Mosteiros beach in November.

The Mosteiros beach ( Azores islands ) - just blowing wind and heavy dark skies.

Maciek.

17.25 local time.

25th of November 2009

Our garden colours in mid-December

Not much joy and sun this December in our garden.

From the top left:

Citron mini-tree,
Spike Lavender,
red, beginning to flower Bougainvillea,
Pink Camelia,
Green pepper and
Doux Très Long Red Pepper.




All pictures taken on the same day, December 8th, 2009.





Maciek

The land of cows and volcanoes

View from Paul viewpoint to the north. A small "swimming pool " inside an old volcano.

A good thing about Azores Islands ( from the photographic point of view ) is that there are no so-called "magic hours" ( 1 hour before the sunrise and 1 hour before the sunset ). At these particular moments there is a "magic light in the air", something that makes the landscape photography at that hour so unique.

H owever on the Azores Islands the weather conditions are so dynamic, they can dramatically change within minutes and the light can stay "magic" all day long.

On that particular day I climbed the Paul viewpoint. It was almost a mid-day so hopes for a nice landscape photo were thin. To my surprise at the top I found a nice diffused and filtered light.

Maciek.

Azores Islands - Unspoiled nature spots

One of the little-known unspoiled nature spots on the island is this two-step waterfall called Salto do Prego, near Ribeira Grande village.


Maciek
Nikon D80
Tripod
Shot during my November flight to Azores Islands.
Self-portrait.
28.11.2009

Turn off the TV ! ( I´m back on Azores Islands )

When I stood and took that particular picture of the sunset at the Mosteiros beach ( Azores islands ) I wondered: "Why are people watching TV ? The nature itself is so beautiful."
In front of my eyes there was something special going on in the sky.

Maciek.

17.15 local time.

25th of November 2009

Photo trip to Central Portugal ( day 4 )

I got up early to see the sunrise over the Serra Estrela and the Spanish mountains.

I drove east and after 2 hours begun a steep climbing to reach the Serra Estrela mountains. Located at 2000 meters, the highest peaks give you a panoramic view over mountainous Portugal-Spanish border.

Next morning I got up early to see the sunrise-

After the night low-level nimbostratus clouds were gathering in the valley but the sky above looked pretty nice only with some cirrus clouds painted in the morning light.

Maciek.
Nikon D80
Tripod
Auto-shutter.

Photo trip to Central Portugal ( day 3 )

Next morning I got up very early trying to embrace a new day and take an "early-bird" photo of the famous Vasco da Gama bridge in Lisbon. This is definitely one of the most enchanting architectonic structures of the capital. On of the longest bridges in Europe with a total length of over 17 kilometers.



Standing on the western bank of Tagus river I was looking to the east a couple of minutes before the sunrise. Unfortunately fast moving dark rainy clouds spoiled the moment ( and the photo ).


Maciek
15th of November 2009
07.01h

Photo trip to Central Portugal ( day 2 )

On my second day I drove to Mourisca, just 60 kilometers south of Lisbon.

Mourisca Tide Mill is situated on marsh, salty lands used in the past for the cultivation of rice, near the village of Mourisca. Built in the 17th century (year 1601), it served well its purpose, which is to make the best use of the renewable energy of the tides, able to grind the grain, just by using the strength of the tides.
The mill is now a museum.

There are lots of fishermen´s boats in that area, so when the sun showed up, I shot some photos. I used a B&W technique to emphasize the dramatic sky.


Maciek.

Photo trip to Central Portugal - almost a complete failure

I have been planning this trip for some time. I clearly marked all my photographic spots on the map and was ready to go. The plan was to shot some photos in Sintra National Park and near Sado River National Reserve.
It ended up in an almost complete disaster.
For three following days the weather was bad: strong winds, fog, low dirty clouds and occasional terrencial rain.


Only during short periods of reasonable weather I managed to put my camera on the tripod and take some photos.

This first picture is from Adraga beach in Sintra National Park. The beach is located not far away from the Westernmost Point of Continental Europe - Cabo da Roca.
At 4 p.m. I parked my car not far away from the beach. The weather was stormy. To my surprise the parking lot was full of cars. There was a young "just married" couple on the beach with friends and family taking pictures.
I passed the crowd and went straight to the rocky part of the beach. Soon the party was over and I stayed alone. The winds were high and the waves were massive.

To be continued....


Maciek.
Nikon D80
Sigma 17/70
2 sec
ISO 100
F/18

14.11.2009

Braided delta of Vouga River, part VI

A few minutes later.....



Maciek.