Abu Simbel Early Morning Photo

Photographer’s Note

We had the privilege of visiting this great place twice, first in the evening , followed by the " Sound and light " show and then at 6.00 am, before the sun rose. Photographers are certainly aware that both dawn and dusk hours, or to be more precise, "the blue hours" last very little when we approach the Equator, simply because the sun goes straight down instead of lingering along the horizon, as it does in Scotland for instance. I was happy that there was a single orange spot illuminating the big shrine even after the sky started to become dark blue. But I had to be real fast.. and be at a good place where both the temple and the sky would be visible. the blue lasted 3 minutes only.
I will not write too much about Abu Simbel but only remind those who may have forgotten that it is a temple built by Ramses II, where there are 4 colossal sitting statues of himself, all carved in the rock. After the High Dam was built in the 70's , both the cliff and the statues were removed from their original place which remained under the rising water of the artificial lake, and transported on a higher ground.

Certainly a place to see at least once in a life-time.

zeynepe, ymrk, marjan, Didi, bibiweb, jafadabret, TGULUMSER, Cormac, salvator has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ymrk (8553) 2008-12-20 11:00

Merhaba Sevgili hocam;
Yine,yeniden,herzamanki gibi harika bir detay.Harika bir ışık ve renk...
Hayatımda en çok gizemli bulduğum yer,gitmek istediğm yerdir Mısır...
Ellerinize sağlık,ışığınız bol olsun,

YAĞMUR

marjan (6081) 2008-12-20 11:10

hi Izet, very nice shot and good POV. Speciali fine lithg on the monuments,

Marjan

zeynepe (9342) 2008-12-20 11:12

Hi Izzet Bey,
Abu Simbel @ Blue Hour :What a perfect combination !!!
Superbly detailed the huge statues with an amazing orange spot are stunning .
It is quite amazing that we are still able to see such beauties today.
Congrats and have a great weekend,
Zeynep

Didi (35928) 2008-12-20 11:16

Bonsoir mon cher Izzet
Une image très rare car la plupart des images sont photographiées avec un soleil hyper dur.
On dirait une image illuminée par des projecteurs à l'heure bleue, c'est magnifique et le point de vue est parfaitement choisi.
Amitiés.

claud26point2 (593) 2008-12-20 11:28 [Comment]

Show Comment

bibiweb (8) 2008-12-20 12:20

Bonjour Izzet,
Quelle chance tu as eu de pouvoir photographier ce lieu pendant la blue hour matinale, heure à laquelle, en plus d'une lumière sublime, le site est désertique. J'ai eu la chance de visiter de nombreux pays sur cette Terre, mais je dois avouer qu'Abou Simbel est certainement un des lieux qui m'a le plus marquée et où je retournerais très volontiers.
Amicalement, Brigitte

jafadabret (39323) 2008-12-20 13:05

Bonjour Izzet.
Cette photo est une des plus belles sur ce site. Tu as eu de la chance d'être là au moment où le soleil éclaire de ses premiers rayons ce monument mythique. Le ciel est bleu et cela donne encore plus d'éclat aux couleurs des statues.
Excellent !
Jacques

danyy (68454) 2008-12-20 13:38

Bonjour Izzet,
la photographie prise à l'heure bleue montre tout le contraste entre deux couleurs qui se marient bien.
Le soleil est très bas sur l'horizon si j'en juge les ombres.
Une photo très bien cadrée qui met en valeur une des merveilles du monde.
Best regards.
Daniel.

pedru (1649) 2008-12-20 14:34

bonsoir
tres belle photo
lumiere tres agreable
et tres belles couleurs
A+

TGULUMSER (12484) 2008-12-21 9:14

Hello Izzet Bey,
You are right it is one of the places that must be seen once in a life-time. I admired this temple when I saw it but what a pity, I didn't have a good camera at that time. Your shot is excellent, just before dawn, a masterpiece,
Best regards,
Tulay

AYDIN (4039) 2008-12-21 11:37

selamlar çekim zamanı pozlama ve kadraj çok iyi..Elinize sağlık

Cormac (26449) 2008-12-21 13:28

Only 3 minutes? I guess the term "blue hour" must have been invented by someone who lived in the north. I knew that it must be shorter near the equator, but I didn't know it was that short. Great shot, with a very nice combination of colours.

alibasarir (14301) 2008-12-22 2:52

merhaba izzet bey
ışığın en güzel zamanından nefis bir görüntü.son derece mükemmel bir bakış açısı olmuş.özellikle sıcak renkler ve gökyüzünün tatlı mavisi nefis görünüyor elinize sağlık.
selamlar
Ali

photoray (1230) 2008-12-22 5:25 [Comment]

Show Comment

salvator (18763) 2008-12-22 6:51

Hello Izzet Bey,
The magical cobalt blue of the sky and the golden illumination of the Abu Simbel, the combination of them both look magical.
The details and sharpness look superb.
Best personal regards. Salvator.