580m above the Cat Photo

Photographer’s Note

As it started to rain in the North Coast, we rapidly went back to sunny South.

This pic was shot from 580m above sea level, at Girão cape, the 2nd highest in the world (after Enniberg, in the Faroes). Near the top of the cliff there is a considerable cacti population, mainly nopals; the ones with yellow flowers are Opuntia ficus-indica, locally called tabaibeira and will eventually give a sweet fruit known as prickly pear or Indian fig (tabaibo).

The catamaran is based on Funchal marina and used as a tourist facility, making tours twice a day – Girão cape is the usual turning point of the western part of the tour.

You are invited to the WS and tell me which you (dis)like more...

xuaxo, cjmm, andante, TeresaT, ktanska, anavazao, Jeppe, joseelias, riclopes has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

xuaxo (5835) 2006-02-11 1:41

Bonito. Parece montagem. Preferia sem catamaran. Ou talvez não, pois assim temos uma medida para a distância.
Prefiro o original em vez do WS.
Francisco

cjmm (4019) 2006-02-11 11:38

Bom día Beijo,

The POV is simply great. I think the exposure is very good and that rendered outstanding colors, contrast and dynamic range. The 2 different toalities of blue on the water add a lot to the image.

I also see that you sharpened to the right point, and there are no artifacts on the thorns.

Regarding the WS, well... I think that I am in for tles and tight FOVs, but in this case I feel I prefer the original.

Best regards,
Carlos

andante (7092) 2006-02-12 8:43

The POV, needless to say, is breathtaking. But is the combinatino of the blue arch in the sea and the placement of the catamaran that make the composition worth viewing again and again. Well done!

TeresaT (10733) 2006-02-12 18:54

olá Beijo
Gosto desta tua imagem..especialmente das duas tonalidades de azul no mar.
Bom Trabalho
Cumprimentos
Teresa

ktanska (16695) 2006-02-13 3:18

Hi Beijo,
It is great place. And you have done good job on a difficult situation. I guess you got as much depth-of-field as possible without tripod. And slight overexposure of sail was probably unavoidable on that light. Fill-in-flash is one possible suggestion. But it is always difficult to guess the results. I think I prefer the original.
Kari

anavazao (5592) 2006-02-13 9:05

Olá,
uma perspectiva espectacular até falta o ar!
As cores estão muito boas!
Boa nota!
Ana:)

fabio_ts (13674) 2006-02-13 10:16

Nice POV for a well done picture, great impact compliments!!

ciao,
Fabio.

Jeppe (18623) 2006-02-15 14:15

Hi Beijo

A very special and different composition - the cactus in the foreground gives a good perspective and the shadow of the Cat completes the image - my compliment.

I prefer the posted photo - works best.

rabdelnoor (2973) 2006-02-19 19:34

Great shot. Very nice how you got a very good sharpness on the foregrounded cactus and on the boat on the background. Excellent compostion and beautiful colours.
Parabéns.
Ricardo

pastadog (12821) 2006-02-25 11:27

Hi Beijo, excellent shot, with the lovely cactus frame, although I wonder how it would have looked with fill flash. The colors of the sea are glorious, and the cat really gives a sense of proportions, making us feel that height, great work! Daniel

sines (0) 2006-02-25 16:09

Ola Beijo,
Gosto desse contraste entre os cactus sinonimo de secura e o mar. Belas cores para esta foto com um ponto de vista original.
Um abraço.

managua (902) 2006-03-03 11:29

Impressive! Very nice shot!
Congratulations,
Andrea.

dreams (2) 2006-03-03 11:57

jolie cadrage
et couleurs
efficaces

joseelias (367) 2006-03-06 9:21

Ponto de vista curioso e bastante vertiginoso! O contraste das escalas entre os cactos e o catamaran dão bem noção da altura a que se está! Boas cores, embora a exposição podia beneficiar de uma redução dos highlights para reduzir o peso das zonas sobre-expostas.

riclopes (33131) 2006-04-12 3:38

Olá Beijo,
Esta perspectiva é absoultamente fascinante e vertiginosa. As cores do mar são super atraentes (interessante aquela curva a separar duas tonalidades), o enquadramento com estes cactos é muito bom, oferecendo uma excelente profundidade de campo e o cat (adoro o título!) lá em baixo é essencial para o impacto desta imagem. Muito bem!
Parabéns e obrigado por partilhares!
Um beijinho,
Ricardo

nicoz (1963) 2006-04-28 12:29

Hi Beijo!
Nice shot with great perspective. The colors are great, especially the two blue! I think that the boat is not really sharp. It may be because it's so much brighter...
Nicolas

niknik (112) 2007-06-09 3:43

I think I like the original one best. Being uncropped it shows the height above the sea better. I like the interest that the cacti add to a great photo.