Marseillan Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

Marseillan is a fishing village in the Hérault département, on the Mediterranean coast of France, about 50 kilometres west of Montpellier. It sits on a large salt-water lake, the Étang de Thau and is the southern entreport for the Canal du Midi.

The village is tranquil, with its heart still within the lines of the old walls. There is one small hotel and some 18 cafes and restaurants for the many day visitors. For sun, sea and sand there is Marseillan Plage, a purpose built holiday resort on the Mediterranean proper some 3 kilometres from the town.

The port is a protected heritage site, and the altar and organ in the church are also listed. There has been virtually no new building in the heart of the village since the 17th century with many of the houses dating from the 12th century.

Until 1970 the vineyards came up to the main boulevards, which were built outside the line of the walls around 1870. However, the permanent population has exploded in recent years, from around 3,000 throughout the last 200 years to over 7,000 in 2006. In addition, large numbers of people have bought houses and villas in Marseillan for use as holiday homes. The permanent population is expected to top 10,000 by 2010.

Marseillan is also home to the Noilly Prat company, which came to the town in 1853 and is still producing its vermouths on the same site. Mr Noilly had created the vermouth in Lyon in 1813. His son came to Marseillan forty years later with an English partner, Mr Prat, to produce and sell their product because the local wines were very suitable and the climate was ideal. The factory can be visited on guided tours and purchases made in the company shop, which has products produced for export and not normally on sale in France.

mikolaj_kawa, chinchini, gracious, Budapestman, dareco, asajernigan, jlbrthnn, saxo042, Royaldevon, amaryllis, kevinos, PixelTerror, COSTANTINO, salvator, cobbydale, MarcT has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mikolaj_kawa (31161) 2008-08-05 0:48

Hello Stephen! Nice lightness, very funny colors. Original perspective. Beautiful place and beautiful shot. Good luck!

chinchini (27789) 2008-08-05 1:00

Salut Stephen,
Ah ce bleu ! Il reflète bien le Midi.
Très belle perspective avec ce long quai rctiligne qui n'en finit plus. Très belle clarté qui apporte de jolies couleurs chaudes.
Ciao mon Ami
Pierre

John_F_Kennedy (31994) 2008-08-05 1:19

I liked the lighting of this place. The colour and composition of this picture are very nice.

Best wishes,
Achim

gracious (20017) 2008-08-05 2:06

Hello Stephen,
This is really beautiful with all those beautiful colouration in the image!
the image is real sharp with good colour and superb details
thanks as well the good notes
well done
Tony

Budapestman (42756) 2008-08-05 2:19

Hi Stephen,
Beautiful clear shot with splendid composition and perspective. The colours are amazing and the atmosphere is great. Very pleasant place, Very well done! Have a nice day
George

dareco (17104) 2008-08-05 2:44

I love this blue sky and water and this pov is really nice. The reflections and detail are excellent. A very pretty place! TFS

jlbrthnn (38867) 2008-08-05 3:20

Bonjour Stephen,
Il est beau ce petit port inondé de lumière. Les couleurs sont justes, et la réflection parfaite. Bravo.
Bonne journée
Amicalement
Joël

asajernigan (14268) 2008-08-05 3:20

Stephen,
This is a well composed shot using a nice angle to create depth and direction. The lighting and colors are great with excellent sharpness and DOF. The reflection creates nice depth and balance for the shot.
TFS,
Asa

TopGeo (22181) 2008-08-05 4:35

Hi Stephen,
Beautiful clear shot good idea with splendid composition and perspective.
This landscape has a lot of elements with the landscapes of Mediterranean! I like that you used the diagonal prospect and beautiful colours to create a picture beautiful
Geo

saxo042 (16234) 2008-08-05 4:52

Hi Stephen,
Strong and fine colours here! A fine perspective and very attractive reflections. The shadowed outdoor café seems like a good place to enjoy this village.
Greetings from Gothenburg
Gunnar

Fis2 (46341) 2008-08-05 8:01

Wiktaj Stephen!
Nicely city, curious place. I like the frame and perspective. Good colors and light. Well done.
Regards
Krzysztof

Nicou (45639) 2008-08-05 8:54

Hello,

Très beau port , le couleurs sont vivies et mangigique, avec le reflets des bâteaux, les belles façades, superbe ensemble.

Bravo et amitié

Nicou

Royaldevon (5938) 2008-08-06 5:27

Hello Stephen,

A very interesting place and equally interesting notes. We will be visiting Cannes next month. I hope it looks as good as this!

Your chosen pov, following the receding lines of the boats and the quayside, really draws the eyes into the shot.
Wonderful, crisp details to give a good impression of the location and beautiful reflections of the boats in the water.

Kind regards,
Bev :-)

Congratulations with your 20,000 points!

mrmike1935 (2054) 2008-08-06 7:41 [Comment]

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gunbud (28143) 2008-08-06 8:12

Hi Stephen,
Lovely coastal shot of the tranquil harbor which is seen in beautiful varying shades of brilliant blue.
Striking reflection of the long line of boats in the calm waters. The vivid sky contrast wonderfully with white washed resturants.
Regards, Tom

amaryllis (17764) 2008-08-06 13:28

bonjour,
une tres belle photo de ce port du sud avec des couleurs très sud et de belles reflections
belle composition
juliette

kevinos (6927) 2008-08-06 17:15

You have a lovely Southern french light here, Stephen, and vibrant colour. The village sounds so interesting in your note. I wonder if you are going to show more pictures of this historic place. I am looking forward to it. Regards kevin

testmaniac (12262) 2008-08-06 23:19

Salut Stephen, good composed photo with nice colors,POV and sharpness. Nice place no doubt.
TFS

Phil

UnTrained (0) 2008-08-07 1:25

Hello Stephen,
I really love those harbours views. Wonderful blue tones and reflections, a view with fine depth by the diagonal line.
Lieben Gruss, Ulf

PixelTerror (86797) 2008-08-07 1:37

Hi Stephen,
A very nice waterside perspective with attractive sky and well measured exposure despite some whites a bit hot on the center boat, the reflection of the boats in the quiet water are lovely and I wouldn't mind sitting at the brasserie to enjoy a few dozens of Bouzigues oysters ;-)
Have a nice day JY

COSTANTINO (23135) 2008-08-08 0:29

Salut Stephen,
Your photo presents a fantastic peaceful place you can also
meet now in summer in GREECE...the reflection is amazing,
original perspective,a pleasant photo with nice lightness
good shot indeed
thanks for sharing
regards and compliments
Costantino

salvator (18905) 2008-08-08 1:49

Hi Stephen,
Wonderfully shot with a nice perspective and sharp details. The reflections on the sea, the vivid colors look wonderful.
Best regards. Salvator.

cobbydale (1924) 2008-08-10 10:50

Great POV on this Stephen, my eye is drawn into the shot by the line of boats and then back along the street. Lovely colours and sharpness and good reflections of the boats too.
cheers
Leon

wolf38 (13069) 2008-08-14 4:39

Hello Stephen. Summer, blue sky, a promenade at the port. The photo is outstanding composed and of good technical quality. Like always: exemplary text. Best regards, Wolfgang.

MarcT (21103) 2008-08-18 7:48

Salut Stephen,
Tu te sers très bien de l'eau et du miroir sous ce beau ciel bleu. La lumière est forte mais rien n'est écrasé.
Bien vu
Marc