Sopros do Céu

Gallery: LandscapePosted February 18, 2010428 views23 comments

Estrela Mountain Range, Portugal

1 day of photography in Serra da Estrela Natural Park. Traveling by night I arrived before sunrise to Penhas da Saúde, that morning the storm was scary. I intended to shoot sunrise, did not work, it was impossible to even get out of the car.

The rest of the morning and the day was about shooting here and there, without producing images of superior quality. The conditions never occurred. It´s time to head to Sunset spot. The mountain was covered in the higher altitudes by thick clouds without a gap of light. Still, we left towards Torre; I set my tripod... and looked forward that something could still happen...

This picture is once again the lesson for the photographer. Despite the storm, sometimes a radical change of conditions, even if for one second, the opportunity may arise. This was the only photo of the trip. And it was enough.

1 shot exposed for 3s f/19.0 at 12.0mm iso100

All comments/critiques for improvement are welcome!
Thanks.

Comments

23 comments

Comment posted by Bruce Palla on February 18, 2010 at 2:25 PM

Well worth the wait!! Beautiful shot, with great lighting.

Registered on December 19, 2007, 25 Posts, 328 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on February 18, 2010 at 2:32 PM

The wait was sure well worth it. I love the wide angle comp here with this foreground. The light is gorgeous and i like the sunlit spot on the distant hill and the reflection in hte lake.

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by István Pénzes on February 18, 2010 at 2:34 PM

Very, very nice shot, Hélio. I like the glowing clouds.

István Pénzes
Győr, Hungary

Registered on January 12, 2010, 35 Posts, 192 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel Cartamil on February 18, 2010 at 2:36 PM

sweet! I'm not sure you need all the sky on top, perhaps a small vertical crop to emphasize the foreground more...

Registered on November 15, 2007, 50 Posts, 601 Comments

Comment posted by Andreas Resch on February 18, 2010 at 2:43 PM

Spectacular light and shot, Helio.

Registered on November 14, 2007, 322 Posts, 6101 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on February 18, 2010 at 3:18 PM

Beautiful warmth and cold Heilo. Wonderful comp too.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel & Loana on February 18, 2010 at 3:23 PM

Absolutely worth waiting for this!
Thanks for the explanation of the situation.

D&L

Registered on October 7, 2008, 166 Posts, 3044 Comments

Comment posted by Jay Nielsen on February 18, 2010 at 4:42 PM

Very nice crisp image. Great job capturing the fleeting light, the reflection on the water is awesome. I think removing some of the top would bring more emphasis on the beautiful light on the mountian.

Registered on October 6, 2008, 137 Posts, 720 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on February 18, 2010 at 6:07 PM

Beautiful light, and well worth the wait.
Lovely!

Sandy r

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on February 18, 2010 at 9:41 PM

A marvelous shot. If you only got one, this one will do. The highlights are a bit hot, but probably doesn't look that way in a print.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Schrayer on February 18, 2010 at 10:36 PM

I'll say it was worth it. You have a fantastic comp here complimented by some beautiful light. As I was scrolling down I also noticed that a 4X5 crop (from the top) looks great and really places the emphasis on the beautiful light and the fantastic foreground.

Registered on May 28, 2004, 114 Posts, 2890 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Greenwood on February 18, 2010 at 10:47 PM

It is opportunities like this which make all the effort worthwhile, which negate all the previous efforts that did not work out, which succeed mostly due to the sum total of all past preparation and experience, and which provide inspiration to continue the pursuit.

My only suggestion would be to tone down the hot spots in the clouds a little.

Registered on November 9, 2003, 229 Posts, 1523 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on February 18, 2010 at 11:11 PM

Wow, what a sunbreak, Hélio. Very strong image both compositionally and light-wise.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Roane on February 19, 2010 at 1:25 AM

oh my, this is awesome! I prefer it as is, without cropping, but if you can tone down the hot spots in the clouds, it would make this even better.

Registered on December 12, 2008, 213 Posts, 2226 Comments

Comment posted by Bret Edge on February 19, 2010 at 2:31 AM

Pretty dramatic light and conditions, Helio. Beautiful image from front to back.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 711 Posts, 6363 Comments

Comment posted by Verena & Georg Pop on February 19, 2010 at 2:36 AM

yes, with a result like this, it certainly was a great trip!
georg

Registered on July 5, 2006, 272 Posts, 2823 Comments

Comment posted by Dorin Bofan on February 19, 2010 at 2:44 AM

Beautiful perspective and light, Helio! The empty ulc distracts the attention just a little bit, but that's super minor.

Registered on April 30, 2007, 122 Posts, 3086 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on February 19, 2010 at 3:45 AM

Stunning...beautiful photo!

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Gabi Lach on February 19, 2010 at 9:34 AM

Very nice shot, Helio. Great light and freezing winter conditions. Well done!

Registered on May 1, 2007, 101 Posts, 3187 Comments

Comment posted by Barry Ashenhurst on February 19, 2010 at 6:37 PM

Lovely scene Helio. The techs are good too, but I think the comp would be stronger with a 4x5 crop from the top.

Registered on August 4, 2009, 253 Posts, 455 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel Ewert on February 20, 2010 at 11:32 PM

Wonderful light, Helio! This is a marvelous composition and a beautiful capture. Well done!

Registered on June 2, 2009, 103 Posts, 1500 Comments

Comment posted by Anthony Vincent on February 21, 2010 at 11:43 AM

Magical Helio
An awesome winter shot, probably my favorite.
Great job

Registered on February 5, 2009, 199 Posts, 2775 Comments

Comment posted by Jeremy Kessler on March 21, 2010 at 3:01 AM

Great work here.

Registered on September 13, 2007, 36 Posts, 1283 Comments