Ramses II, a photo from Luxor, Inland

Photographer's Note

The Temple of Karnak in Luxor is described as being one of the largest temple complexes in the world, covering around 100 ha. It contains many impressive statues, obelisks and hieroglyphs. I was there in the late afternoon and was lucky to this beautiful light on the some of the main features, including this 15m (45 ft) statue of Ramses II with his daughter Bent'anta.

The king stands, arms crossed, holding the crook and flail (symbols of kingship). He wears the nemes headdress with a "double crown" and the short shendyt kilt. At his feet, princess Bent'anta stands, wearing a crown of ureai topped with double plumes. In the hand folded across her chest she holds a flower. Although she is portrayed as an adult, her figure is significantly smaller than that of her father. This reflects not her actual size, but the difference in status between a king and a princess. The statue was usurped by the High Priest Pinedjem (21st Dynasty) and later by Ramesses VI (1143-1136 BCE).

Source: Digital Karnak

danos, lousat, sevy has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

snunney (67334) 2009-07-12 3:40

Hello Chris,
A splendid capture of this massive statue. The light is perfect to bring out the detail to wonderful effect. The lovely golden tones contrast nicely with the green palms. Excellent sharpness.

Herquin (6875) 2009-07-12 4:03

Bonjour Chris,
le ciel noir et menacant vient bien à-propos pour faire sortir cette statue , on peut mieux en distinguer les détails .
Bon dimanche .
Christian .

npecanhuk (53901) 2009-07-12 4:35

Hello Chris!
Excellent and pretty attractive picture!
Vertical format, exposure, sharpness, colors, depth of field are all outstanding features in this image! However, IMHO, the composition is the true highlight here, and I'd specially like to point out the leaves of the palm tree behind the head of the statue!
TFS - congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

danos (73974) 2009-07-12 8:36

Hi Chris,
I visited the Temple of Karnak before 3 years ago and i remember this huge statue Ramses II with the palm tree to creates a specific decoration of it.The warm afternoon light make the scene more impressive.Well done.

Have a nice week,Danos

mikolaj_kawa (0) 2009-07-14 0:42

Hello Chris! Amazing sculpture. Wonderful lightness and brightness, amazing colours. Good contrast and perfect sharpness. Ideal shot. Nice frame. Well done!

PixelTerror (0) 2009-07-14 2:33

Hi Chris
Nice and luminous image of the big man, good light and having a person next to it helps evaluate the size, which is huuuuge
Have a nice day JY

lousat (57626) 2009-07-15 13:25

Hi Chris,what a intelligent and a little humorous perspective! As you know i been ther 2 months ago me too,you was lucky whit this warm light and whit the clouds too in background! Very excellent work.My best compliments,have a nice day,LUCIANO

poulinp (4528) 2009-07-19 15:03

Wonderful, the light was perfect to catch this statue. Congrats!

mkamionka (24529) 2009-07-21 4:16

Beautiful colors. And again almost no people around.
I am really jealous.
Funny composition with the palm tree.
Fantastic work.
I can confirm that this place is amazing and certainly worth a trip,
TFS
M

sevy (13273) 2009-07-23 5:07

Hello Chris,

What a lightning on this shot: the golden tones of the sunset on the stones and the dark stormy background to reveal them even more.
The composition in this crop is well balanced and the tiny guy in background helps us to understand the real dimensions.
A photo very well managed,

Yves.

JanD (0) 2009-07-24 6:10