Capital del Norte Photo

Photographer’s Note

Lying at an altitude of 589 m overlooking a long lake, Ainsa is surrounded by the Pyrenees mountains in the northern Spanish region Aragon.
Former capital of the medieval kingdom of Sobrarbe, it was the birthplace of the Kingdom of Aragon. Its historic centre, declared a National Historic and Artistic Monument in 1965, reflects the sumptuous period of the Middle Ages. The ruins of the castle, built in the 11th century, testify to the strategic importance of the town. The former palace of the first Kings of Aragon can be seen on the Plaza Mayor. The 12th century Sainte Marie Church and the facades of the Casa Arnal and the Casa Bielsa, both of which date from the 16th century, bear witness to the town's rich history.
Today Ainsa has become a favorite destination for tourists who enjoy strolling in its narrow streets and looking at its beautiful stone houses.

EDIT: Check out Bulent's WS as he provided a good answer to the sharpness issue !

bantonbuju, papagolf21, supereira, hugolef, bpelvan, jpdeloof, chinchini, arth, nwoehnl, singuanti, ChrisJ, kLe, elihesamian, anakin has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

bantonbuju (48844) 2005-02-11 3:32

bonjour jean-yves, i love spanish towns, they are so charming; and they are exactly so sweet as you managed to express in the photo;
have a nice day, jerzy

diaz_sanchez (0) 2005-02-11 4:12

Salut Jean:) Ca va? I am glad that u showed us this cold day my Spain:) very beauty and calm photo:) great job:) thx

bazal (7898) 2005-02-11 4:14

La composition est vraiment bonne et servie par un cadrage rectangulaire intéressant et dynamique. Les couleurs sont vives mais restent superbement naturelles. L'aspect textural est très bon, mais il me semble que ça manque un peu de netteté (le net est sur le mur du premier plan à droite et la profondeur de champ est peut-être un poil faible ?). Bien fat de toute façon !

antti (0) 2005-02-11 4:15

Bonjour, Jean ! Very attractive view you have founded. I like those narrow old streets, especially, when there is place to sit down and have a brake. Interesting stone structures. Might be something in evening lightning too. Inviting shot.

naxius (16679) 2005-02-11 4:19

Bonnjour Jean-Yves,
On passe de la Bretagne a l'Espagne maintenant?
Tres sympa comme endroit et je m'arreterais bien a la terrasse de ce restaurant!
C'est pas un peu flou?

Alex
PS: j'ai poste le panorama mais impossible poster la version large...Si tu as une idee ;o

papagolf21 (57003) 2005-02-11 4:26

Bonjour Jean-Yves,
Flâner à travers la ville doit être particulièrement plaisant. Après une balade sous le soleil, j'aperçois un café, où il serait bien agréable de commander une boisson fraîche.
Un petit problème de netteté (qui se rattrape très facilement à l'aide d'un logiciel de retouches, j'ai essayé et c'est excellent).
J'aime beaucoup.
Philippe

MvS (4163) 2005-02-11 4:32

Very beautiful quarters. I think I need a holiday...
Great POV and composition. A bit unsharp, but that I guess you know already.
Regards,
Magnus

supereira (9576) 2005-02-11 5:07

Good point of view and prespective.I like the composition and the angle.Good colors and light.A bit unsharp.Well done!

hugolef (4909) 2005-02-11 5:35

Hello Jean Yves
joli cadrage, belles couleurs. Une personne ou deux en terrasse auraient amené un peu de vie... chouette endroit en tout cas
Amicalement, Hugues

bpelvan (3786) 2005-02-11 5:59

Hi Jean-Yves,
I do like such environments, the historic places and ancient sites. This is also a good one. The composition here is excellent and DoF as well. It would have been nice to have a cup of coffee here. Good job. Thanks for sharing...

[workshop] [compare] +

Kenny10pin (19301) 2005-02-11 8:44

very nice historical building, I like the light and the crop, but I would have liked to of seen more of the building on the left, well done though

jpdeloof (2546) 2005-02-11 8:57

Jean Yves les constructeurs de cette époques étaient quand même de grands bonhommes, le travail de la pierre est magnifique et ta mise en page est assez bonne
jolie photo
ps : le fil à plomb n'existait pas encore à cette époque ) :-)

jp

chinchini (27917) 2005-02-11 13:16

Salut Jean Yves,
Ta photo est visiblement naturelle. Elle a été bien retouchée par Bulent sans quoi je me serai essayé ;-)).
Le sujet et ta note sont très instructives sur cet endroit que je ne connais pas. Le clocher roman est très joli, de même pour ce qui entoure l'église. Bonne maîtrise de la luminosité.
Merci pour le partage.
Pierre

arth (1454) 2005-02-11 17:33

Nice picture of this pleasant small street Jean .Good point of view ,nice perspective and lovely colors .Excellent composition and a good contrast .Well done

Arthur

nwoehnl (120) 2005-02-11 17:51

Hi Jean-Yves. Good choice of vertical format and pleasant composing for this view of the old Spanish village. Nice light and colors, and fine pattern quality contributed by the cobblestone pavement and the brickwork on the houses. Bulent's technique (deselecting the sky before sharpening) is exactly the way to go to address the sharpness issue.

singuanti (15240) 2005-02-11 21:12

indeed a very beautiful shot. the colors are rich and varied. as a rule with the sharpness I always use the Magic Brush to select the sky, then inverse the selection. If I don't then I get artifacts in the sky. at any rate, another nice shot.

kLe (2041) 2005-02-12 6:12

Salut Jean Yves! In this picture you have summarized perfectly what Ainsa is: the houses of stone and the narrow streets. It is a peaceful place and one of the beauties that I like more in my region, Aragon. Therefore, thanks for your nice photo and your good note. It is always a pleasure to see your work.

elihesamian (26091) 2005-02-12 9:14

Very nice informative view,Jean Yves.
I like a feeling from sunlight of the sunny day in the shot,well controlled it and good POV you had,also well composed.
about quality,I think it need to be sharpen a bit,still,I enjoy it.
Yours
M

ChrisJ (70485) 2005-02-13 3:39

Salut Jean-Yves

I may try a ws. Just some minor technical flaws, mainly in the sky. Apart from that, a superb image, with excellent colour & lighting. I like the low pov & perspective. Tres bon!

[workshop] [compare] +

anakin (2775) 2005-02-13 14:13

Spain lovely place... good perspectiva, nice composition, good work
well done
saludos

huynt (5077) 2005-07-26 2:53