Mythical, magical, mighty!, a photo from Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha

Photographer's Note

‘Cuenca - Mythical, magical, mighty!’

In Cuenca I absolutely wanted to take a blue hour picture of the ’Casas Colgadas’.
I’m not so happy with the quality of this photo and the sharpness is far from good. I had no tripod and the wall where I put my camera on was very irregular in shape.

But looking at my pictures I find that these 'hanging houses' look much more magical and impressive while surrounded by the blue hour-sky than during the day. I also enjoy the colour contrast very much.

The origin of these ‘hanging houses’ is uncertain. They existed already in the 15th century and have been refurbished several times.

They have been used as individual homes and as council houses. Today one is a museum and another one a restaurant.

Anyway they belong to the most symbolic buildings of the city of Cuenca.

Kofman, asajernigan, Sonata11, ourania, Cricri, maria-v1981, PecoBud, macjake, jlbrthnn, jester5, ChrisJ, lousat, mirosu, marina7, ikeharel, raszid62, ACL1978, mkamionka, carlo62, notrap, adores, josepmarin, Hansaphotos, boa, danos, ilDottore, kiks, nikkitta, dip has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ManuMay (33357) 2012-07-08 22:38

Hi Paul!

A great one!

Even if sharpness...the play of light and colours looks amazing from this magical place...and you are right, this is one of best moments to capture those hanging houses...Did you visit the restaurant inside??

Excellent colours and light management....Very good!!

Have a nice day...

Manu

emka (58194) 2012-07-08 23:16

Hi Paul, These hanging houses look magical in every hour. Here in blue hour it looks marvelous, with the strong contrast of the golden house and incredible blue sky. It must be terrific to stand on one of the balconies, I wouldn't dare, I am sure. I was in another beautiful Cuenca town, in Ecuador.

Warm regrads

MAlgo

JFS (32179) 2012-07-08 23:42

Stunning shot and magical light, very good composition, the whole image is splendid.
Cheers,
Juan

yquem46 (32295) 2012-07-08 23:53

Hello Paul
une belle image à l'heure bleue de ce site incroyable, en dépit de la netteté so-so
Quelle situation imprenable pour les occupants de cette maison, mais ils doivent voir beaucoup de touristes !
Bonne journée, amicalement
patrick

Gigidusud (8098) 2012-07-09 0:37

Bonjour Paul,
Incroyable cette maison perchée!Très jolie photo à l'heure bleu avec une belle lumière et un excellent POV.
Merci pour le partage.
Ghislaine

timecapturer (30342) 2012-07-09 3:14

Hi Paul
a great POV and superbly intriguing blue hour shot. Love the golden light and the way it plays on the textures and shapes here. Creative and wonderfully presented. Excellent!

Have a great week - regards Brian.

npecanhuk (53913) 2012-07-09 4:41

Hello Paul!
Unique building in a unique location!
Very interesting and attractive picture!
Special regards to the chosen pov, composition, colors and exposure!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

abmdsudi (26295) 2012-07-09 5:48

Hi Paul
Super view point and compo with the hanging houses well set off against the background. You are right to include the lead-in fg to keep the main interest in focus. Interesting description accompanying this shot, a beautifully taken in excellent clarity, nice warm glow of the night providing such good contrast to blue night sky. An awesome shot, TFS. Congrats
Best regards

asajernigan (19669) 2012-07-09 6:03

Hello Paul,
This is an amazing blue hour shot. The blending of natural and artificial lighting is outstanding. Your POV is great giving us an upward view of this fine architecture which places it against the deep blue sky. The photo is sharp with crisp details.
TFS,
Asa

Sonata11 (28375) 2012-07-09 9:09

Hello Paul,
What a impressive architecture of this location they choose. An amazingly beautiful, but I would be scare to get on the balcony. An excellent executed photo. Colirs, sharpness, clarity of details, exposure, POV are fantasticly menage. I really love it. Perfectly well done.
All the best,
Barbara

ourania (12427) 2012-07-09 9:30

Hello Paul,
I learnt about these "hanging houses" from your previous posts, they looked curious and intriguing and your enthusiasm in mentioning them arose my curiosity even more. The much closer approach of this photo is brilliant. You selected a wonderful upward point of view that reveals a lot about the house's architecture and position and also places it against a magnificent glowing blue sky. I love the wall on which you placed your camera leading with a twist to the house and connecting us with it. Lighting, colours, contrasts and atmosphere are exquisite. The house looks very well preserved, can't believe it's so many centuries old. How good there's so much life in it. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a good evening and week,
Ourania

rychem (9240) 2012-07-09 11:31

Beautiful house and beautiful blue hour photo, excellent work
regards
Ryszard

chrisvek (5505) 2012-07-09 13:02

Hello Paul

Indeed that this scene is so magical.Really amazing atmosphere and amazing lightning.Very nice framework too.Nice job!

Have a great week
Chris

rbassin (11153) 2012-07-09 13:31

Hello Paul
Bonne prise de vue, avec un bel effet des lumières.
Une situation impressionnante.
Bonne soirée
Roland

siudzi (23939) 2012-07-09 14:50

Hi Paul,
Superb study of architecture taken during a blue hour. The lights and tones are managed perfectly. All elements of your composition are so well presented and eye-catching in my opinion. Lovely shot.

Warm regards,
Malgorzata

dkmurphys (36831) 2012-07-10 1:41

HI Paul,
A picturesque building with a splendid view I guess. Well taken scene, nice combination of warm tones.
Enjoy a fine day.

Daniel

jhm (122474) 2012-07-10 3:27

Dag Paul,

Een architecture dat wij niet gewoon zijn , maar schitterend gefotografeerd.
Het bluaw uur help om het licht binnen het gebouw een groter accent te geven.
Mooie samenstelling en goed gepresenteerd. Bedankt.

Prettige dag verder,
John.

Cricri (86501) 2012-07-10 9:01

Bonjour Paul
Incroyable construction, une merveilleuse présentation a l'heure bleu, très joli contraste avec le batiment,les lumières, bravo pour cette prise sans trépied
Belle journée
cricri

madhumita_roy86 (2150) 2012-07-10 12:28

Hi Paul,
this is an excellent shot...
beautiful vibrant colours...
good POV...really this is a magical place..
very good light management...like the golden light..
very crisp shot & good details..
very attractive & interesting composition...
Tfs! regards,
Madhumita.

maria-v1981 (10403) 2012-07-11 5:53

Hello Paul,
A beautiful night shot in golden colors captured. Nice color contrast between the gray light and the golden lights on the sides. The composition is perfectly captured with nice ambiance. The blue sky looks beautiful with the golden colors. An exceptional composition with superb colors and sharpness.
Cheers,
Maria

PecoBud (3778) 2012-07-11 10:53

I simply love this photo, just like you have said, it looks magical!!

Beautiful colors with superb clarity. What a gorgeous place to live for sure. Love the blue hour shot giving your POV a stunning affect, great job here Paul!!

TFS..........Your Friend from California........Buddy

CanmoreKevin (2111) 2012-07-11 17:49

Paul,
Great capture...I would not be sleeping well that close to the cliff. Great use of the available light. Wonderful colours.
Kevin

macjake (39235) 2012-07-12 1:20

Hi Paul
well, what can i say about this one!
absolutely love the bright blues.
when its combined with the yellows, its a masterpiece.
blues and yellows are the best color combinations from a visual standpoint....its actually been scientifically proven! did you know that?
wonderful subject, i've really enjoyed this one
cheers
craig

jlbrthnn (79773) 2012-07-12 2:29

Bonjour Paul,
Cette construction est tout à fait extrordinaire. Le point de vue détache habilement la maison sur le ciel à l'heure bleue. La lumière, les couleurs et la netteté sont excellentes. Bravo.
Bonne journée
Amicalement
Joël

ines8 (5838) 2012-07-12 4:53

Hello Paul,
Amazing blue hour shot, i like a lot this golden light and the fine details.
All the best,
ines

ciakgiak (30331) 2012-07-12 5:05

Ciao Paul,
davvero incredibile la collocazione di queste case, mi piace molto l'effetto dell'ora blu, belli i colori e la luce. Non mi pare così scarsa la qualità considerando che eri senza cavalletto e senza un buon punto d'appoggio.
Un caro saluto
Giorgio

ChrisJ (86902) 2012-07-12 5:26

Hi Paul!

A superb upward pov on the bg building with a striking warm vs cold colour contrast between the blue & honey amber colored yellow of the lit windows. This building is precariously perched. Good sharpness & a nice blue hour shot. Tfs!

lousat (57704) 2012-07-12 16:13

...and fantastic too!! What a absolute perfection of the camera settings! Spectacular blue hour,point of view and colors and very imposing perspective from this photographer paradise,a very very great shot,i like it!Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

mirosu (5533) 2012-07-13 3:51

Hello Paul,
Excellent view from lower level resulting in marvelous photo. Great alignment of the house, excellent light & color contrast contrast against blue sky and marvelous light on the house. Excellent composition with well presented crop allows eyes to remain fixed on the house. Masterly captured photo.

marina7 (5860) 2012-07-13 8:33

Hi Paul,
that's a magical place for sure! I wish I could see it with my own eyes or maybe stay there:)
Despite your note I find the quality pretty good and the colors just awesome. The blurred foreground is sort of expected in this situation. The shiny gold against bright blue is so riveting! Great picture.
have a great weekend
Marina

ebingul (1760) 2012-07-13 12:59

Hello Paul,
Great shot in blue hour.Fantastic colours and light management.Great capture of this beautiful and interesting architecture.Sharpness is not bad at all for a night shot without tripod.Congrats,TFS and best regards.
Emin

mauro61 (52527) 2012-07-13 14:41

ciao Paul,
un posto molto particolare che hai ben ripreso in queste condizioni di luce.
Mi piace il POv che mette in mostra l'ardita costruzione,
saluti
maurizio

Waylim (22357) 2012-07-13 22:14

Hi Paul,

the light is magical, the scenery of the hanging house is Mythical and mighty.

I love the blue and gold that complement each other really well. Very well control light, good technical quality and very good composition.

Way

krzychu30 (8897) 2012-07-14 1:02

Hello Paul,
the blue hour captures perfectly not only the mood of this scene,but also emphasizes its beauty.Beautiful contrast of these two dominating colors.Deep blue sky vs. illuminated in warm orange tones buildings.The combination is really captivating.And in the end I couldn´t not to mention this beautiful and unique located architecture.Impressive!Concerning the sharpness you mentioned in your note.It´s excellent as for picture taken from a hand.But anyway I don´t think it´s the most important thing about this picture,just the fantastic atmosphere you captured here.
Have a nice weekend
Krzysztof

ikeharel (37378) 2012-07-14 1:16

Hello Paul,
This hanging house really worth the effort taken to show on photo, it was fully illuminating, deliberatley saying to all photographers "take me on"...
Nice result you managed, and the view is overwhelming.
Enjoy your weekend,
Ike

raszid62 (18212) 2012-07-14 13:42

Hello
This amazing house looks like an evil sorcerer magic tower over the precipice. Wonderful colors - golden walls and windows in opposition to the deep blue, dark sky. Perfect picture quality.
Yours
Joseph

ACL1978 (5789) 2012-07-14 14:26

Paul, the shot is certainly sharp enough, especially for one taken in such difficult light. The golden light on the building itself makes for a fantastic contrast with the blue of the twilight, and the overhang makes it a fairly dramatic shot. Beautifully done!

mkamionka (24559) 2012-07-15 1:25

Hi Paul,
wow, this is impressive. Both the place and the photograph. I thought at first it will be Meteora in Greece.
The architecture is fantastic and its location so original.
Taken at my favourite timing with beautiful sky.
Excellent work!!!
M

carlo62 (12636) 2012-07-15 4:09

Ciao Paul
una costruzione molto spericolata, il POV ne mette in risalto l'architettura.
Luci splendide e ben calibrate.
Complimenti
Carlo

annjackman (13227) 2012-07-15 4:14

Hello Paul,
The blue hour shot adds so much to the magic of this amazing house. You have captured the detail of the wonderful architecture very well. TFS.
Regards, Ann

Fis2 (73124) 2012-07-15 4:34

Witaj Paul!
A very interesting building.
I like POV and composition.
Excellent colors, curious sky.
Photo has climate.
Nice afternoon
Krzysztof

jemaflor (69011) 2012-07-16 9:30

salut Paul,
très belle capture au moment du crépuscule, joli fond de ciel encore clair et magnifique luminosité qui donne des teintes chaudes à la pierre, bien pensé.

mesutilgim (68014) 2012-07-16 13:13

Hello Paul,
Very nice and quite interesting capture from Cuenca.
It must be a great feeling to live in such an eagle's nest !
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

notrap (4692) 2012-07-17 10:35

Hello Paul,
as far as I can see from this 800-pixel image you can not complain about lack of sharpness. The main subject, the golden house is sharp enough. And the contrast of these two primary colors make the photo extraordinary. I like it!
Kind regards,
Elvira

adores (28236) 2012-07-17 17:11

Hi Paul!
Good idea to show a blue hour shot from there!The moment was well chosen and the pov also. You're really showing how impressive these houses are! Good exposure!

Nard (6913) 2012-07-18 1:49

Bonjour Paul
Une maison magnifique superbement mise en valeur avec cette prise de vue à l'heure bleue. J'adore l'éclairage sur toues les fenetres et l'association des couleurs de la pierre et du ciel. Splendide.
Bonne journée
Bernard

COSTANTINO (42746) 2012-07-18 6:37

Hello
excellent capture of Casas Colgadas
a real blue hour picture
the quality is real good in my
pure opinion ,those hanging
houses look magical
regards
Costantino

cornejo (18116) 2012-07-19 5:01

Hi Paul, excellent photo of the house most photographed of Cuenca. A wonderful picture nicely framed, clearly, good lighting and bright color. Excellent and wonderful work, congratulations my friend. Tfs.
Good afternoon and happy weekend.
Best regards and best wishes.
Angel.

dale54 (4932) 2012-07-19 11:06

paul hi,well done here,super contrast to this.great light management too,great POV! tfs! dr

Janusz1974 (2275) 2012-07-19 11:49

Hi Paul,
I like the moment you took this image, the blue hour creates a magical atmosphere in this place.
Very nice golden light.Well done.
Best regards
Janusz

jaywalker (16061) 2012-07-19 14:09

Hi Paul, I truly love this photo as the architecture is just amazing & what a place for it to be sat, the light is superb & the blue hour sky finishes the picture perfectly, kind regards Wilson.

josepmarin (55063) 2012-07-20 10:18

Hi Paul,
the Hung Houses of Cuenca are a real marvel, which they fascinated me when I visited that beautiful city some years ago.
In this perfect capture at the blue hour you have caught the magic of its amazing architecture, which defies the law of the gravity, and offers us a fantastic spectacle with its night lighting.
The quality of the image and of the light with its warm golden tones, and the good framing in low-angle shot, offer us a superb composition.
A beautiful work.
Best regards,
Josep

Hansaphotos (5435) 2012-07-23 0:34

Hello Paul

Imposing shot of the impressive architecture. It really looks great with the blue hour lighting and your upwards POV. Very good colour contrast against the sky. Beautiful work:) TFS. Have a nice week.

Best regards, Erling

boa (4313) 2012-07-24 13:47

Hi Paul,
very cool shot! I like the spooky atmosphere you have captured in this "blue hour" shot. The "hanging house" and the surrounding area looks very interesting, i`m gonna try to find more information about this place.
Excellent contrast of the golden light and the sky,Tfs!
Have a nice evening.
Boa

danos (74056) 2012-07-25 2:28

Good morning Paul,
a really surprising construction with the balconies to are on the air.Excellent blue hour shot with the well lighted building to dominates the area,as outlined perfect against the blue of the sky.

Have a good day,danos

eldancer1 (17088) 2012-07-25 9:47

Indeed! It's magical how they built this building on a rock. Awesome capture of the blue hour. Love the colors and it has good saturation. Good pov and dof with nice details. Well done, tfs.

Magicfrogy (39) 2012-07-25 23:27

this is indeed great.house itself and your framing.
i am going to search this town and most probably add ıt to my list for my next visit to Spain.

bayno (16213) 2012-07-29 5:06

Ciao paul,
with the conditions of light and the Camera supported've done a great job, you could not ask for more, the contrast between the artificial light and the blue sky is really amazing, to me it looks good also sharp, beautiful blue hour and very interesting house...nice one...
have a good sunday...
Valter

ilDottore (5252) 2012-08-09 14:06

Hi Paul,
Excellent shot of those "hanging houses".
Indeed, your blue hour choice was perfect.
Wonderful warm colours, perfect composition.
Thanks for sharing!
Chris

fabbs99 (5499) 2012-08-12 12:26

Hi Paul

Great image of the building in the evening lights in contrast to the blue sky.The image is sharp and has vivid colors.

Regds
Farhat

nikkitta (5896) 2012-08-13 19:25

I was sure, that this marvel only can be Casas Colgadas from Cuenca
Beautiful blue hour shot with golden contrast of the hanging houses
Greetings and TFS
Maria
Did you visit the Modern Museum?

Glint (5573) 2012-08-14 1:18

Hello Paul,
you say you are not happy with the quality of this shot but I think you have done a very good job without a tripod. It is a very attractive blue hour image and like you I appreciate the contrast between the blue and the golden lights of the house.The house certainly has a magical quality and I would like to see this for myself one day.
You have an intersting and attractive gallery and it is one I will come back to,
best regards,
Bev

wolf38 (28208) 2012-08-16 10:10

Hi Paul. The photo with the almost floating house is a real eye-catcher. The night-sky blue and the yellow color of light complement each other perfectly. Well done. Best regards wolfgang.

dip (21921) 2013-01-17 13:03

Hello Paul,
indeed a "hanging" house,taken at the right time,
amazing colors and excellent management of light,
thanks for sharing,
Dimitris.

paoloardiani (96) 2013-01-18 22:51

Bellissima! Costruzione strana, ottima resa con la luce artificiale in contrasto con l'ora blu... il muretto dove hai appoggiato la fotocamera non da assolutamente fastidio... un bel lavoro!!!

kasianowak (2263) 2013-01-20 0:18

Hi Paul
You made this house look like a fairy-tale castle. Well done on using the wall to support your camera, rather than giving it a miss or shooting hand-held as many people would have done if they were you and had't brought the tripod.
Beautiful colours and perfect exposure. Difficult to comment on sharpness you complain about at this resolution.
Best wishes
Kasia

serp2000 (29242) 2013-02-27 10:37

MMM ))) Excellent photo work, Paul,
Impressive architecture of the south Europa, Marvelous colors of the blue hour, fine details.
This is one of the most interesting photos from Castilla-La Mancha!
Best wishes,
Serghei

jcpix (3325) 2013-04-11 14:33

Hi Paul,

Quite interesting these houses, and your title is the perfect description! Good choice to wait for the blue hour, it creates much more of a dynamic effect in combination with the yellow tint from the artificial lighting. Wonderful angle that creates an eye-catching perspective. Certainly deserving of all previous comments, great shot!

All the best,

Jason