Cliff giants, Alabaster coast, a photo from Haute-Normandie, North

Photographer's Note

Cliff giants, Alabaster coast

The highlight of any trip to Etretat is a walk along the clifftops to view the fabulous white cliffs with natural giant archways that reach out into the sea. Paths rise to the cliffs from the pebble beach. In high season, particularly July and August, these clifftop paths can be very busy.

Be very cautious when walking near to the edge of the cliffs, they can be fragile and dangerous due to erosion. If you walk along the beaches then do check tide times as walkers can become trapped by the rising tide.

Étretat, another 20km west towards Le Havre, is a very different kettle of fish to Fécamp. Here the alabaster cliffs are at their most spectacular – their arches, tunnels and the solitary "needle" will doubtless be familiar from tourist brochures – and the town itself has grown up simply as a pleasure resort. There isn't even a port of any kind: the seafront consists of a sweeping unbroken curve of concrete above a shingle beach.

Étretat is a very pretty little place. The old wooden market halles still dominate the main square, the ground floor now converted into souvenir shops, but the beams of the balcony and roof are bare and ancient. As soon as you step onto the beach you'll see the cliff formations to either side. To the west, on the Falaise d'Aval, a straightforward if precarious walk leads up the crumbling side of the cliff, with lush lawns and pastures to the inland side and German fortifications on the shore side extending to the point where the turf abruptly stops, occasionally ripped by the latest fall of cliff. From the windswept top you can see further rock formations and possibly even glimpse Le Havre, but the views back to the village sheltered in the valley, and the Falaise d'Amont on its eastern side – which Maupassant compared to an elephant dipping its trunk into the ocean – are what stick in the memory. The cliff itself presents an idyllic rural scene, with a gentle footpath winding up the green hillside to the little chapel of Notre-Dame. (Source: franceforvisitors)

snunney, daddo, besnard, timecapturer, jlbrthnn, Schnappilic, tedesse, carlo62, Sonata11, Graal, trevormoffiet, siamesa, Buin has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

siudzi (23959) 2012-09-12 1:44

Hi George,
This place looks really impressive from that POV. The humans provide us with a scale. I am sure it was a pleasure for you to look at that view. Well done.

Warm regards,
Malgorzata

cargus (6468) 2012-09-12 1:44

An interesting image, a charming landscape, good combination of light, contrast and color. Well done.
cordially
Adrian

snunney (67430) 2012-09-12 1:47

Hello George,
A most splendid point of view on these massive cliffs. The people are indeed well included, offering a good sense of scale. Very good rendering of colours and detail despite the poor lighting conditions.

dta (51510) 2012-09-12 1:49

Hello George ;
Impressive plunging view on the beach . Interesting presence of the two people , to give the scale : they seems so little at the feet of the high cliffs ! I like your choice of framing without sky , here .
The light was not the best when you were there . Your serie has a grey-green tonality , but despite of that , is really excellent .
Regards

daddo (18517) 2012-09-12 2:06

Hi George. Impressive POV, not for those who suffer from vertigo. Lovely composition enhanced by the vertical format and inclusion of the vegetation in the foreground.Those tiny figures give us the idea of how grand the place is. Pozdrav. Klaudio.

besnard (48813) 2012-09-12 2:26

Bonjour George
Une belle vue plongeante vertigineuse. La présence des petits personnages nous fait prendre conscience de la grandeur du site.
Bravo et bonne journée.
Nicole

Royaldevon (17811) 2012-09-12 2:58

Hello George,

What an exciting viewpoint but certainly not for those with vertigo for the beach is a long way away! The composition, strongly following the right angle borders of the frame, is very effective. Excellent dof.

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

Sergiom (39336) 2012-09-12 4:47

Bonjour George,

C'est très impressionnant comme falaise. Le point de vue est exceptionnel et la plongée vers la plage nous montre bien comment les humains sont petits devant ce mur blanc.

Amicalement

Serge

timecapturer (30394) 2012-09-12 5:48

Hi György
WoW! these cliffs are huge and your POV shows this so amazingly. The tiny people on the beach give us a great sense of their size and scale too! Stunning shot!

Regards - Brian.

jlbrthnn (79773) 2012-09-12 7:24

Hello George,
Walkers on the beach give the scale of these cliffs. The picture is cleverly framed, dramatically. The quality is good. Bravo.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

holmertz (26982) 2012-09-12 8:42

Hello György,
As carefully as ever you have placed a few plants in the foreground to provide a perspective to the view. These steep rocks are awesome, really remarkable, and the beach looks quite tempting, although getting down there might be problematic. The presence of two persons, and maybe a third further back, makes us understand the impressive dimensions of this place.
Kind regards,
Gert

brianmcc (5536) 2012-09-12 9:23

hi george,
what an amazing coastline. your viewpoint and perspective are incredible. the two figures on the beach really give the scene some context and show how impressive the place is. excellent composition.
regards,
brian

cornejo (18130) 2012-09-12 10:07

Hello György, excellent pov chosen to show up to these giant cliffs. Excellent picture frame in this interesting, technically very good. Very good, interesting and nice job excellently done. Congratulations my friend. Tfs.

Good afternoon and happy week.
Best regards and best wishes.
Angel.

Schnappilic (7931) 2012-09-12 10:13

Hello György,

Beautiful composition with impressive rocks. Splendid exposure with great colors. Congratulations for this beautiful result!

All the best,

Ovidiu

bergese (6699) 2012-09-12 11:06

Hello George
Quelle vue sur ces falaises,c'est vraiment fantastique.La compo met bien en évidence la hauteur et les différentes couches des falaises.Bien vu.
Bonne soirée
Isa

tedesse (22134) 2012-09-12 11:35

Hi George!
Excellent POV, very nice view.
Beautiful colours and good sharpness.
TSF, Tadeusz

francio64 (38188) 2012-09-12 13:00

Hi George,
bella vista dall'alto su questa spiaggia circondata da un imponente costone roccioso.
Buono il taglio verticale per ottenere profondità.

TFS!
L'Assessore

carlo62 (12666) 2012-09-12 14:38

Ciao George
una vista da "paura", è impressionante e gigantesco, come dimostrano le due figure che passeggiano.
Complimenti
Carlo

jjcordier (62394) 2012-09-12 21:50

George
Vertigineux point de vue sur la plage aux pieds des falaises d'Etretat. Bon cadrage sans ciel.
Amicalement
JJ

emka (58224) 2012-09-12 23:38

Hi Georgy, the most famous is the rock in Etretat, shown on so many photos, but I find this one much more interesting. This is amazing view, with the cliffs so high and vertical. The people look like ants compared to the walls. Superb composition,. And the walk there must be great.
warm regrads

Malgo

mohammad_H (6600) 2012-09-13 0:18

Hello dear friend
Very beautiful scenery and pleasant
Good camera angle of the rock wall. Somewhere beautiful
Good resolution
Have a nice day

JFS (32189) 2012-09-13 0:39

Hi George!
Breathtaking view...the depth of field is spectacular, a great one!
Cheers,
Juan

dkmurphys (36857) 2012-09-13 1:53

Hi Gyorgy,
Another lovely capture from the impressive natural place. I like the colors and the way you've composed the image. Good work!

Daniel

Graal (88982) 2012-09-14 0:08

Jó napot George,
unusual view and place. Good shot from high POV. Amazing cliff and beach. Great nature. Photo I like.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

abmdsudi (26311) 2012-09-14 1:18

Hi George
The high pov offers the enormous depth and scale of this land formation, the high cliffs and its features with the two tiny figs add the proportion. The natural colors and luminousity are great with nice touches of fg interest. Fine shot, Congrats, TFS
Warm regards

trevormoffiet (925) 2012-09-14 2:00

Hello George,
This composition is impressive. I like how you have positioned the elements of the image: the vegetation in the near foreground, the sea to the right, the cliffs to the left and top and the central strand of sand with the two human figures. perfectly placed.
Regards,
Trevor

mkamionka (24583) 2012-09-14 14:33

Hi George,
very impressive cliffs and a great POV to present them in an original way. I like especially the couple at the very bottom which helps us to imagine the size of the cliffs. The weather was not great and light challenging but you did a great job under such conditions.
Very well done,
M

siamesa (27449) 2012-09-14 16:24

Boa noite George

Impressive. This photo is superb. A perfect capture.
Abraços
maria

Buin (42084) 2012-09-15 3:07

Hallo George!
I have had a walk in TE - and this picture at once caught my eyes. What an impressive and fascinating sight! The absence of sky here makes the picture even more interesting. A place to marvel ...
Thank you for the informative note!
Greetings from humid and cool Germany. Autumn is here ...
Have a nice weekend! Perhaps you feel like visiting me and other former TE members on Photofolia.
Frank