La Roque-Gageac Photo

Photographer’s Note

La Roque-Gageac is classified as one of France's 'most beautiful villages'; don't ask me who does this classification! This medieval village, it must be said, is both spectacular and unique, being built right into the base of south-facing cliffs beside the Dordogne River.

Above the village, which is only a few kilometers south of Sarlat le Caneda, is a series of cave fortifications, to which the villagers retreated during the times of the Viking (the football hooligans of the dark ages?) invasions, starting in the early AD 800s. Later, these fortifications became impregnable strongholds during the Hundred Years War. Visitors can climb steep stairways up to the highest caves, passing some beautiful gardens and quaint village houses on the way up. Because the cliffs face the south, such exotic tropical plants as bananas and palm trees can be grown.

On the river in this photo can be seen two of the traditional flat bottomed cargo boats of the region - the 'gabares' - now used to carry tourists, of which there are plenty, streaming from a car-parking area larger than the village itself.

Jean Yves aka Pixel Terror has the only other TE photo I could find of La Roque-Gageac, and his close-up photo of a gabare can be seen here.

ChrysK, amaryllis, snunney, Vanessa132, AROBN54, PixelTerror, ribeiroantonio, jhm, Kielia, saxo042, trekks, Cretense, phwall, Charo, fanni, mjdundee, molla, jafadabret, vasilpro has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ChrysK (495) 2009-05-24 5:07

Hello Andrew,
I like the way you’ve used the rock wall to frame/boarder your picture, it provides a good sense of perspective and vista. Lovely if somewhat muted colours!
TFS,
Chrystyna

Buin (38258) 2009-05-24 5:19

Hallo Andrew!
What a really wonderful sight! I do not know whether iwould like to live in theses houses under the rock face. I think building insurance is rather expensive for these ;-)
A landscape, a photo to marvel at ... great!the composition really is skillful.
Greetings from warm and sunny Germany!
Frank

daddo (11541) 2009-05-24 5:23

Hi Andrew. Great PoV that incorporates many features. The foreground is attractive with the flowers and the warm tones of the wall. Nice bend in the river leads the eye gently past the houses on the right and the cultivated land on the left.Excellent depth and details. Regards and Bon Voyage. Klaudio.

amaryllis (17816) 2009-05-24 5:41

bonjour
je reconnais cette photo car je l'avais prise des jardins sur les hauteurs et dans l'autre sens avecles gabarres sur la Dordogne ou Vézère
le petit mur au premier plan est un excellent appui pour l'ensemble de ton excellente composition
bon dimanche
juliette

snunney (35464) 2009-05-24 6:01

Hello Andrew,
I very much like how you have used the golden toned wall and little purple flowers to frame the the village and the bend in the river. The two gabares are nicely placed and with their wakes bring a pleasing touch of dynamism to the scene. Very good natural looking colours and excellent rendering of the textures in the rocks.

wolf38 (13111) 2009-05-24 6:26

Hello Andrew. What for a wonderful landscape. Composition, light and colors are in the best way. Very beautifully. best regards, Wolfgang.

lgir (2845) 2009-05-24 8:40

Hello Andrew,

very good POV giving a beautiful depth with beautiful contrasts in spite of a gloomy sky.
Well done

Regards
Laurent

Vanessa132 (1840) 2009-05-24 10:47

Hi Andrew,
beautiful composition with a great FG. An impressive landscape!
great light and colors.
regards,
Vanessa

AROBN54 (10789) 2009-05-24 11:13

Ah, wow! Andrew,
magnificent view! And your composition shows it beautifully. I love the warmly colored stone balustrade with the lavender flowers in the FG. It makes for wonderful framing and is REALLY nice in contrast to the deep rich greens. Both the winding river and the cliffs to the right draw the eye naturally into the shot. The colors and clarity are superb, excellent light and contrast and nice sharp detail. VERY well done! Many thanks and kindest wishes,
Shelly

rginer (584) 2009-05-24 11:47

Hi Andrew,
Great POV ! The landscape is unique. I have visited it several times. You have captured the real atmosphere of the river, the rocks. The detail of the flowers is perfect to give more beauty to the photographs. Well done !
Best regards,
Roser

maltese (21537) 2009-05-24 13:28

Hello Andrew
Un endroit bien trouvé pour cette belle composition sur le fleuve. une lumière parfaitement gérée pour donner de très bonnes couleurs.
Du très bon travail!!
Amicalement
hervé

PixelTerror (86839) 2009-05-24 13:33

H IAndrew,
A god dominating view point over LRG, we can see the houses under the cliff and enough of the river icluding the gabarres.
Have a nice day jY

ribeiroantonio (21969) 2009-05-24 16:45

Beautiful view, indeed. It is true, La Roque-Gageac is one of the most beautiful site of France, together with the not far away Rocamadour, Figeac and many others. Well done.
Antonio

delpeoples (6756) 2009-05-24 18:03

Hi Andrew, what a magnificent vista, naturally framed by the wildflowere and brick wall in the FG. Great use of the aperture to achieve such a sharp and detailed image throughout. I can really learn from how you manage light, even when the conditions are not optimal. TFS, Lisa.

ElAprendiz (7370) 2009-05-26 20:26

Hello Andrew:

Impressive landscape. The image brings a variety of natural elements, which provide an excellent composition.

The rock formations, contrasting well with the greenery of nature, the boats are displayed, the dynamic scenario. A perfect fit.

Special greeting from Colombia, John

MarcT (21103) 2009-05-26 21:44

Hi Andrew,
Very nice POV over that river. Great inclusion of those pink flowers under that rather gray sky.
Best wishes
Marc

jhm (83328) 2009-05-29 3:37

Hello Andrew,

Lovely panorama image, a lot depth and perspective.
The foreground is attractive with the flowers and the warm tones of the wall.
Nice bend in the river leads the eye gently past the houses on the right and the cultivated land on the left.
Colours are soft and nice light cloudy sky. TFS.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

Kielia (8733) 2009-05-29 11:45

Hi Andrew,
very beautiful capture of this fascinating and spectacular place. The colors are wonderful and the inclusion of the flowers adds a nice touch of nature to this great impression. TFS!
Warm regards
Harriet

trekks (14334) 2009-05-30 10:43

hi Andrew

From this POV, it seems either the river sinks down or the banks rise up to have this cliff formation. Indeed a lovely setting which may take millions of years for this scenario.

Very well composed view. From the view, the river seems to be in gentle flow, with a road around it at one side.

Good work.

tfs, bill

kschanna (6) 2009-05-31 4:31

Hello Andrew,

You managed a good picture on an overcast day. Its a nice composition and I think that a picture just showing the sheer hight of the spot you are standing at by taking a wideangle view from the edge would have been interesrting. Good colors and ambience though.

Thanks for sharing
Kamran

saxo042 (16266) 2009-06-03 12:15

Hi Andrew,
This is really a very interesting part of France, with all these rocks and caves and cave paintings. Not to forget all the castles here from the 100-year war between England and France... Your photo here is a good reminder of the days we have spent here!
Kind regards
Gunnar

Cretense (57010) 2009-06-09 9:07

Hi Andrew!

Amazing place, excellent landscape photography, perfect framing and composition! Great perspective and great depth of field! Flawless light managment and beautiful colours! Congratulations!

Hercules

skippy007 (7337) 2009-06-10 1:57

Hello Andrew, It has been a little while since I visited your gallery, I was half expecting to see a recent shot of yours either from England or France, not disappointed with this, a beautiful scene & well captured, no wonder those boats are always full of tourists. I like the way you used the rock wall in the FG as to frame the scene & those lavender coloured flowers are a nice touch. Miserable winter's day in Melbourne with snow in the nearby hills. Hope it's not to warm for you over there, I hear from Paolo that in Treviso it has been really warm, 36C.
Take care
Regards
Santo

phwall (5705) 2009-06-15 0:55

Hi Andrew,
I was so sure I'd written a critique on this wonderful capture, I know I've had it opened and thought what a great view, but, alas, I must have been having a senior moment.
I like this very much, it tells me a lot about what I would see when I visit this place, in fact it makes me want to visit this place NOW!!!
The rock wall in the foreground gives me the feeling I'm looking over your shoulder at this lovely scene, excellent composition and although the light has been restricted by the cloudy day it is still a very pretty image.
A few years ago I did a 10 day canal boat trip through this area, you've taken me back there, bugger.
Best regards
Peter

Charo (31803) 2009-06-15 15:02

Hello Andrew,
Magnificent view over the river and its rocky surroundings. A very beautiful landscape and unique from your point of view must be fantastic.
Excellent light and details.
Best wishes,
Charo

gunbud (28161) 2009-06-15 19:33

Hi Andrew,
Superb capture of the beautiful river from your high perch which allows a stunning view of the nearby cliffs.
The foreground flowers and stone wall make a very effective lead-in to the scene where the lush green coutryside contrast brilliantly with the silver-blue sky.
Regards, Tom

gildasjan (24133) 2009-06-18 0:47

Bonjour Andrew
Très bien photographié de ce POV ce magnifique site de La Roque-Gageac.Voilà bien longtemps que je ne suis pas venu ici.
Bonne journée
Amicalement
gildas

Waylim (11157) 2009-06-23 18:16

Hi Andrew,
the landscape is wonderful as we can see, how ever, I think it's also how you composed this image that make it even more beautiful. You could have easily go to the edge but you included part of the wall and wildflower a little sprash of warmer colors, that add depth and make the composition more compelling. just beautiful. I'm not sure if the sharpness is a little weak or my eyes is going weak on me at this late of day. Thanks
Way

fanni (8879) 2009-06-25 1:41

Hello Andrew,
this is a very beautiful view, and I find the composition excellent :) These invisible "triangles" which are formed by the rocks, also make the image lively and not static. Very good effect of depth, as well!
Warm greetings from Moscow,
Elena

Vasa (6318) 2009-06-25 10:07

Hello Andrew, friend,

You keep the nice souvenirs from La Roque-Gageac, the town with superb position and temptetion for photographers. Your position is your experience, your idea is your sensibility for subject. All compliments!

Branko

jimkil (638) 2009-06-26 22:25

Hi Andrew
Excellent compo for this image. The light was well handled and I like how you used the wall for the FG. Natural colours and the boats add interest for this image. Well done
Regards
Jim

mjdundee (3522) 2009-06-28 2:13

Hi Andrew,
very interesting note and well framed photograph. I personally find the wall a bit too dominating but otherwise you would not have included the pretty coloured fowe3rs which give the compo a fresh and vivid appearance. This seems sto be a nice place to visit - outside the holiday season. TFS
Thomas

molla (6891) 2009-06-29 14:48

Dear Andrew.
so incredible beautiful with a perfect DOF the living sky, the movement on the river the flower in FG, the comp, the colors and of cause the deep impression of being there. absolutely a favo.

jafadabret (40323) 2009-07-01 5:19

Hello Andrew.
Cette photo des Gorges de la Dordogne est d'une grande beauté. J'aime le premier plan qui donne la profondeur, les embarcations qui donnent l'échelle et j'aime les belles couleurs des rochers. Excellent !
Salutations amicales
Jacques

sta (53) 2009-07-22 21:45

I see the house or castle I guess..(beside the canyon), very nice site...

Regard
-sulistyo-

npecanhuk (14672) 2009-08-30 5:37

Hello Andrew!
Impressive and wonderful view!
Your pov was excellently chosen and the composition is quite successful, effective and attractive with this stone wall, flowers and cliff partially covering the river down there and all the beautiful landscape in the background, with perfect dof, exposure, sharpness and natural colors!
TFS - congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

Yves-triga (3635) 2009-09-10 4:11

Hello andrew,
woaw,beautifull pov,impresionnant too.
nice composition,
congratulation
yves

vasilpro (9435) 2009-10-14 9:38

Hello Andrew,
Impressive view to the river, a beautiful nature composition, very good POV and DOF, very nice soft colors.
Kind regards, Vasilis.

Bejane (115) 2009-11-21 9:07 [Comment]

Show Comment

ellelloo (4955) 2009-11-22 7:15

Hello Andrew,
I browsed you photos and found this interesting and beautiful one. A good POV and composition, beautiful colours and excellent clarity and depth. The interesting note makes this a valuable TE contribution. Thanks for sharing!
Greetings from rainy Finland,
Lasse