How we celebrate São João in Porto ( 2 )

Photo dimensions: 671px × 950px.


Maciek.

How we celebrate São João in Porto

A story behind: Porto has a double holiday on 23 and 24 June because the day of São João / Saint John is on 24 June, but the 23rd is when the party happens – one of the biggest street parties in Europe – and there’s a lot of things to do. Above is how the fireworks display around Dom Luis II bridge went this year. The display goes on for 20 minutes and this is only the starting point for the second half of celebration: the night party and beach sunrise celebration.
I set my gear very early in the first line of people just by the bank of Douro river with a magnificent view over the old town of Porto.

Location: Porto, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D700. Tripod. Capture NX: RAW to Tiff. PS Tiff to JPG.

Aperture: f/8

Shutter speed: 2 sec

Exposure bias: + 0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 400

Date Taken: Friday, June 24th, 2011, 00: 18

Maciek.

The Northern Coast

A story behind: This image was taken here at 8.37pm of the local time. I am so happy to discover this remote location and a splendid view. Next time I will be there I hope to meet better photographic conditions ( there wasn´t too much drama on the sky ).

Location: Ribeira Grande, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D700. RAW to Tiff. B&W.

Aperture: f/22

Shutter speed: 1/20 sec

Exposure bias: -0,7 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 200

Date Taken:Wednesday, June 15th, 2011, 20: 37

Maciek.

A boat

A story behind: This image was taken at 8.10pm of the local time, while the far away mountain ridge was illuminated by some of the last rays of sun. The soft light nicely accentuates the hills surrounding the lake. An evening peaceful setting with a wooden boat in a corner. Hope you like it.

Location: Sete Cidades, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D700.

Aperture: f/22

Shutter speed: 1/20 sec

Exposure bias: -0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 200

Date Taken: Thursday, June 16th, 2011, 20: 10

Maciek.

Monday in Alentejo

A story behind: Monte da Rocha is a name of the river Sado dam in the middle of Portuguese Alentejo region. The Monte Rocha is a barrage dam - a special kind of dam which consists of a line of large gates that can be opened or closed to control the amount of water passing the dam. Situated among the rolling hills covered with cork oaks the dam has a kind of strange hydro-regulation system, I have never seen before. In the middle of the water reservoir there is a huge hole to control the amount of water passing through.

Location: Ourique, Alentejo, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D700, polarizing filter.

Aperture: f/11

Shutter speed: 1/640 sec

Exposure bias: -0,3 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 200

Date Taken: Monday, June 13th, 2011, 13: 50

Maciek.

A postcard from Spanish Seville

A postcard from Spanish Seville

A story behind: Last couple of days we spent wandering around Spanish Extremadura and Andalusia and back to Portuguese Algarve.

Location: Seville, Andalusia, Spain

Gear: Nikon D700, polarizing filter.

Aperture: f/9

Shutter speed: 1/1000 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 16 mm

ISO: 200

Date Taken: Sunday, June 12th, 2011, 11: 4853

Maciek.

Dont´t let the sun go down on me.

A story behind: With the music "Dont´t let the sun go down on me" featuring Elton John and George Michael in my ears I shot this picture. Lovely weather, lovely time but some strange sorrow filling the air.

Composition with the "rule of thirds" and points of interest matching the crossing lines but the horizon in the lower third. In general, place the horizon high or low in your scenics, but rarely in the middle. RAW to Tiff. B&W transformation.

Here you can find a full 1280 pixels version.

Location: Vila Nova de Gaia beach, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D700, Nikkor 16-35 mm AF-S ED.

Aperture: f/9

Shutter speed: 1/60 sec

Exposure bias: 0 EV

Focal Length: 22 mm

ISO: 250

Date Taken: Friday, June 6th, 2011, 20: 53

Maciek.

The same place 2 days later

A story behind: Same place. Different sunset. An evening trip with my son Lucas.
Even with high ISO the D700 image contains little noise and the excellent level of detail.

Location: Foz beach, Porto, Portugal.

Gear: Nikon D700, Nikkor 16-35 mm AF-S ED. RAW to Tiff.

Aperture: f/22

Shutter speed: 2 sec

Exposure bias: + 0,7 EV

Focal Length: 20 mm

ISO: 3200

Date Taken: Tuesday, May 31st, 2011, 21: 11

Maciek.