West Belem, a photo from Lisboa, South

Photographer's Note

Santa Maria de Belém, or just Belém is a parish of Lisbon, Portugal, located 6 km west of the present city centre and 2 km west of Ponte 25 de Abril (25 April Bridge). Its name is derived from the Portuguese for Bethlehem.

Belém is famous as the place from which many of the great Portuguese explorers set off on their voyages of discovery. In particular, it is the place from which Vasco da Gama departed for India in 1497. It is also a former royal residence and features the 17th-18th century Belém Palace, former royal residence and now occupied by the President of Portugal, and also nearby, in the Ajuda Parish, there is the Ajuda Palace, begun in 1802 but never completed.

I made this picture from the top of the Monument to the Discoveries in a cloudy day

In foreground you can see the restaurants surrounded by water

Belém's most notable modern feature is the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries). This is a 52m high slab of concrete, erected in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. The monument is carved into the shape of the prow of a ship in which stand statues of various explorers, as well as a statue of Henry himself. Adjacent to the monument is a square into whose surface is set a map showing the routes of various Portuguese explorers.

dip, carlosmarin, timecapturer, danos, jafadabret, Graal, abmdsudi, emilbo, kordinator, fotka has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

dip (21961) 2011-06-06 0:44

Hi Aires,
beautiful panoramic view of the town,very good point of view,I also like the many details we can see,well done!
Dimitris.

anokutan (15097) 2011-06-06 1:12

Hello Aires,
A beautiful photo,the composition is very nice, superb warm lights and colours, beautiful architectural details.

carlosmarin (11948) 2011-06-06 1:31

Hola Aires,
bella vista desde lo alto del Monumento aos Descobrimentos.
Buen formato vertical que capta desde el cielo nublado hasta la zona de restaurantes del Museo de Arte Popular, en un plano picado.
Buena luz y color.
Saludos, Carlos

timecapturer (31250) 2011-06-06 4:24

Hi Aires
a great POV and detailed composition. The water is such a distinctive colour which adds an intriguing feel to the shot. Executed perfectly and presented impressively.

Have a great week - Brian

Sergiom (40141) 2011-06-06 5:23

Bonjour Aires,

Quel beau point de vue tu avais. La couleur de l'eau est étonnante et le bâtiment est très beau. La gestion de la lumière est impeccable.

Amicalement

Serge

danos (74478) 2011-06-06 8:35

Ola Aires,
magnificent the panoramic view of Santa Maria de Belém,with the green water to is one of the main points of the image.I like the clarity as the endless of the image lead-in the eye on the far end of the horizon,in the sea.

Have a good afternoon,Danos

sacimar (25957) 2011-06-06 11:01

Hello,

good perspective to show this area of Lisbon, great DOF and details, I like the composition,

Best regards,

Sergio

jafadabret (56497) 2011-06-06 23:29

Bonjour Aires,
Quelle vue ! J'aime cette vue aérienne prise de la Tour. Belle géométrie faite par l'architecture qui semble posée sur l'eau !
Amicalement
Jacques

FlyPrm (391) 2011-06-07 1:53

Hi Aires,
Very good point of view. Beautiful architectural details and nice colours.
TFS.
Fulya.

dkmurphys (37399) 2011-06-07 4:20

Ola Aires,
The water looks like a perfect lawn with dense green grass. Nice aerial view, good catch.
Have a nice day.

Graal (89420) 2011-06-08 0:14

Hi Aires,
fine high POV You had on the top of the Monument. Nice glance on the West Belem. Photo well done. I like it.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

abmdsudi (27098) 2011-06-08 10:49

Hi Aires
Your note is excellent with some history related to this picture, this makes me appriciate this image even better. Absolutely beautiful bird eye view with great details and texture, the olive green water is amazing creating a good contrast overall. Very well composed in bright, nice tones and great dof. A fine image well taken. TFS
Best regards

emilbo (20926) 2011-06-08 10:50

Olà Aires,
Merveilleux point de vue en hauteur et excellente perspective avec la ville derrière. C'est à se demander si le restaurant est sur l'eau ou sur la pelouse avec ce vert. Beau format en hauteur et parfait rendu des couleurs.
Toutes mes félicitations et bonne soirée,
Amicalement,
Emilius

kordinator (13599) 2011-06-10 0:47

Hello Aires
Fantastic city scape scene from excellent high point of view.
Nice choice for beautiful panoramic composition of the town.
Amazing light ,superb colors,perfect sharpness.
Great job.
Best regards
Saša

fotka (2320) 2011-07-07 15:54

Hi Aires,
I enjoy very much your aerial view of Santa Maria de Belem. The clarity of the photo is very good with many details. The photo is nicely composed with good light, colors and sharpness.
Best regards,
Zbigniew

batalay (32930) 2011-08-18 17:35

Olá Aires,

Your highly informative note complements this unusual and beautiful photograph. The colors and resolution are perfect.

On 4 August I was in Oporto and on 5 August Lisbon. This was my first visit to Oporto and I was impressed, but Lisbon is exceptional. (I just posted a photo approaching the pier.)

Um abraço,

Bulent

danyy (0) 2012-04-11 4:38

Bonjour Aires,
un POV d'enfer. Des eaux d'un vert inhabituel, cela amène beaucoup de fraicheur et cette impression d'un grand rapprochement avec la nature.
Un joli ciel mais dommage qu'il soit pris en contre jour.
Regards.
Daniel.