[Pavel]

This is the first of the photos from Portugal I am posting. I admit I like this photo and I would like to make it as good as I can. This may be among the very few photos I may actually print. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have that would make this photo better. I took this photo on the way back to Oporto (and the flight back) from our base in a tiny village near Braganca. The route was recommended to us by the Portugese family, which were the only other vacationers staying in the village. I could have stayed a month near Pinhao with its vineyards in the river valey and picturesque villages nearby.



A family vacation is of course not a photo trip. No tripods, no long term settings and ruminating about what and how to take the photos. (My wife is very tolerant and understanding, but there are limits). Some photos I just took as a record of interesting things and I may post some of them in Snaps, because Northern Portugal is not all that often visited by tourists from abroad (mostly Portugese go there for vacation and you do hear some Spanish) and yet it is a land of uncomon beauty. Some of you may perhaps share my interest in the countryside and in the ancient stone villages and enjoy the snaps for what they are. Other photos I took because they interested me as a photographer. These I intend to post in the Critique section and I hope that I will get perhaps more comments than I received on my previous postings from Gaspesie. The photos I will post in the Critique section will be posted in order to learn how to improve the specific photos and in order to learn how to take better photos in the future.

[Zig]

You've got a good eye for composition and use the right lens for the right job. I really like this. I'd have maybe reduced contrast at conversion-stage to avoid shadow detail blocking out, then maybe adjusted curves or dodged/burnt in pp. A stunner Pavel; nice to see you back safe.

[Pavel]

Thank you Zig, I did not think of the shadow much in this photo and yet I see how important it is. I will certainly revise this photo befoire printing it to control the shadows better. The photo was taken early afternoon and that tends to make shadows (small but) harsh. I will pay more attention to this issue in the future photos. Thank you again. Pavel

[matthew]

I know you're looking for more insight than this, but I really like this photo. I might trim a little off the top to clean up the lines a little, but otherwise like it very much. It's a very interesting photo.

[Pavel]

Thanks Matthew. I will be revising this photo before printing and at that time, I will try a slight crop from the top. When I got the idea for this photo and I saw the view, I was really excited, and I was hoping it will work on my monitor. All it needed was some little tweeking in the Lightroom. I am glad that you like this photo. Pavel