Koutoubia from a distance, a photo from Marrakech, South

Photographer's Note

In a closer view you can see Koutoubia Minaret here.

Lonely Planet review for Koutoubia Minaret

When the present mosque and its iconic Moorish minaret were finished by Almohad Sultan Yacoub el-Mansour in the 12th century, 100 booksellers were clustered around its base - hence the name Koutoubia, meaning 'booksellers'. In the recently refurbished gardens outside the mosque, you might still notice a recent excavation that confirmed a long-standing Marrakshi legend.

The pious Almohads were apparently distressed to discover that their lax Almoravid predecessors had built a mosque that wasn't properly aligned with Mecca, and razed the place to build another. Atop the minaret are three golden balls made of copper. The originals were reputedly real gold donated by the guilt-tripping mother of a sultan after she'd sneaked a midday snack during Ramadan.

Copyright © - This photograph is an intellectual property of its author,and is strictly forbidden, the reproduction,modification, or exploitation for any way,thus is protected by the Law. The use or reproduction by any way without previous written authorization of the photographer is strictly prohibited.For more please contact: danosdanos@gmail.com

pajaran, papagolf21, tedesse, ourania, ikeharel, Miguel82, dip, jhm, Noel_Byrne, pierrefonds, krzychu30, s_lush, kato, maria-v1981, raszid62, clic, Graal, jlbrthnn, fabbs99, josepmarin, adramad, bayno, mohammad_H, abmdsudi, Angshu, Sonata11, Eric_vd, geoant68, siolaw, nikkitta, Vasa has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

pajaran (36190) 2013-02-17 0:25

Dobar dan.
Dobar tekst o mestu i staroj dzamiji ...
Dobra ostrina snimka, kontrast i perspektiva, lepe boje.
Lepa fontana i zeleno drvece.
Lepo secanje.
Imajte lep dan za odmor, sve najbolje.
Paja.

Good day.
Good article about the place and the old mosque ...
Good image sharpness, contrast and perspective, beautiful colors.
Beautiful fountains and green trees.
Nice memories.
Have a nice day to rest, all the best.
Paja.

lousat (57610) 2013-02-17 1:11

HI Danos,i been 3 times in Marrakech and i know very well this point of view and this fountain always dry..ehehe..beautiful long perspective from the gardens and excellent exposure in these different light levels,great colors too.Have a nice Sunday and thanks,Luciano

papagolf21 (76515) 2013-02-17 1:30

Bonjour, cher ami Danos,
Jamais déçu avec la présentation de vos compositions.
Ici, encore, j'aime beaucoup l'originalité de présentation et l'intérêt du sujet.
De plus, l'effet de perspective est saisissant.
Tout est bon, bravo !
Amitiés.
Philippe

tedesse (22116) 2013-02-17 1:32

Hello Danos!
Excellent point of view and composition with a fountain in the foreground and the Koutoubia Mosque in the background! I like the colors and light. People walking revive this beautiful view.
Have a nice Sunday
Tadeusz

ourania (12343) 2013-02-17 1:36

Καλημέρα Δάνο,
έχεις κάνει μια εξαιρετική σύνθεση όλων των στοιχείων που περιλαμβάνει αυτή η σκηνή και τους έχεις δώσει τις καλύτερες θέσεις και διαστάσεις μέσα στο κάδρο χορταίνοντας τα μάτια του θεατή. Οι άνθρωποι δίνουν ευχάριστη κίνηση και είναι τόσο σωστά τοποθετημένοι, λες και έλαβαν οδηγίες. Το βάθος, η ευκρίνεια και τα βαθιά χρώματα και σκιές αφήνουν μια πολύ δυνατή και ευχάριστη εντύπωση. Συγχαρητήρια και ευχαριστώ!
Να είσαι καλά, καλή Κυριακή,
Ουρανία

Miguel82 (7757) 2013-02-17 2:16

Hi Danos,
A superb perspective and pov of that place
Good colors and sharp picture
Interesting note,
Good sunday

dip (21875) 2013-02-17 2:17

΄Αλλη μία εντυπωσιακή φωτογραφία σου από το Μαρόκο Δάνο!
Ο τρόπος που την καδράρισες είναι παραδειγματικός,για σεμινάρια!
Χαιρετώ,
Δημήτρης.

siudzi (23857) 2013-02-17 2:26

Hi Danos,
What a great view on this charming place and wonderful architecture in the background! Taken with a superb sense of depth and perspective. Superb details and composition. Thanks for sharing.

Best,
Gosia

jhm (122410) 2013-02-17 3:11

Hello Danos,

A very nice market and also a lovely dry fountain.
You did excellent, excellent addition the people this gives more demention to the picture
A nice composition, good captured too.
Original colors and very pleasant for look at.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

ikeharel (37280) 2013-02-17 3:20

Kalimera Danos,
The round fontana and distance to the minaret, along the promenade, has a fine depth. Also, green trees on both sideswith people stroll along is most vivid element on image.
Fine taken shot,
Ike

Fis2 (73084) 2013-02-17 3:55

Witaj Danos!
Curious place.
Interesting tower and fountain.
Good frame and perspective.
I like colors and light.
Photo has climate.
Have a nice afternoon
Krzysztof

Noel_Byrne (7329) 2013-02-17 4:40

hi Danos,
Great point of view on this excellent place, the path leading to the minneret gives excellent depth, and the fountain in the foreground is a great focal point.
The trees look really beautiful, and I love the combination of the red brick, greenery and blue sky. Thanks for a very interesting note too! That sounds like an expensive snack.
All the best
Noel

pierrefonds (48335) 2013-02-17 5:19

Hi Danos,

The distance between the fountain and the minaret is giving depth to the composition. The trees are framing well the road. The presence of the people is giving life to the scene. The hgood luminosity is bringing out the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

krzychu30 (8849) 2013-02-17 5:22

Hello Danos,
apart from obvious beauty of this scene,I like this wide-angle effect you´ve achieved with your 24-105mm lens.Suits really well to this scene(I like especially foreground with this fountain).Excellently chosen POV and angle.The image has furthermore outstanding sharpness,clarity and fabulous,vivid colors.Marrakech from its most charming side.Well done!

Have a nice sunday
Krzysztof

s_lush (15580) 2013-02-17 7:28

Hello Danos,
The foreground with a dry fountain, middle-ground with the beautiful perspective of the shady green alley, and the well-proportioned minaret make the scene very interesting and attractive. Excellent presentation of this picturesque place!
Best regards,
Sergiy

Eric_vd (283) 2013-02-17 9:31

Well composed picture with that fountain in the foreground, well done!!!

Janusz1974 (2271) 2013-02-17 10:05

hI Danos,

A spectacular photo of this fountain and imposing architecture Minaret.
I like the composition.
Best regards
Janusz

cornejo (18020) 2013-02-17 10:35

Hello Danos, very nice picture of this beautiful and interesting view of the famous minaret, very well composed and framed. Very good image with clarity, depth, good light and color. Very good and nice job perfectly done, with good quality, congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this interesting work.

Good evening and happy start to the week.
All the best from southern Spain.
Angel.

dkmurphys (36759) 2013-02-17 22:45

Hi Danos,
Very beautiful POV. I like the way you've captured the tower, very artistic.
Enjoy a good week.

Daniel

kato (6761) 2013-02-17 23:34

Hello Danos,

You're capturing well this place by a good angle and excellent tone, so it's interesting and impressive to see the mosque seen from the fountain and the sequence of the rich green trees located in a line with the both sides of the passage which result in a mosque. And, it draws out an additional good effect in this image for the shadow and tourists.

Kind regards,
mikio

raszid62 (18196) 2013-02-18 1:01

Καλημέρα.
Μεγαλοπρεπής και κομψό μιναρέ σε βάθος εικόνας, ενώ σε πρώτο πλάνο βλέπουμε μια βρύση, κρίμα που ανενεργός. Το νερό κατά πάσα πιθανότητα θα έχουν παρουσιάσει πολύ καλύτερα. Εικόνα που μου αρέσει πολύ.
Χαιρετίσματα
Joseph

maria-v1981 (10403) 2013-02-18 1:06

Καλημέρα Δάνο,
Θα προτιμούσα το συντριβάνι να λειτουργούσε θα έδινε μια πιο ατμοσφαιρική διάθεση παρόλα αυτά το μέρος είναι πολύ όμορφο. Τα πράσινα δέντρα έρχονται σε αντίθεση με το πλακόστρωτο και το Koutoubia Minaret δεσπόζει στο βάθος.
Καλή βδομάδα και καλή συνέχεια,
Μαρία

Graal (88852) 2013-02-18 7:33

Hi Danos,
nice place and view from Marrakech. I like the perspective with the minaret in BG. Amazing fountain on FG. Good colours. Also well informations.
Have a nice evening.
Aleksander

clic (10991) 2013-02-18 7:41

Geia sou Danos
You show with fine details the best of the footpath leading to the minaret and I'm not surprised to see the fountain dry because some RIVERS are dry in Morocco!
Very interesting to read about the sinner woman and the gold balls donation as means of expiation!
Se xereto.
Robert

Silvio1953 (98093) 2013-02-18 8:01

Ciao Danos, great perspective on beautiful minaret, lovely composition with fountain and people in FG, wonderful colors, beautiful clarity and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

jlbrthnn (79773) 2013-02-18 10:06

Hello Danos,
The composition is balanced and pleasing. The picture is excellent, clear and deep. Bravo.
Have a good evening
Best regards
Joël

jmdias (45780) 2013-02-18 15:23

danos

nice view using the fountain and the water and the diagonals ahead to send our eyes to the famous minaret. nice job.

hugs

jorge

fabbs99 (5407) 2013-02-18 21:03

Dear Danos,

Nice shot with good sharpness and clarity.
Excellent composition, good presentation too.
Very well done, TFS.

Best Regards
Farhat

josepmarin (55023) 2013-02-19 3:35

Hi Danos,
a deep image here, where we can see the minaret in background, and the fountain in foreground, with a fantastic escape of lines of the garden and a good perspective.
I like the good light, the shades, and the beautiful colors, which adds a high aesthetical level to your composition.
Well done, my friend.
Best regards,
Josep

adramad (27550) 2013-02-19 7:38

Hello Danos.
A wonderful picture of these beautiful gardens, splendid Koutoubia image of the bottom, which gives a great perspective to the composition. Ideal the feeling of serenity that transmits the image and its beautiful colors.
Superb brightness and sharpness.
Well done.
Best wishes.
Luis.

eldancer1 (17008) 2013-02-19 7:40

Nice capture of this scene! I like the lighting and it has good dof with nice details. Wonderful colors. Well done, tfs.

bayno (16175) 2013-02-20 2:14

Ciao Danos,
very good dept and light in this your performance, the scene is well framed and with natural colors, seem a very good place for walking ...
regards,
Valter

mesutilgim (67940) 2013-02-20 9:27

Hello dear Danos,
Nice capture from Marrakesh with warm light and colors, deep shadows.
Good and usefull notes.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

mohammad_H (6588) 2013-02-20 11:10

Hi
Pleasant landscape, beautiful background Nice colors, good frame Good resolution, great view Have a nice evening

abmdsudi (26215) 2013-02-20 21:10

Hi Danos
Beautifully composed scene with the shooting angle and framing are the most impressive elements extending the depth while the human element is essential to the potency of the image. The detail is awesome and so well taken with good inclusion of a very photogenic background, rich tones and a splash of brighter colour strengthen this short further and wise use of wide lens to achieve the maximum impact. Very well done shot, Congrats.
Kind regards

Angshu (51174) 2013-02-20 21:14

Hello Danos
The distant view of the Koutoubia Minaret with the dry fountain in the FG makes it interesting viewing, with the perspective well defined & lead-in created. Nice view of this famous monument
Regards
Angshu

Sonata11 (28289) 2013-02-21 4:35

Hello Danos,
very beautiful composition of this striking beautiful place. Amazing perspective, architecture. This fountain has a interesting shape. I love the trees leading us to the tower. Awesome photo job. Tfs. Love it. Thank you Danos.
Warm regards,
Barbara

Cricri (86391) 2013-02-21 11:03

Hi Danos
Je me rappelle de ce POV sur la Koutoubia, la fontaine n'est pas en activité comme moi quand j'y suis allée, ni dans l'allée , mais ici oui l'on voit le reflet du minaret, belle lumière et présentation
Belle soirée
cricri

jemaflor (68867) 2013-02-22 8:10

Hi Danos,
Interesting depth effect with this perspective and this FG, Good light management and also for colors, good focal point with the Koutoubia.

sacavem (18572) 2013-02-22 10:55

Olá Danos,

Excellent POV, very nice colours and light. Beautiful postcard of Marrakech.
Regards,
Filipe

geoant68 (3450) 2013-02-28 11:45

Δάνο γεια σου,
εξαιρετική η προοπτική που δημιουργείται από το σημείο λήψης
που επέλεξες καθώς κατευθύνει το μάτι του θεατή στο Koutoubia μιναρέ.Το βάθος πεδίου είναι εντυπωσιακό όπως και τα χρώματα,
Πέτρος

siolaw (37568) 2013-03-05 7:16

Geia sou Dano
Difficult to avoid tourists in the picture nowadays specially in famous places like the Koutoubia...! Framing is excellent and POV gives good depth up to the tower....
Greetings
Laurent

nikkitta (5852) 2013-03-13 8:51

Hola Danos

The moment I saw the photo, the moment I knew it was the Koutubia, like the POV you chose to show it, that way we can also enjoy the gardens with orange trees and the fountain
Clever ad creative shot, TFS
Maria

Vasa (15970) 2013-04-17 17:13

I see Danos that in Morocco you had a hard work. And you present your souvenirs so well. Here only I need some water, but it was not your fault. Warm regards friend,

Branko

jcpix (3261) 2013-04-20 16:43

Hi Danos,

Wise choice of the wide angle for something like this, the perspective is enhanced and helps create a more dramatic foreground. I really like the different shades of blue's and green's within this image, very rich and natural. Although it appears to be just slightly off level, the composition is choice, all of the elements are lined up to flow together peacefully, with the tower in the background as the centerpiece holding it all together. The inclusion of people is also a nice touch of action and life to the scene. Love the result! hope you're having a good weekend.

All the best,

Jason

Photo Information

Copyright: Danos kounenis (danos) (73960)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-10-29
Categories: Architecture
Camera: Canon EOS 5 D, Canon Zoom EF 24-105mm 1:4mm L IS USM, HOYA Pro1 Digital 77mm MC UV
Exposure: f/11, 1/250 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Travelogue: Morroco 07
Date Submitted: 2013-02-17 0:10