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View to Valletta & IL-GRADJOLA


View to Valletta & IL-GRADJOLA
Photo Information
Copyright: George Rumpler (Budapestman) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 3788 W: 0 N: 6800] (24225)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-03-17
Categories: Castles, Nature, Architecture, Artwork
Camera: Canon Digital EOS350D
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Discovery of Malta, Beautiful view from Europe [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-04-24 7:34
Viewed: 1204
Points: 68
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Valletta, the capital city of Malta, is built on the northern half of the Sciberras peninsula, which separates the Grand Harbour from Marsamxett Harbour. The city is completely surrounded by fortifications and covers an area that is 900 meters by 630 meters The street plan is based on a more or less uniform grid. Republic Street divides one side of the city from the other and runs from Fort St. Elmo to the City Gate. Many of the streets that run parallel to Republic Street fall steeply as you get closer to the tip of the peninsula. Transverse street begin as flights of stairs at each end. The stairs do not conform to normal dimensions since they were constructed so as to allow knights in heavy armour to be able to climb the steps. The steps contributes towards the uniqueness of Valletta. Any irregularities that occur in the streets grid were imposed on it by the lie of the land and the need to have unhampered communications around the circuit of the fortifications.
Valletta was the brainchild of Grand Master Jean de la Valette. When the knights agreed, although reluctantly, to make Malta their headquarters, de la Valette quickly realized that they needed a defensible city to protect the island against the Turkish hordes that had driven them out of Rhodes and had followed them all the way to Malta. At the Grand Master's request, the Pope sent his own architect and Michelangelo's assistant, Francesco Laparelli, to Malta to help with the building of Valletta. Arriving in Malta on December 28th, 1565, he had the plans for the city drawn within three days. On March 28th, the new city was officially born. The inauguration ceremony was held on the site of the Porta Reale (the site of the entrance gates to Valletta) and the city was christened Valletta after the Grand Master. The bastions surrounding the city are impressive indeed but were never tested. Perhaps the Turkish generals realized that they were no match against the fortified city. The Grand Harbour is virtually lined with a string of bastions. Fort Sant' Elmo and Fort Ricasoli (the largest fort in the Commonwealth) protect the entrance to the harbour. Fort St. Angelo and the walls of Birgu and Senglea across the harbour shield its flank. The Grand Master died before the city was finished.
Towards the end of 1568, the Maltese architect and engineer, Gerolamo Cassar, took charge of the building of the city when Laparelli left for active service in Crete, where he died. Cassar and Laparelli laid out the street plan for the city. The first building that went up in the city is the Church of Our Lady of Victory, which commemorates the lifting of the Great Siege. Cassar designed all the auberges, the Magisterial Palace, the Conventual Church of St. John, the parish church of St. Paul, the churches of St. Mary of Porto Salvo, Carmine, St. Augustine and St. Mary of Jesus, and numerous other buildings and houses for the members of the order. Cassar died in 1586.
(Source: www.maltagozo.com)
gabrielpat, Marcelo_Almeida, pablominto, chrisnet, gbeli, sabyasachi1212, jlbrthnn, siolaw, Cretense, Photo65Net, Just-A-Guy, bakes888, Vinsachi, AiresSantos, TeresaT, devimeuxbe, jaywalker, TravelerNL has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

hi George,
you made a great contrast between the tower and the rest of the scape.nice sharpness.

Excellent shot! Excellent informatio as usual. Just a wish: like to change title and name it in maltese as it is 'IL-GRADJOLA'
Thanks George
Regards
Carmel

Hello George,
An interesting composition, where I appreciate inclusion of the tower!
Wonderful colours are dominating the old architecture, and they work well with the blue sea and sky...
Well composed and with sharp fine details!
Greetings,
Pablo -

Intersting view from there George. I like the small boat on the water, it made me think how the place works at war moments.

Nice soft colors too and pretty arcgitecture you show to us. To me the photo is a little bit inclinated to the left, but is a simple detail.

All the best
Andre

  • Great 
  • Gustaw Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2242 W: 690 N: 178] (18460)
  • [2007-04-24 11:31]

Hi, friend!
Next good photo from Malta. I very like your composition with beautiful old architecture. I like your loney boat. Very good colours and light. Well done.
marek

  • Great 
  • berek Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3860 W: 172 N: 4874] (22029)
  • [2007-04-24 11:46]

Hi George,
great Valletta view . successfully composition. I love this one my friend. greetings.
Burak

  • Great 
  • gbeli Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 407 W: 66 N: 208] (1706)
  • [2007-04-24 12:55]

Hello George
I like your photo very much.
Right POV and vivid colors.
Althought i am not sure if i would included the boat.
Regards
George

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 9292 W: 445 N: 14616] (51323)
  • [2007-04-24 13:00]

it is nice George,
I like the way you took this shot with the tower in the composition, the few details on the water and the good photo job here, well done.
gr. jaap

Hi George,
Excellent POV, the size of the boat shows just goes to show how high you perched yourself. Excellent colours, another gem from Malta.
With Greetings from India
Sabyasachi

Hi George!
This is great serie about Malta! Beautiful POV with excellent perspective.Well composition. Congratulations!

hAyAti

Bonsoir George
le cadrage de cette photo me plait beaucoup. La petite tour sur la droite nous invite à découvrir le reste de cette ville. Les teintes sont belles et bien contrastées. Bravo
Xavier

Hello George,
What great colours and light. As usual, good realization and work. Well done.
Cordially
Joël

merhaba dear george
beautiful composition and naturel colours.very good valletta and harbour.well done my friend.
best regards.
gürkan akçakır.

  • Great 
  • siolaw Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3778 W: 393 N: 6182] (21176)
  • [2007-04-25 1:30]

Hi Geore,
That POV is just excellent, with superb FG turret, and wide DOF letting us admire that amazing town, all traditionnal houses... great colors and sharpness... only one thing... i think you have a bit of dust on the sensor(dark spot in center right top of sky(is it?)
Superb photo
Laurent

  • Great 
  • Graal Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4605 W: 119 N: 429] (40469)
  • [2007-04-25 2:04]

Jó napot George,
another interesting image from Malta. Nice old architecture of Valletta town. Good composition, sharpness and colours. Well done.
Gr., Aleksander

George, awesome, there isn't much else to say, you have this down to a science, color, sharpness, perfection. Just out of curiosity, was this all one trip or do you spend a lot of time in Malta
Greg

Hi Georges,
Good framing with the tower in the foreground, the POV is very nice too, this shot have a good sharpness and a great quality.
Good work.
Regards
Christian

Hi George!

You have made the greatest job, bringing out all of Malta's beauties. Great composition and perspective, amazing sharpness and colours. You have made start thinking about putting Malta in my "calendar". Congratulations!

Hercules

Hi George,
Bela composição, cores, nitidez e DOF ótimos.
TFS,
Marcelo Almeida

hello George
very nice place, good POV and framing, interesting composition, good light, just one thing, i think there is too much red or magenta tones in the photo, i would add some cyan or/and gree or/and blue
regards
jo

fantastic shot with excellent sharpness, beautiful colors, a good control of DOF and smart composition.

George
love the composiiton and teh angle you chose, beatiful earthy tones contrasting with the dark water
marianna

Hi George,
A clasical shot from Valetta, well framed, good light and colours, well taken Tfs.

George,
The colors contrasts in this one are just amazing !
And as your compo is balanced, it is a very nice picture.
Regards,
JB.

Hi George. Great photo. I love the POV and the inclusion of the tower balances the composition well. Good colour and pin sharp detail also. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

Hi , George .
Excellent and exciting composition . My first thought was : What are you standing on ??
Composition is perfect and the nicely ornamented little turret looks very interesting !
Greetings
Dorte.

Hi George
Excellent point of view, great colours and light
I like your note and how you framed the picture. Well seen and done
Have a nice day
Aires

Hello Geroge,
Wonderful compostion with the tower very well positioned and the city on the background.
the colours are great and the light is so perfect.
I also like the inclusion of the boat here.
Regards
Teresa

Hi Georges
very beautifull POV.
The composition is perfect. This was the perfect place for this picture.
Excellent
Bertrand

Hi George, Very well composed with the tip of the walkway jutting into shot & the sea sweeping round from left to right, wonderful focus as always, & I love the little boat in the bottom centre, TFS, kind regards Wilson.

  • Great 
  • Angshu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4763 W: 166 N: 7278] (23668)
  • [2007-05-06 7:12]

Hello George
Lovely high POV to show us this excellent shot. Love the contrast between the blue & the stone colours. The lone boat gives an idea of the height & the scale of this shot. Another superb shot from Malta
Regards
Angshu

The inclusion of the wall and tower in the foreground gives a good impression of depth to this image, and I like the emptiness of the expanse of water and sky, relieved only by the bouy and boat down below.
Good work George.

Cheers,
Ben

ps that dust spot at the top needs to go.

Hi George,
This is a well composed photo with the small tower on the right and the city of Valetta in the background.
Good light and nice colors.
Well done,
Harko

PS there seems to be a dust spot at your sensor in the middle on top of the photo. It is visible in the cloud.

  • Great 
  • paura Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 3784 W: 8 N: 2498] (20008)
  • [2007-10-28 2:29]

George,
Interesting point of view in your composition. The dep is very nice an the city colors in the background interesting.

Paulo

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