Glimpse of Mordor Photo

Photographer's Note

New year, new country. Not much of a subject, I decided to contribute to the very scant Lesotho gallery, taken near Malealea lodge, around 2000m. elevation, the peaks in the distance are part of the Drakensberg mountains, around 3000m. high, I have no clue whether or not this is in Mafeteng "state". JRR Tolkien grew up in nearby Bloemfontein, South Africa, this landscape may have been hir inspiration for Mordor, hence the title. Happy new year, rest well, take that Aspirin, or Head On, apply directly to the forehead.

tonyp, bibiweb, stego, pboehringer, singuanti, Angelillo, flory, Gerrit, VeeJayCee, tcht, Tue, john_c, peter1892, axiotea, John_F_Kennedy, ALIRIZA, anesugur, jafadabret, bakes888, elmec, ahmetgedikli, tonyking, vladic, round-the-world has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

isade1975 (3372) 2007-01-01 16:14

Hello, it is a fantastic landscape!
and a really good picture too!
Happy New Year!

tonyp (217) 2007-01-01 16:28

Beautiful picture with a great composition!
Happy New Year to you too!
Cheers,
Tony

leo61 (0) 2007-01-01 16:35

Hi Tan!
Happy new year and my best wishes for 2007.
You must be the most trvelled member at TE.
Good shot with great depth of this not often seen country.
Regards,Leo

Budapestman (82620) 2007-01-01 16:44

Dear Tan!
What a particular country! This is a fascinating and very spectacular photo. Its a splendid POV and very good quality. Very fine shot.
Happy New Year!
George

guillaumejm (0) 2007-01-01 16:52

Hello Tan,
What a funny note and gorgeous panorama!. The POV is great, as the sharpness & dof. Everything is perfect here, the light, the colours .... To complete mordor comparison, only missing some black smoke!.
happy new year
Best regards
JMarc

MichaelTrezzi (3347) 2007-01-01 16:52

Hi Tan, Happy New Year 2007 and many nice pictures on TE! Nice composition of the Kingdom in the Clouds. Give my best regards to my loved Malealea. Cheers, Michael

gilou530 (34) 2007-01-01 17:12

salut tan
tu nous montres un monde minéral grandiose avec cette vue aérienne qui nous donne bien cette impression de grandeur,
amitiés
gilbert

bibiweb (8) 2007-01-01 17:25

Hi Tan,
So you thought your list of visited countries wasn't long enough? You really had the urge to add a new one for the new year? If you keep that up I'm going to get cramps in my fingers, just scrolling down that list! ;o))
It's another great landscape shot taken from that unmistakable "Captain's POV" from above. The colour are great and I like that patch of green at the bottom. Thanks for your funny note and the tip about Aspirin... I'll try that next time. :o)
I wish you a wonderful year full of new travels and photos.
Regards, Brigitte

valdec (7336) 2007-01-01 17:28 [Comment]

Show Comment

ptibelo (3371) 2007-01-01 17:35

Grandiose et demesuré à la hauteur des couleurs...superbe endroit.
amitiés
JMarie

hyasar (7741) 2007-01-01 17:35

Merhaba Tan,

onden arkaya dogru kademeli olarak kontrast ve renk doygunlugundaki azalma cok hos olmus.

selamlar ve mutlu yillar,
Hakan

PJE (20756) 2007-01-01 18:00

Hi Tan. Again a wonderful capture showing an incredible place. It looks a little dry there except for the lower right patch of green field. The background mountains certainly grace this view. Great shot for Jan 1st. All the best in 2007! Thanks for sharing!

izmirli (3864) 2007-01-01 19:29

sevgili tan merhaba
çok güzel komposizyon ve harika renkler,harika doğa.tebrikler.
bayramını kutlar,yeni yılda sağlık ve mutluluklar dilerim.
sevgi ve saygılarımla.
gürkan akçakır.

stego (22556) 2007-01-01 20:30

Hi Tan,
"Not much of a subject"!!!???
That landscape and your capture are gorgeous! Great pov with those valleys joining in the center and the barren mountains in the back.
TFS, Regards, José.
And Happy New Year.

pboehringer (770) 2007-01-01 20:50

Hi Captain, thanks for showing some "old" photography from Lesotho. Such moments are the special element at TE. With a small click I'm able to travel around the world in seconds to see such interesting places like the one you are posting here. I just think that you're not being very fair calling this landscape a glimpse of Mordor. The scenery in the movie was really dreadfull. This here is a intense light and most be quite dry, otherwise the polarizing filter would have given a darker blue at the sky!
Regards, Peter

singuanti (15250) 2007-01-01 21:52

Hi Tan. I can see how this would inspire him to write those books. You did well in fitting in the buildings in the foreground. That helps complete the picture. I've never even heard of that country! tfs Tan.

Cormac (26545) 2007-01-01 22:06

It seems pretty bright and cheery for Mordor, but I can easily imagine that if it was a dark and stormy night these rocky hills could be much more sinister looking. Great saturation and contrast, and I like the small houses in the foreground to give some scale. Excellent!

Ann75 (0) 2007-01-01 23:08

Hello Tan,

Almost hard to believe this is Africa...I'd almost think this was in the USA (Grand Canyon). Excellent lighting with beautiful colours and such amazing details. I love all the different layers in this shot! Great shot, Tan!

Greetings,
Ann

jjcordier (62280) 2007-01-02 0:58

Superb landscape....and superb photo with great colours.
Happy new year and my best wishes for 2007
JJ

Angelillo (9322) 2007-01-02 2:16

Hi Tan,

I like the winding canyon, running into these interesting and beautiful mountains, like a curtain closing the space. It seems no way out, and this add emotion to this very nice shot. Thanks, and best wishes,

Angel.

flory (4848) 2007-01-02 3:05

Merhaba Tan,
this is a spectacular landscape with so natural colours and well chosen pov..nice those valleys in the center and the mountains in bg..haha,very funny note...
all the best and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
flory

vedra (0) 2007-01-02 3:20

Hi Tan,
Amazing landscape. It is incredible how people always manage to make the best even in the most difficult natural conditions. Great depth of field, too.
Happy New Year.
Vedrana

DarkoG (8) 2007-01-02 5:09

Good landscape. Like the title. I just yesterday watch the movie LORD OF RINGS II and agree with you this could be Mordor.

Regards Darko

Gerrit (43743) 2007-01-02 5:44

Hi Tan,
it looks far more arid than I suspected. I thought it was rain-time in july.
Fantastic view and landscape.
Regards Gerrit

ktanska (21509) 2007-01-02 7:44

Hi Tan,
Very much your style of picture with the 'captain's view'. Open desert landscapes are beautiful, especially with some green patches visible on the river valley. Good light with shadows accentuating the sense of 3rd dimension.
Kari

VeeJayCee (2410) 2007-01-02 8:16

The inclusion of the buildings at the bottom provide a needed to scale to the vastness of this country. My eyes go to the foreground river and follow it through the giant canyon which it created but to which it is now subservient .

tcht (7565) 2007-01-02 9:28

Hi Tan
Thx to you I now know and also see pictures of countries that I've never heard of! This rugged terrain, especially the high mountains is spectacular, and actually seems to me like the American mid-west. Lovely work and another great contribution to TE, tfs!
Cheers,
CheukHin

vincz (19099) 2007-01-02 9:57

Splendid lanscape. Never seen something like that, it looks so huge and so impressive. Colours and details are very good. A great title as well!

Tue (25798) 2007-01-02 10:48

Hej Tan,
A wonderful and breathtaking landscape! The many colours are also very beautiful and the blue sky works well too here. Good work, thanks for sharing!
Hilsen,
Lars

carper (96) 2007-01-02 12:17

it's a beauty Tan.
a very nice view, good pov, fine quality and the light and shadow uis very good in this landscape. very good job.
gr. jaap

peter1892 (1681) 2007-01-02 16:59

Those jagged mountains in the distance could well be from 'Lord of the rings' so perhpas you're right about the inspiration here! The POV is good, we get to see the different layers of rolling countryside building up to those high mountains. Nice to see one of your older slides making an appearance again (I spent part of today looking at dSLR's in various shops & wondering if I take the plunge now will they just change them all again in a few months!).

keribar (43841) 2007-01-03 5:46

Hi Tan,

Another " Aaaaah" picture: I see this is a negative, which is very surprising for a photographer like me who always used positive fimfd untik digitals came into my life since 4 years now. Seen this quality I've never believed it was a neg. Best - Izzet

Leonie (8809) 2007-01-03 7:17

Hi Tan!

Happy 2007! All the best for this new year to you....and guess you will do lots of new travels again! Amazing landscape! Looks similar to your picture from Swaziland...one can see it is in the same area. Best, Léonie

PixelTerror (0) 2007-01-03 7:54

Hi Tan, happy new year !
I see you're still busy painting the map, looks still a bit empty in Africa ;-)
This one taken from the usual captain's PoV looks indeed mordoresque due to its emptiness but lacks some darkness and raging fire to attract any nazgull, anyway a very nice landscape that looks even wider considering the tiny foreground houses.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Yves

john_c (24662) 2007-01-03 11:24

Hi Tan,
Well composed with very good DOF. There are multi layers of interest in this fascinating landscape and indeed this could well have been the inspiration for Mordor. The patches of green in the foreground enhance and allow the viewer to speculate on how some of this landscape could be transformed with massive irrigation. Well captured, Tan. Have a happy New Year.
John

sebinho342 (19317) 2007-01-03 11:56

I was cold in Icelande so i end in hot country in lesotho, so poor country, almost dying from aids, so sad ... So few pictures here on TE of this country, just 2 pages, thanks to share your vision and once again your POV ;)
Desolated country ... :(

Stepan (27210) 2007-01-03 14:33

You're right about Mordor except the fact it would dark and cloudy !!!
Whatever, an impressive landscape in a good large frame. Thanks for having us travel far away...
Stéphane

vascao (192) 2007-01-03 19:08

Hi, Tan.
Spectacular view of this vastness. Seems like a Mars landscape. Colors are very vivid, and the details are superb.
Regards, my friend.
Sergio

axiotea (21647) 2007-01-04 0:00

Hi Tan,
Great POV showing spectacular landscape with natural colors well rendered, good sharpness and light. Interesting note and advice :)
Wish you all the best for 2007...
Marilyn

John_F_Kennedy (41368) 2007-01-04 5:29

I love the clarity and sharpness of it, and how you were able to bring out the different tones of brown. This is a very beautiful shot.
Achim

ALIRIZA (16419) 2007-01-04 14:59

Merhaba Tan,
Harika bir bakış açısı. Işığın etkisiyle dağlarda oluşan üçüncü boyut gözleri içeri doğru çekiyor. Renkler ve derinlik mükemmel. Ellerine sağlık...
Selamlar...
Ali Rıza

pady (4800) 2007-01-04 16:06

Hello Tan,
An impressive landscape with a great POV.
Do you have the intention to color all countries in the Map of Photographed Countries in intro page in dark yellow ? You're close to achieve it !!!
Best wishes for 2007
Pierre-André

anesugur (18757) 2007-01-04 16:45

Merhaba Tan,
Herhalde yakında bütün ülkeleri tamamlayacaksın.
Afrika'nın güneyinde de olsa daha yeşil bir yer olmasını beklerdim. Gerçekten ilginç bir doğa.
Bizlere ulaştırdığın için teşekkürler. Uğur

Angshu (51174) 2007-01-05 4:10

Hi Tan
What a comparison…amazing landscape with the variety of colours. Fanatstic geological features of the rugged canyon terrain with the deeply etched strata clearly visible, taken from your unmistakable ‘Tan’-esque POV…this is spectacular!
Regards
Angshu

jrj (34841) 2007-01-05 8:15

Great landscape Tan very well captured here in the pano setting with the buildings down there good for scaling and understanding the greatness of this fantastic landscape setting.

jafadabret (56497) 2007-01-06 5:08

Tan bonjour.
Un paysage grandiose presque lunaire avec ces montagnes sans végétation. Les maisons du premier plan donnent l'échelle. Excellente prise !
Jacques

saguzar (862) 2007-01-06 9:22

Hello Tan,
Impressive landscape; Is the first time I see a photo from Lesotho. I can appreciate very well relieve details.
Happy 2007!
Hernán

bakes888 (18499) 2007-01-06 19:29

Hi Tan. Great photo. You have captured the ancient layers in this rugged and barren landscape well. Well composed and thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

elmec (12210) 2007-01-07 5:40

Hello Tan!
Amazing view! I like this place of rocky dessert!
Great colours, and very good details.
Congratulations!
Best regards!

ahmetgedikli (25064) 2007-01-07 18:17

Yeniden merhaba,
Işığın, netliğin ve derinliğin güzelliği ile tepeciklerin görünümü de süper. Selamlar, saygılar.
Ahmet

rbcy1974 (20758) 2007-01-10 2:46

Hello Tan
Haooy new year!!
Im back from Egypt.
Great composition, nice depth showing us the entire valley and its surrounding area. YOu have captured the ruggednes of the terrain quite well
Cheers
Daniel

bazal (7900) 2007-01-12 3:14

Hi Tan!
Best wishes for this new year!
So you've finally discovered the Mordor. Looking at your picture, it was worth doing the trip there! This landscape is just amazingly beautiful and your simple composition presents it optimally.
Thanks for making us discover this not so well known country!

Didi (48896) 2007-01-13 8:11

Salam Tan
Is your job who gives the oppotunity to travel ?
It's a good chance to catch some picture in so many countries.
Very fantastic landscape with grad colours.
Güzaal

tonyking (1601) 2007-01-17 6:07

When Van and I traveled through the deserts and national parks of the South West, we often commented to each other, "Nothing designed or built by the hand of man can ever compare with nature's beauty and grandeur." Your brilliant pic of this stunning scenery only helps to prove that point.
Lesotho is a country that we rarely think about so it's particularly nice that you've brought it to our attention. I thank you for that.
As for the quality of your image, it's impossible for me to fault it and I can't add anything positive that hasn't already been mentioned in the other critiques. It's absolutely lovely and I find it very, very appealing.
Impressive work, my friend.

Hugs,
Tony

desman (2228) 2007-01-19 4:48

magnifique perspective ! (de voyage :-) )
merci et bravo

barni (15745) 2007-03-15 4:54

Hello Tan
Quel beau paysage.
C'est superbe!
Have a good day
Christophe

siislam (290) 2008-01-20 16:22