (23283) 2012-08-18 20:11

oi Goncalo
A arquitetura é bela registro. Exposição atraente, cores e bom contraste. Alta resolução e nítida. Bem feito.
Obrigado por compartilhar esta bela imagem.

delpeoples (60342) 2012-08-19 22:15

Ola dear Goncalo

A beautiful characteristic old church and piazza. I love the tones and how they contrast against the deep blue sky. Excellent vertical frame, wide-angle and perspective. The cobblestone streets add to the graphism beautifully. Thanks for sharing.

Um abraco
Lisa

Graal (103040) 2012-08-19 23:58

Hi Goncalo,
an interesting old facade of church. Good shot. Well note and photowork.
Have a nice week.
Aleksander

Nicou (193814) 2012-08-21 5:46

Hello

Fantastique captage de cette église avec la belle place et le pavage le jeu d'ombre et lumière, le cadrage est très recherché, l'entrée est de très belle architecture ave le sommet superbe.

Bravo et amitié

Nicou

abmdsudi (95869) 2012-08-21 7:34

Hi Goncalo
It is a spectacular architectural shot of this historic church with lovely sweeping view in great depth and very good placed into the frame. The sunny side lighting and rich colors make this shot looks so grand with a fantastic focusing result. Lovely how the textured foreground smoothly lead the eyes and contrast to blue sky is stunning making this church standout even more. Nicely works, Congrats, TFS
Warm regards

pajaran (117077) 2012-08-21 12:09

Dobro vece.
Vrlo interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Lep trg sa kaldrmom i starom Crkvom.
Dobra ostrina snimka, kontrast i perspektiva, lepe boje.
Dobra kompozicija, lepa crkva.
Dobar tekst sa datim podacima o upotrebljenoj tehnici i elementima snimka.
Prijatno vece i sve najbolje.
Paja.

Boa noite.
Muito interessante e bom texto ...
Um quadrado agradável com paralelepípedos e igrejas antigas.
Boa imagem de contraste, nitidez e perspectiva, cores bonitas.
Boa composição, bela igreja.
Bom texto com os dados fornecidos para a técnica utilizada e os elementos de imagem.
Boa noite e tudo de melhor.
Paja.

siudzi (34141) 2012-08-21 12:19

Hi Goncalo,
Very interesting shot of this lonely square with a superb architecture in the background. Great composition, good quality! TFS!

Warm regards,
Malgorzata

Sonata11 (34119) 2012-08-21 20:14

Hello Goncalo,
beautiful shot of this church from great POV which I like it. Interesting way you shoot from this engle. Like it the play shadow and light. Great job. Thanks for sharing.
All the best and have a great day,
Barbara

josepmarin (59385) 2012-08-22 5:37

Olá, amigo Gonçalo,
el efecto del gran angular es fuerte, pero nos ofrece un ángulo de visión muy amplio que nos permite ver totalmente la arquitectura de la iglesia, una gran parte de la plaza y su pavimento, un intenso cielo azul, y las sombras de las casas a la izquierda del encuadre.
Por esta razón, la imagen tiene una gran riqueza gráfica, y podemos disfrutar todos los detalles gracias a la alta nitidez.
Una composición potente y agradable.
Um abraço,
Pili e Josep

kato (11630) 2012-08-22 21:34

Hello Goncalo,

Yiu're capturing well this architecture by a good composition and excellent tone/clarity, so it's interesting and impressive to see old church with tall tower and wide the square of the stone pavement in front of church. And, the shadow projected to the square by intense sunrays draws out an additional good effect.
Have a nice week.

Kind regards,
mikio

Angshu (56760) 2012-08-23 5:07

Ola Goncalo
Like the low POV approach with the wide lens looking at the church with a simple yet very elegant design. Lovely contrast with the polarised blue sky & the red tiled roofs as well
Um Abraco
Angshu

macjake (98544) 2012-08-23 11:04

Hi Goncalo
i can recognize that lens all the time now.
I have you to thank as now my 8-16mm lens comes with me everywhere i go!

the composition allows us to view the cobblestone ground, and also the tall vertical of the church tower.
the lens exagerates that aswell.
good colors and lighting despite the time of day.
cheers
craig

Fis2 (171961) 2012-08-24 6:47

Witaj Goncalo!
Ciekawy ko¶ció³.
Interesuj±ca brama i dzwonnica.
Dobry kadr i kolory.
Pozdrawiam
Kzrysztof

siamesa (28231) 2012-08-26 2:14

Olá Gonçalo

Uma interessante igreja antiga. Belo ponto de vista.
Abraços
maria

pedram_abazari (971) 2012-09-03 8:29

سلام
عکس زیبایی است از کیلیسا رنگ خیلی عالی دوستش دارم .
ترکیب بندی عالی بااحترام .
پدام

fabbs99 (17179) 2012-11-06 6:12

Hello Goncola,

The shot is simple but having excellent Sharpness and clarity even in lowlights. The colors are deep and the details and the folds are excellently expressed.Excellent composition, good presentation too. Very well done, TFS.

Cheers
Farhat