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The colorful sea of phantom islands


The colorful sea of phantom islands
Photo Information
Copyright: Paolo Motta (Paolo) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4700 W: 146 N: 9006] (39591)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-04-29
Camera: Nikon d40 dslr
Exposure: f/3.5, 1/50 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-05-12 1:07
Viewed: 711
Points: 47
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
The Antilles refers to the islands forming the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea.
The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico; and the smaller"Lesser Antilles" on the southeast — comprising the northerly Leeward Islands, the southeasterly Windward Islands, and the Leeward Antilles just north of Venezuela.

The word Antilles originated in the period before the European conquest of the New World — Antilia being one of those mysterious lands which figured on the medieval charts, sometimes as an archipelago, sometimes as continuous land of greater or lesser extent, its location fluctuating in mid-ocean between the Canary Islands and India.

After the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus's expedition in what was later called the West Indies, the European powers realized that the dispersed lands comprised an extensive archipelago enclosing the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Thereafter, the term Antilles was commonly assigned to the formation, and "Sea of the Antilles" became a common alternate name for the Caribbean Sea in various European languages.

Antillia (or Antilia) is a phantom island said to lie in the Atlantic Ocean far to the west of Portugal and Spain. This mythical island had several other names such as Isle of Seven Cities, Ilha das Sete Cidades (Portuguese), Septe Cidades, Sanbrandan (or St Brendan), etc. Antillia was also identified with islands including the Isles of the Blest and the Fortunate Islands.

The origin of the name is quite uncertain. The oldest suggested etymology (1455) fancifully connects it with the name of the Platonic Atlantis, while later writers have endeavoured to derive it from the Latin anterior (i.e. the island that is reached "before" Cipango), or from the Jezirat al Tennyn, "Dragon's Isle".

The legend of the islands seems to have arisen at the latest in pre-Christian Roman times when Plutarch chronicled (in 74 AD, chapter 8 refers) the life of the Roman military commander and Consul of Spain Quintus Sertorius (died 75 BC). After returning by sea to Spain after a campaign in "Mauretania" (modern northern Morocco), Sertorius "met some sailors who had recently come back from the Atlantic Islands." It was from these men that Sertorius learned facts so beguiling that he made it his life's ambition to find the islands and retire there.

A Portuguese legend tells how the island was settled by the Archbishop of Porto accompanied by six bishops and their parishioners in either 714 or 734 in the face of the Moorish conquest of Iberia. The archbishop and bishops each founded a city, known as Aira, Anhuib, Ansalli, Ansesseli, Ansodi, Ansolli and Con. A similar Spanish tradition claims that these bishops were all Spanish.

Antilia is first marked in the Pizzigano Chart of 1424 together with the island Satanazes (devil's island). It reappears in the maps of the Genoese B. Beccario or Beccaria (1435), and of the Venetian Andrea Bianco (1436), and again in 1455 and 1476. In most of these it is accompanied by the smaller and equally legendary islands of Royllo, St Atanagio, and Tanmar, the whole group being classified as insulae de novo repertae, "newly discovered islands". The Florentine Paul Toscanelli, in his letters to Columbus and the Portuguese court (1474), takes Antilia as the principal landmark for measuring the distance between Lisbon and the island of Cipango or Zipangu (Japan).


Model: NIKON D40
Software: Capture NX 1.0.0 W
Exposure Time: 2/100 sec
F-Stop: f/3.5
ISO Speed Ratings: 400
Focal Length: 18/1 mm
Date Taken: 2008-04-29 23:22
Metering Mode: Pattern
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
File Size: 191 kb
Henryk_Bilor, besnard, pat0500, robertosalguero, kiwi_explorer, ChrisJ, papagolf21, Dpbours, Budapestman, bobocortis, axiotea has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Bonjour Paolo
Les couleurs sont incroyables et magnifiques. Celà donne une superbe composition.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

Hi neighbour ;)
Beautiful colours and despite there is no fog in your image, I like it :).
Have a nice day.

  • Great 
  • barni Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1459 W: 90 N: 1589] (9225)
  • [2008-05-12 1:11]

Hello Paolo
Des couleurs superbes.
J'aime bien le relief de la mer.
Regards
Christophe

Hi Paolo,
Woaw..! Lovely great picture..!
Very nice perspective on the sea, wonderful colours of the sky..!
Very good shot..!
Ciao,
Patrick

Hello Paolo,

What a beautiful sky. The colours of the sunset reflect very nicely on the clouds. The view is endless with the water adding a nice foreground to the view. Good colour saturation and sharpness. Thanks Paolo.

Roberto

Hi Paolo,
Beautiful sky and superbly captured. Your descriptive notes is very interesting. Well captured and composed with good resulting image quality. Well done! tfs
Cheers,
Renier

  • Great 
  • ChrisJ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 8647 W: 911 N: 11403] (55278)
  • [2008-05-12 1:31]

Hi Paolo

A wonderful sunset with rich, saturated colors & good sharpness & framing. I like the repetitive cloud formations. Tfs! Bellisimo!

Hi Paolo,
nice colored view, I like the sky here as you showed it very nicely.
regards
didier

Hi Paolo,
superb colors in this seascape. it looks surreal. The looming dark clouds at the top of the picture add to the overall feeling. The note is interesting too. Well done.
PHilippe

  • Great 
  • toto Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2357 W: 107 N: 2479] (13322)
  • [2008-05-12 2:16]

Bonjour,
belle photo de ces couleurs superbes de ce coucher de soleil et de ses reflets sur la mer de de San Juan, les teintes sont chaudes, magnifiques de douceurs et ces nuages illuminés par ces couleurs sont encore un cadeau de dame nature que vous avez bien saisi et restitué pour le partager avec nous.
Amitiés Thomas

Hi Paolo,

An interesting note. I do see the link with the Carribeans. The link with Puerto Rico as being part of the Antilles is new to me! Well, here we know most about the Netherlands Antilles, which you funny enough do not mention. Then again, the Netherlands Antilles is to be disbanded on December 15, 2008. So pretty soon the name will be history! :-)
I like the light you have captured, but I might have gone for a panoramic view with much less clouds in the top. It's very dark at the top, making the compo a bit top-heavy. But I like the tones and a good note!

Greetings,
Dennis

Hi Paolo!

No need for words for this photo, simply an image of extraordinary beauty, nature photography at its best! Congratulations!

Ciao, Hercules

Hi Paolo,
Picturesque natural shot with beautiful colours. The glittering lights are very fine, clarity is superb. Very well done! Have a nice day
George

Hi Paolo.

The calm & peace sensation in the picture is excellent!

Only needs a ship I think but...great anyway!

Rgs, Oscar

Hi Paolo

Amazing color and amzing shot. The sky seems like burning. You have beautifully captured the moment. Good composition and fine POV.

Regards,

Lopshang.

very calm sea, very simple view, but the light was worth to be captured, great tones and contrast
regards
jo

Ola! Very intersting shot. It breaks all the rules of composition, and yet it is the great color palette and the simplicity of the elements that makes this image amazing. It takes a great eye to pull this one nad you have done it.
Ciao,
Enrique

  • Great 
  • Gerrit Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4025 W: 85 N: 4868] (23801)
  • [2008-05-12 8:04]

Hi Paolo,
great sunset colours and a surpriibng dividing of the yellow and the blue.
Regards, gerrit

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 9323 W: 445 N: 14683] (51561)
  • [2008-05-12 10:06]

hello Paolo,
another fantastic sky in your good pov, fine colours, marvelous composiktion, I like the good work. Have a nice evening.
gr. jaap

Ciao Paolo.
L'ho detto altre volte: un tramonto originale è veramente il marchio dell'artista. Questo lo è, originale, in questa marcata divisione in due parti, una invasa dalla luce del sole morente, l'altra che pare già adagiata nella notte. Hai colto perfettamente la natura bivalente del tramonto, a cavallo fra luce e oscurità.
Che critica mi è venuta fuori...
Ciao.
Bobo.

Hi Paolo, first of all thanks for the very informative note. You have captured a very dreamy scenery with vivid and dark colors in beautiful contrast.
TFS
Nick

Bonjour, cher Paolo,
Le sublime touche, le beau charme.
Comment ne pas rester bouche bée devant tant de beauté.
La nature nous offre de véritables joyaux, encore faut-il savoir maîtriser tant de beauté.
Grand coup de coeur pour cette réalisation.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Hello Paolo,

Des couleurs de rêve, c'est magnifique !
Bonne soirée
Marie

Hello Paolo,
Great picture! I realy like the big contrast between this terrible dark sky and the orange and yellow layer.
Greetings.
Igor

Ciao Paolo
Beautiful and vibrant colors well rendered with lovely water texture, contrast and reflections. I also like to see the movement of the sea on the left side.
Saluti
Marilyn

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