Bridge to ruin, a photo from Liban-Sud, West

Photographer's Note

Nothing political about this posting, just keeping up with the current events, view of the Sea Castle of Sidon, the city's most popular tourist attraction, I found only one other photo of it on this site, so I thought I would share. When I visited in 1998, this was the farthest south it was safe to travel (50km south of Beirut), actually I was told Tyre was also safe, but I did not risk it. A few days after visiting Sidon I travelled to Haifa (NOT overland of course), both places seemed like a very unlikely place for a conflict, you never know what tomorrow brings. I will add a panoramic photo taken from the castle looking toward the city in workshop, here's info about the ruins:

The Sea Castle
Is a fortress built by the Crusaders in the early 13th century on a small island connected to the mainland by a causeway. A climb to the top leads to the roof where there is a good view of the port and the old part of the city.
Today the castle consists primarily of two towers connected by a wall. In the outer walls Roman columns were used as horizontal reinforcements, a feature often seen in fortifications built on or near former Roman sites. The west tower is the better preserved of the two.
Old prints of the fortress show it to be one of great beauty, but little remains of the embellishments that once decorated its ramparts. After the fall of Acre to the Mamlukes all the sea castles were destroyed to prevent the Crusaders from re-establishing footholds on the coast.

jmdias, jjcordier, Gerrit, yannick, thor68, MLINES, ChrisJ, Deepforest, Betty, Guenther, Tue, jujudum, peter1892, bakes888, sleon, Paolo, PDP, banyanman, eladen, Xalkida, gabrielpat, pasternak, cam, zeca, tcht, elmec, tonyking, quantabeh, Didi, fayeulle, alvaraalto, SDagher, rewshearer, abulafia, jafadabret, LCannon, axiotea, premels, Mistral, sadeik, TopGeo, leahkan ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

jmdias (115252) 2006-07-19 20:58

Tna

beautiful building. TFS

Jorge

Lumbago (230) 2006-07-19 21:06

Good POV , nice colors and good composition.

srgabreu (0) 2006-07-19 21:14

Great composition and colors!
Good "portrait" of this well preserved ruins, thanks for the note,
Sérgio

agussaptono (198) 2006-07-19 21:22

Hi Tan,
Perfect moment!, and I like the compositiion.
good jobs

agus

jjcordier (79299) 2006-07-20 0:43

Tan
Très jolie "mise en images" de ce pont en ruines.
Amicalement
JJ

Gerrit (62042) 2006-07-20 1:11

Hi Tan,
Great place, especially to photograph. The colours are real deep and the depth is amazing.
Regards, Gerrit

ebayrakci (244) 2006-07-20 2:12

Very nice POV, colours, composition etc. etc. TFS.
Ertugrul.

ahmetgedikli (25609) 2006-07-20 2:14

Merhaba,
İnşallah o köprü savaşa rağmen orada sağlam duruyordur. Netlik, derinlik, renkler, bakış açısı harika... Selamlar.
Ahmet

yannick (1471) 2006-07-20 2:54

This is a very nice picture, well composed and lit. It is also a very interesting one, thanks to your note.
We can only hope that the situation will soon get better in Lebanon.
Regards,
Yannick

thor68 (5586) 2006-07-20 3:36

what a beautiful composition with the stone bridge leading
to the great old ruins standing in the water,
wonderful mixture of sunlight and shadows, great strong colors
and terrific reflections on the water.
well seen & captured, thorsten.

MiguelP (14470) 2006-07-20 3:40

Strange photo for rather strange times. I hope we will learn someday that mankind it´s what count. Nice perspective, I love the different blues here, nature always survive the hand of man. Peace for you, for us.

DarkoG (8) 2006-07-20 4:00

Hi Tan

Excellent diagonal composition that lead the eye to the main subject - ruins.
Excellent sharpness and nice shades of blue makes this photo very good one.
Regards Darko

PixelTerror (0) 2006-07-20 5:09

Hi Captain,
A fitting post considering yet another ongoing slaughtering on this planet :-(
I also see here an unusually low PoV from you ;-) In addition to that a lovely perspective leading the eye to the tower and fortress remains, and the outstanding light to be seen here produced a lovely reflection.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Yves

MLINES (12516) 2006-07-20 6:04

Hi Tan, Good composition with good clarity and colours. The message reinforces the fact that this place has had plenty of fighting and defence mechanisms over the centuries. Interesting place. TFS. Murray.

ChrisJ (171884) 2006-07-20 6:43

Hi Tan

Good color, sharpness & lighting in this impressive shot of the ruin & bridge. I like the pov, perspective & graphism. Tfs!

Galba (0) 2006-07-20 8:29 [Comment]

Show Comment

Deepforest (9260) 2006-07-20 8:32

Hi Tan,
interesting picture of the ruins of the castle. Nice colours and composition.
I agree with Yannick "We can only hope that the situation will soon get better in Lebanon"...
Regards,
Andrzej

john_c (24666) 2006-07-20 10:56

Hi Tan,
Well composed with superb lighting and pleasant tones. I like the POV here, as the eye follows the road approach far into the frame. Good clarity and shadow effects. Your note and the posting are most apropos. Well done.
John

Guenther (10915) 2006-07-20 10:59

Hi Tan,
the place you are sharing here is very beautiful ... so sad it is for such a tragic occasion, let's hope a peaceful solution will be found for this never ending conflict, TFS.

Cormac (26565) 2006-07-20 11:01

Great shot Tan, with your trademark razor sharpness and vivid colours, all in a strong composition. I like the way you used the diagonal line of the bridge to liven the shot and draw our eyes into the scene. Great work!

Tue (92470) 2006-07-20 11:33

Hej Tan,
Nice capture of this castle. The bricks of the ruins stand out nicely against the sky and I love the reflections in the water too. POV and composition are also very good, well done!
Hilsen,
Lars

carper (96) 2006-07-20 12:07

very nice one tan,
the point of taken this shot is very good, a well taken composition with a very strong contrast, good perspective, very good job.
gr. jaap

gilou530 (34) 2006-07-20 12:25

salut tan
trés belle perspective de ce pont, les couleurs sont aux top, la netteté est super, bon travail
amitiés
gilbert

lukie (0) 2006-07-20 13:00

Hi Tan,

good point of view with that bridge. Great work for a scan !

regards,

Luc.

peter1892 (1681) 2006-07-20 17:34

Very good Tan, your POV is perfect with the bridge running diagonally across the frame towards the castle.

Sad to see this area on our news channels for all the wrong reasons again. We'll hope for better & peaceful times.

bakes888 (18499) 2006-07-21 0:59

Hi Tan. Nice calm photo. How calm is it there now? Great POV and composition. I like the colours also.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

dsidwell (9783) 2006-07-21 1:48

Hello Tan! Another winner. I like how the bridge makes such a welcome leading line into the photo. NIce details and colors here, too. IT may be slightly oversharpened, but what a great shot!

pilpel-adom (3018) 2006-07-21 2:22

Great composition, Tan!
The early morning light is just right, making this choice of time is very smart and paid off with lovely tones of bright yellow and casted shadows to add depth to this picture and enhance texture of the stones! POV is also good, taking the picture along the bridge into the sea, and creating that contrast between the bright stone and the deep colored sky/sea...
I wish one day this area will submerge in a peaceful sleep...
Well taken!
Chen

rbcy1974 (20758) 2006-07-21 8:02

Hello Tan
Nice photo
very appropriate to the times we are living in,
hopefully these heritage will not suffer from today's madness.
Thanks for sharing
Regards
Daniel

sleon (9402) 2006-07-21 8:14

Hi Tan
An interesting subject with great perspective. The colours just gleam in the sun and the surface of the water is particularly attractive. Good note too.
Regards, Susanna

Paolo (41258) 2006-07-21 8:38

Hi Tan, nice image with a long persepctive along the stone bridge and with amazing colours.
thanks, ciao

PDP (439) 2006-07-21 10:16

Hello Tan, good shot. I liked reading the note and although the stitching in the WS panorama isn't perfect I'm pleased you posted it. Well done on the composition here.

banyanman (7797) 2006-07-21 12:28

Great POV, composition and sharpness, Tan. The saturation looks very natural in this. Thanks for posting the panoramic shot in the workshop too - I actually found that a more interesting photograph - but of course this one is technically much better. Cheers . . . David

Xalkida (11744) 2006-07-21 17:26

Hi Tan

Very impressive shot. Great lighting, excellent POV and fine colors. Well done.

devimeuxbe (58557) 2006-07-21 17:30

Hi Tan
Une tres belle image grave à la POV et à la lumière. Bien sur l'actualité donne un éclairage particulier à cette image.
Amicalement
Bertrand

cam (9043) 2006-07-21 19:00

Hello Tan
Good note from which I learn a lot.
I wish peace to visit this part of the world.
I like the angle of the wall,a diagonal composition that gives a good look at the view,asit was in its hour of glory.
Thanks for the WS that shows the modern view.
Charles

zeca (19762) 2006-07-22 1:00

Hi Tan!
Nice POV and lights, interesting subject and beautiful colours!
abraço,
Zeca

Stepan (27210) 2006-07-22 1:53

Your title is saddly pertinent and your compo so closed to the news. I wish there is a a way back from your bridge, to have peace here and everywhere. Thankfs for this thought and this clear light. I hope it will end in such a peaceful one.
Stéphane

pasternak (15185) 2006-07-22 3:38

Amazing shot, Tan, very good POV giving the perspective of the stone bridge leading to the castle ruins. Light, sharpness and colours are fantastic too! Very very good, a pleasure to see.

Cheers
Alexander

tcht (7565) 2006-07-22 3:53

Hi Tan,
Excellent posting at this moment. It seems a really beautiful and peaceful place...
As for the pic, I like the classic 'Castle' PoV with the bridge leading to the fort. Technical quality is good and the compo with the distorted reflection is very pretty. Good informative shot.
Hv a nice weekend,
CheukHin

elmec (12210) 2006-07-22 18:20

Hello Tan!
Such a perfect composition!
Great light and structure of the buildings!
Great done!
Best regards!

eladen (239) 2006-07-22 21:12

So clear with such great colors! Wonderfully done.

tonyking (1612) 2006-07-23 2:40

Hi Tan,
You have an excellent pic here. The colours are beautifully saturated and vivid, yet they still have a nice subtlety about them. The composition is excellent, the quality is outstanding, and the lighting, in my opinion, is really good.
It's nice that you've taken the time to present images of places such as this, which many of us will never get to see for ourselves. I'm also very impressed with your interesting, detailed note. Thanks, my friend. Your photography is an inspiration.

Hugs,
Tony

jjbach (9326) 2006-07-23 14:50

Hi Tan,
Great point of view, which increasing the perspective. Beautiful colours and reflections too!

Regards John

sergio1 (12152) 2006-07-23 16:20

Hi Tan
Magnific view and nice note. I like the perspective shot and compo.
Beautiful ruins
Sergio
The sunday I come back

quantabeh (5205) 2006-07-24 13:44

merhaba Tan,
A good image to post, with your usual excellent colors and clarity. I can feel what you wanted to say.
nice shot!
Behrang

Didi (61589) 2006-07-25 16:42

Salam Tan
Nice perspective from the bridge until the castle.
Quality of scan is very apperciable.
Cheers

fayeulle (27827) 2006-07-25 17:46

Salut Tan
Very interesting shot despine the dramatic political events in the area of the world. One of the rare shot without clouds in your portefolio
Cheers
JP

alvaraalto (42804) 2006-07-28 16:04

Hi Tan,
Beautiful picture of these historical place. I hope all parties in this area will finely become sane and will talk about a lasting peace.
Groet Rob

Angshu (56760) 2006-07-29 3:43

Hello Tan
I like the diagonal bridge leading us into the photo. The fortress is quite amazing. Excellent details and colors too. A great shot, but pretty unusual one from you...this appears to have been taken from a low POV!
Regards
Angshu

rewshearer (682) 2006-08-02 23:16

Allow me to nudge this shot a little closer to 100 points. It's worthy anyway - great POV and sharpness for this shot, and a fascinating note.
congratulations
Rew

abulafia (4900) 2006-08-05 1:29

Hi Tan
Lovely shot!
Great pov. and what beautiful architecture. this is really a place i would like to visit, but with the current conflict it will probably take a while until it is safe.
Thanks
Harry

aralda (1240) 2006-08-05 15:27

Hi Tan,
Great view of the ruined castle. Interesting to know it was built by the Crusaders!
Raluca

jbweasle (9393) 2006-08-06 11:11

Hello Tan, as always a very attractive shot with great contrast and detail. The composition is good with the bridge leading the eye into the scene. Nice reflections on the rippling water.

jafadabret (56501) 2006-08-11 6:35

Superbe, Tan, cette photo !
Une symphonie de bleus pour fond de ces volumes en pierres. La composition est très étudiée et la photo se laisse contempler avec un grand plaisir !
Jacques

LCannon (2798) 2006-08-12 9:01

I love how the rocky causeway leads the eye to the Sea Castle, the color of the sky and sea are wonderfully rich and vibrant against all that stark color of the rock. How wonderful that you've shared this photo of history, somewhere I'll probably never see, only read about. The diagonal compositon are great as are the reflections in the water.

axiotea (21651) 2006-08-28 9:55

Hi Tan,
When I saw that picture I couldn t resist to look at it,( because by now not many people can be there enjoying taking photos, when we know how is the catastrophic situation of the lebanese people there!!!)because these old stones look great with a good light on it...very clear and sharp...TFS...
All the best,
Marilyn

premels (2400) 2006-10-01 5:14

Hi Tan, A pleasure to visit your gallery after some time away from TE. It is hard to pick one view out of it. They are all great. In this one, I like the diagonal of the path leading to the fortress and I feel the saturated colours you usually have fit perfectly here. (They fit better than for the Amboise view for example). I also liked your 300th picture or more precisely the workshop suggested by Jacques. Philippe

asadi-s (108) 2006-10-17 20:26

you choose your photos perspective very carefully...I like this on your photos

VeeJayCee (2410) 2007-01-10 12:47

Very good POV here Tan and excellent exposure, contrast and colours too.

Mistral (15416) 2007-01-16 18:31

Merhaba Tan,
usual stunning image from you with extraordinary sharpness, composition and informative note!
A smile from Italy
Luca

excited (143) 2007-02-24 15:08

love the the subject,comp,colors,time of day, great shot, thanks scott

sadeik (3282) 2007-04-16 13:11

Love the history of the crusades and did not know about these castles, very impressive and a lovely photo to show off the ruin. Excellant, so is the note

Simon

TopGeo (38220) 2007-08-02 16:53

Hi Tan, Excellend shot!
This is a very nice picture, well composed and project. The bricks of the ruins stand out nicely against the sky and I love the reflections in the water too. Thanks for the WS and the note, well done
Georgios