Mt. Ughtasar Photo

Photographer’s Note

One of these magical remote sites in Armenia, Mount Ukhtasar of Ughtasar, near the city of Sisian at more than 3000 m asl offers not only wonderfull landscapes, but on the stones on the foreground are several thousands of petroglyphs (carvings in stone) representing animals, humans and more abstract or unclear forms. They are believed to date back 4000 to 7000 years. To reach the site you need a guide, a good russian willys jeep (UAZ) and a bit of luck with the weather (it can only be reached in the summer months). Cattle or sheep can not survive at this altitude, and as this was most probably also the case in the ages where the drawings were made, it is believed that at the period creating the works it was just a site of worship, only visited for special occasions in summer.
The name of the mountain means "camel mountain" but - according to our guide - another translation of the name would be "wish mountain", quite appropriate also.

An more detailed image in a future post. (specially for Sayat...)- see other post on TE: http://www.trekearth.com/viewphotos.php?l=3&p=602276

TravelerNL, gabrielpat, pedrocarmo, lilimih33, linask, mpetrovic, sowhat, kebek, thaprem, sayat, roobahe, sadeik, Ferrus, arturo, fryz, meyerd, Mistral, johnfreeman has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mpetrovic (1479) 2007-03-14 18:15

absolutely stunning!

i've got no single word to describe a feeling while looking at this landscape.
It is beautiful, it is magic, and it is calling.

I should definitely spend a lot more time in Armenia during my next visit!

thank you so much.

marko

linask (2778) 2007-03-14 18:30

Great view. Very high quality photo with unbelievable depth of field - everything is in focus from flowers next to the camera to mountains in the distance.

konok (2005) 2007-03-14 18:38

Perfect composition, bright colours, and first of all, very big depth in field. Congratulations!

lilimih33 (9872) 2007-03-14 18:46

Hello Marc!
Great perspective and wonderful colours!
Excellent done!
Lili

pedrocarmo (1275) 2007-03-14 18:51

Hi Marc

Great photo. Excelent landscape, great colours and POV.
But the flowers give to the photo an extra beauty.

Well done

gabrielpat (6527) 2007-03-14 18:52

une belle photo,un peu trop saturée peut etre??

TravelerNL (2951) 2007-03-14 19:31

Hi Marc,
Beautiful landscape and very good compo. I like the low pov close to the flowers.
Good DOF and very good sharpness.
Well done.
Harko

crhieatt (5143) 2007-03-14 19:31

How little do I know of Armenia - I think I see an ant carrying off all my knowledge! ;)
Looks great in your photo which, to my eyes looks like an old fashioned slide shot - something in the colour balance I think.
Regards
Colin

berseph (1758) 2007-03-14 20:47

Beautiful combination of the elements here. I love the combination of the sky, rocks, snow, and especially the flowers. The flowers sure brighten up the image. Great colors and great focus.

Taw (410) 2007-03-14 22:32

absolutely great view, very right colour combination .
Taw

MIG13 (0) 2007-03-14 23:11

Hi, Marc! A wonderful landscape, nicely captured from a good POV! Great colours and sharpness! Well done! TFS! Regards! Miguel.

kebek (5434) 2007-03-15 5:51

Serwus Marc !
Skilfully composed, powerful wide vista. Yellow flowers add a fine colour contrast and life to this rugged and cold landscape.
Best wishes,
Mat

sowhat (981) 2007-03-15 5:58

Impressive landscape, superb colors. Great sharpness and depth.
I like the POV and the composition: the grace of the flowers overtakes the silent strenght of the mountains.
Beautiful, TFS.
Ioana

thaprem (2472) 2007-03-15 9:27

Stunning one Marc!...
The idea of using those yellow flowers in the FG gives depth to the whole image & simply superb...
The balnce of colours, light & sharpness is superb!...
Cheers,
Prem.

sayat (2944) 2007-03-16 13:21

Dear Marc,

Well, what can I say? This is just AMAZING. Believe me, you are right in guessing how happy I am in seeing those shot from the remote corners of Armenia. I've heard this place but couldn't go there because of its difficult location.

Your shot has the great advantage of a masterful use of wide angle. The contrast of the yellow flowers over those greyish stones and the clear blue sky above makes the shot a definite favorite. The sharpness is superb.

A timeless shot, as if we were seeing it 4000 years ago.

Can't wait to see more!

All the best,
Sayat

gramma (3519) 2007-03-16 15:37

Hi Marc,

Really impressive photography, very well composed. Well done !

Christophe

terro (391) 2007-03-20 23:35

Hi Marc,
I like the contrast between the delicate flowers and the roughness of the scenery. The DOP is impressive, the POV is just fantastic and the light so present.
Great picture quality
Jean-François

sadeik (3159) 2007-04-15 5:37

A beautiful scene and excellant composition here. You have done Armenia a great service with this lovely image

Simon

Ferrus (787) 2007-05-19 16:48

Hello Marc,
what a colourful photo - it`s wonderful.
Thanks for sharing
Ferrus

Speedie (118) 2007-05-25 15:09

Une photo renversante! Quelle magnifique composition, les fleurs ajoutent un tres beau contraste a cet endroit, et aussi le ciel, on dirait qu'il est faux tellement il contraste avec l'endroit. Bravo!
Caroline

eev99 (1198) 2007-05-25 15:39

Very pretty composition. Love those flowers in the foreground. Your eyes are drawn to them with a great background as a compliment. Well done Marc.

France (149) 2007-05-27 8:55

Hoi Marc,
This is certainly the best photo of your gallery. The colors are natural and the composition is excellent with the yellow flowers in the foreground. The DOF is good and I'm amazed you obtain such a result with only f/9.0 as aperture. The foreground is well sharp and the sharpness remains correct to the mountain. The exposition is perfect.
Proficiaat,
France

anokutan (7511) 2007-06-09 11:11

hello mark,
ripe wonder view.congratulations.greetings.

arturo (31) 2007-06-25 11:41

Hi Marc,

it must be a great place to hang around...at least this image says so...great, natural scenery...as many others i admire the perfect focus you have managed to keep here...cheers, arturo

fryz (1727) 2007-09-30 12:59

tres bon premier plan
bravo Marc et merci pour ton message
a+
Fryz

alfhwa (280) 2007-10-07 10:07

Marc

Very nice shot, specially the lone flowers in this rocky environment.

Alfredo

meyerd (1498) 2008-02-02 8:35

Hi Marc,
great and unexpected picture of the Armenian Caucasus. Very nice, those Inula!
My best regards. I like Armenia a lot and wish to go back, you put me on the scent!
Dietrich

Mistral (13690) 2008-02-18 12:44

Hi MArc,
excellent image and note about this interesting country. Effective use of wideangle to enhance the colourful flowers in the foreground.
Well done!
A smile
Luca

scalerman (25711) 2008-02-27 15:31

Marc: I'm just impressed with the great DOF and color here - yep, it's a near perfect landscape from a region hightly unrepresented here on TE. So full green, man.... c

johnfreeman (2220) 2008-08-20 6:31

Hello Marc,
A very nice picture of this little-known place. The wide-angle view is very effective and your Sigma lens has delivered excellent results (though using a higher F-stop might have made the furthermost mountains slightly sharper). The yellow flowers work well as a splash of foreground colour and the curve of the snow and lake edge leads the eye through the frame. This could also have worked well in a vertical portrait format.
Very nicely done.
John