Fishing under the bridge Photo

Photographer’s Note

A man fishes by the Charente under the shade of the bridge at Cognac.

Cognac is a town and town and commune in the Charente département of Western France. It is a very pleasant to town to visit and wander around taking in the atmosphere, as I can attest having lived there for seven months before finding a permanent home in France.

It is situated on the river Charente between the towns of Angoulême and Saintes. The majority of the town has been built on the river's left bank, with the smaller right bank area known as the Saint Jacques district. The town is situated on one of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostella. Its inhabitants are known as Cognaçais.

The origins of Cognac are not known to any great extent though the town was subsequently fortified. During the Hundred Years' War, the town changed sides on several occasions as the result of fighting and treaties in the region. Francis I granted the town the right to trade salt along the river, thus guaranteeing strong commercial success, which in turn led to the town's development as a centre of wine and later a type of brandy, to which it gives its name, now famous throughout the world.

The town's medieval quarter known as "Vieux Cognac" runs from the Tours Saint-Jacques, alongside the river, up to the Saint-Léger church. The area contains many unusual and interesting buildings, built between the 15th and 18th centuries, situated on narrow cobbled streets. Many contain sculptures of the salamander, the symbol of King François I, as well as gargoyles and richly decorated façades.

François I was born in the town's castle, known as the Château des Valois, in 1494. He was king of France between 1515 and 1547. The town's main square is named after him and a statue of the king on horseback towering over his enemies stands in the centre of the square. The château, which still exists, is heavily restored and now houses one of the several cognac houses still based in the town.

chinchini, jhm, jlbrthnn, Budapestman, asajernigan, saxo042, ChrisJ, jjanczyk, macondo has marked this note useful

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chinchini (27947) 2009-09-18 2:05

Salut Stephen,
Le pêcheur est bien positionné , mais je préfère la belle maison qui se trouve en arrière de l'image ;o) Les reflets de l'eau sous l'arche sont intéressants dans ce jeu d'ombres et de lumières.
Ciao mon Ami. Passe une bonne journée !
Pierre

jhm (83802) 2009-09-18 2:22

Bonjour Stephen,

Thank you very much for your interesting note.
Lovely soft place, with the fisherman in foreground.
The point of view is very good showing the bridge as an interesting diagonal.
Splendid rural picture, pleasant for look at.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice wwekend,
John.

jlbrthnn (39533) 2009-09-18 2:37

Bonjour Stephen,
Une femme(?) pêche dans l'ombre du pont à Cognac :)
Très bonne gestion de l'ombre et de la lumière. Les reflets sur l'arche sont jolis et font aussi vivre l'image. la vue de La Maison Blanche au splendide toit rouge est très agréable. Belle image de bonne qualité. Bravo.
Bonne journée.
Amicalement.
Joël

Budapestman (43344) 2009-09-18 3:08

Hi Stephen,
photo with splendid mood, the composition is beautiful, excellent frame and light control, the view is picturesque. Congratulations. Have a nice weekend!
George

john1 (2595) 2009-09-18 3:46

Bonjour Stephen,

J'adore ce genre de shot, en dessous du pont.
Les couleurs et la clartés ressort trés vite.
Les reflections sont extra, une trés belle composition.
Félicitation, au moins je ne suis plus tous seul a effectué ce genre de shot.
John

mauro61 (16680) 2009-09-18 3:48

ciao Stephen,
una bella immagine con la donna che pesca e il ponte che incornicia al meglio la scena.
Buona gestione delle luci e inquadratura gradevole con la casa sullo sfondo.
saluti
maurizio

asajernigan (14414) 2009-09-18 3:52

Stephen,
Nice composition here using the arch of the bridge to frame the scene. The lady fishing in the foreground adds depth and interest to the shot. The reflection is nice add balance to the shot.
TFS,
Asa

TopGeo (22509) 2009-09-18 4:05

Hi Stephen,
I like picture and the place, with the fisherman in foreground. The point of view is very good showing the bridge as an interesting frame in frame. Nice composition here using the arch of the bridge! Excellent rural outside scene BG, pleasant atmosphere.
Georgios

saxo042 (16590) 2009-09-18 4:38

Hi Stephen,
A very well chosen POV and a very fine scene. I certainly enjoy your picture with this angling person, who is very well placed inside the "small picture" that you have framed inside and under the bridge. There are some good colours as well of the roofs across the river. An excellent composition and the human addition really increases the value!
Kind regards
Gunnar

npecanhuk (15212) 2009-09-18 4:43

Hello Stephen!
I really like this one, specially because of its very attractive composition! It's so beautiful, pleasant and invites us to join that fisherwoman in her relaxing moment!
TFS - congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

Silvio1953 (43458) 2009-09-18 5:46

Ciao Stephan, a beautiful bridge as a nice frame for a lovely scene with fisherman, wonderful composition with splendid building in FG, very well done, ciao Silvio

Nicou (46257) 2009-09-18 6:28

Hello,

Fantastique recherche de cadrage, avec l'arche, et ce pêcheur bien tranquille au bord de l'eau qui taquine le goujon, la belle maison blanche au toit rouge en fond, superbe image.

bravo et amitié

Nicou

ChrisJ (70569) 2009-09-18 6:35

Salut Stephen,

Good use of the bridge as a framing device on the bg angler, & red roofed house. Nice reflections in the stream, with superb sharpness, colour & graphism. Bon weekend!

delpeoples (7016) 2009-09-18 6:47

Hi Stephen, funnily enough I've just bought myself a fishing rod this week as it seems like such a peaceful pastime. Now seeing your photo, I'm convinced of it. You've dealt well with the shade here and the reflections on the water are lovely. TFS and enjoy your weekend...fishing perhaps??? Warm regards, Lisa

jjanczyk (1989) 2009-09-18 9:27

Hello,
Lovely view!
Fantastic composition, magnificent POV.
TFS
Have a good WE!

PixelTerror (87215) 2009-09-18 9:56

Hi Stephen
a pleasant fishing scene well framed by the bridge arch, also including the nice background house
have a nice day JY

gilou530 (35992) 2009-09-18 11:45

salut stephen
un POV très intéressant avec ce pont qui ferme le haut du cadrage,une lumiére trés bien dosée car avec cette maison blanche qui flashe c'était pas évident
amitiés
gilbert

jurek1951 (26176) 2009-09-18 22:10

Hi Stephen,
Beautiful and picturesque scenery :] Nice composition, colours and lighting, well framed.
Georg

carper (66148) 2009-09-18 23:04

not an easy one Stephen,
with the light, but even I like the shot here, well composed, good details,a little bit to much light, but even a fine photo job here, have a good weekend.
regard jaap

rodgerg (25575) 2009-09-19 2:21

Hello Stephen,

Une excellente idée et une très belle photo avec cette scéne de vie bien captée. L'arche du pont offre un beau cadrage et donne une belle perspective sur cette belle demeure installée sur l'autre rive.
Passe un bon WE,
Roger

macondo (13361) 2009-09-19 19:07

Hi Stephen.
A delightful study of the fisherman beautifully framed by the arch and counterbalanced by the attractive maison blanche behind. Nice combination of light and shade and good exposure of the highlights. What an idyllic looking spot this is. Interesting note as always. I must visit this area again, having seen so many delightful scenes in your gallery.
Regards,
Andrew

wolf38 (13187) 2009-09-21 7:32

Hi Stephen. A peaceful image as from the good old days. The photo has a lot of peace and tranquility. The overall composition is completely able to. Very nice. Best regards, Wolfgang.

mrmike1935 (2076) 2009-09-22 4:56 [Comment]