Winter dreams Photo

Photographer’s Note

Ok, winter may be lovely... At least it offers many opportunities for beautiful shots. But the cold is just so... uncomfortable... I can't complain much about the weather of the place where I live, but it is still too cold for my taste. Today it snowed in some parts of Portugal. Maybe that means that I can make a quick escape to see snow in a mountain about 150 Km away from the place where I will spend Christmas, but it also makes me nostalgic of Summer.

This is Boca Chica, a beach some 30 Km East of Santo Domingo.

This one was a bit trickier to get than it may look, because the 14mm (equivalent to 28 mm in a 35mm film camera) doesn't allow the wide angle needed to catch all the coconut tree. What you see is the blending of two shots. The sky and the left part of the trees on the right comes from one shot and the rest from another one. I faked what was missing on the lower left and upper right with the clone/stamp tool, something that was very easy to do because it is just sea and some foliage.

I posted two complementary views of the beach as WS's: 1, 2.

Location (latitude, longitude): 18.4469,-69.6066

Matthew-Watt, mcenteesalas, japiey, siolaw, flory, PixelTerror, jhm, ribeiroantonio, AiresSantos, jlbrthnn, feather, lucasgalodoido, riclopes, celmaleite, josepmarin, paura, Docarmo, MLINES, Gerrit, atus, Emile, Bruno40, elmec, axiotea, jwmunro, JCG, danos, edytungkal, asajernigan, xuaxo, lilimih33, Yffic, Silversnow trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

siislam (290) 2007-12-18 17:17

lovely picture

Matthew-Watt (4467) 2007-12-18 17:20

Greetings Jose,

This is indeed a very fine quality image. The tropical setting is revealed to us in pristine colour and clarity. Perfect sharpness. This photograph reminds me of my time spent in the Fiji Islands. The yellow and red umbrellas, by intention or not, add that extra part of the colour spectrum into your image and hence really boost the colourful, warm feel. You have also captured a magnificent sky, plenty of good fluffy textured clouds sitting in a wash of gradient blue. Remarkable.

Enjoy your week.

Matt

mcenteesalas (1612) 2007-12-18 17:23

Hi Jose, what a stuning and beautiful shot of this tropical beach, although we are in the winter there is nothing wrong spending christmas in a tropical place in fact it would be great, composition and POV are cool too, well done, thanks for sharing it with us, regards, Joao Salas

japiey (9497) 2007-12-18 18:18

Hi Jose,

A ROMANTIC LYRICAL IN FRAME...
Beautifull is this land...
Its lovely to watch the clouds kissing the leaves..

Namasthe:)

jean paul

trekks (14334) 2007-12-18 18:45

Lovely shot(s), stego, the view is really picturesque and sharp, with great metering. The bent coconut tree is now symbolic and has become a tradition of tropical beach photos, and you captured it well here.

I cannot complain about your blending and fake, because it is not obvious. What I like is the bright sky and sea color, although I would wish to see 800pixel full to include the yellow shade at right, and the roots. Well done. TFS

bill

BLO (180) 2007-12-18 19:22

do not tease us so hard:) but really good composition, crisp deatails un saturated colors

sam-sby (385) 2007-12-18 20:28

Hi Jose ..

Nice compo end color. Beaituful

Sam

siolaw (25800) 2007-12-18 22:16

Salut José,
Belle diagonale de ce cocotier! Les couleurs sont bien saturées et réchauffent mon matin glacial a Paris!
Details bien nets.
Amities
Laurent

flory (4804) 2007-12-18 22:24

hi Jose,
i like nostalgic people,especially when they comes with photos like this one;)you will see,very soon come the spring and after is the summer back..:)
like this coconut tree in a tropical paradise..ya,wish to be there,too!
thanks for the ws and for the latitude,longitude;)
from a city with almost -4 C,all the best!
Flori;)

vincz (19043) 2007-12-19 0:34

Que de couleurs, que de profondeur! La composition est tres belle avec ce palmier en diagonale, devant ce ciel d'un bleu si extraodinaire orne de ces magnifiques nuages. La vegetation au bord de la plage est idyllique, un coin de reve sans aucun doute.

PixelTerror (86663) 2007-12-19 1:57

Ola Jose,
Although this is not exactly my own vision of the winter dream I can understand that some people find appeal in this... ;-)
Lovely framing and colors, and the clouds here make a good part of the qualities of this image. Looks like the square format is appropriate here so that the palm tree matches the diagonal.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Yves

UnTrained (0) 2007-12-19 3:00

Olá José,
very relaxing result of high quality. Strong colourful contrasts, fine curve of the palm tree as main theme of the capture, lovely sky and emerald water and the red and yellow umbrellas. Summer and holiday well presented. Winter dreams is a good title for that.
I will show you summer dreams from winter holidays some time ;-)
Um abraço, Ulf

jhm (83161) 2007-12-19 3:39

Hello José,

My compliments for the three pictures, also you alternate II is a wonderful image.
I can enjoy middle of the winter here in Belgium of your splendid picture out of a wonderful warm area under the sun.
The palm tree is here the real eye catcher.
Thanks for sharing.

Best regards,
John.

ribeiroantonio (21959) 2007-12-19 4:31

Gosto muito desre coqueiro a sair precisamente do canto e a formar uma diagonal maior na foto. Cria uma excelente divisão entre as árvores que implicam sombra de um lado e o mar e o sol do outro. muito bem
António

mikeo (12117) 2007-12-19 4:50

Hello Jose,

Perfect title:) Really superb shot for this terrible winter, cloudy and cold days. I love hot and sun so I could live in such place for the whole year.

Bautifull clours, superb composition and very good sharpness.

Well done
Greetings
Aga

AiresSantos (42750) 2007-12-19 4:53

Ola Jose
Com este tempo de Inverno em Portugal, só apetece mesmo é ir até um país como a Rep Dominicana.
Esta foto está fantastica. As cores, o POV e a definicao estao excelentes
Cumprimentos
Aires

jlbrthnn (38727) 2007-12-19 5:27

Hello,
a superb framing starting from this tree to offer this beautiful well built sight to us. Cheer! it is a beautiful coloured and paradisiac success.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

feather (50040) 2007-12-19 6:58

This is a wonderful image Jose and well blended and "faked". I love how the palm leans out just asking to be photographed. It certainly looks like an idyllic place. I like the WSs too and for a compact camera of high quality. I'm with you on the cold weather. Roll on spring!
Kath

lucasgalodoido (16723) 2007-12-19 9:36

Olá José,
muito bonita mesmo essa foto sua, as cores ficaram fantásticas e essa mesinha com guarda-sol da Brahma só aumenta a vontade de tomar uma gelada! Tenho que conhecer esse lugar, mas depois da temporada dos furacões, hehe.
Parabéns e Abraço!

Bluejeans (32901) 2007-12-19 10:30

Oi José ,
Que belo cartão postal , as cores estão 5 estrelas , gostei do teu angulo de visão o coqueira atravessar a foto , o ceu esta fantastico , parabens!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Stepan (27175) 2007-12-19 23:31

A cliche, but a good one : with colors, warmth, sun... All you need in the frozen Europe.
And a good graphism thanks to the palm-diagonal too.
Stéphane

riclopes (33117) 2007-12-20 2:27

Bom dia José, esta diagonal está um espectáculo. Estas palmeiras tão compridas sempre me atraiem muito e se tiverem com inclinações estranhas num dia bonito como o que se vê aqui, é uma maravilha. O céu está lindíssimo e o resultado é de sonho aos meus olhos, ainda mais depois do dia de Inverno que tivemos ontem. Os 2 WSs são boas imagens complementares sendo que esta é a que atrai mais, pois tem aquele toque artístico na composição ;-) Não sei o que que queres dizer com o "faked" nem que manipulação houve aqui, mas para mim está impecável. Se quiser ser mesmo cochinhas (não era esta a palavra que usaste, mas era parecida...) tentava livrar-me do topo das duas cadeiras aqui à frente.
Um abraço,
ricardo

celmaleite (2848) 2007-12-20 13:29

Você reuniu tudo de bom nesta foto: qualidade, técnica, iluminação, cores, ângulo e muita inspiração. Maravilha!
Um abraço
Celma

josepmarin (34011) 2007-12-21 9:08

Olá José,
una foto magnífica de un lugar precioso, que algún dia conoceré.
La diagonal de la palmera cruzando el cuadro da un bonito grafismo a la escena, que tiene una bella luz y unos colores espectaculares, muy naturales y bien saturados. El cielo polarizado es perfecto.
Es una foto muy agradable a la vista, y está muy bien realizada.
Un abrazo,
Josep

paura (39036) 2007-12-21 11:09

José,
Apenas de ver a foto, e antes de ler as "informações da foto" eu deduzi que só poderia ter sido tirada com a sua "portentosa" 14-45. Nessa composição ela ficou evidente. A composição ficou lindíssima. apesar de muito "quadrada' para o meu gosto.

Abraço

Paulo

Docarmo (8844) 2007-12-21 11:26

Oi José,
Lindas fotos, mostram quão paradisíaco é mesmo este lugar. Esta dança de nuvens e palmeiras ficou espetacular!
As cores e a luminosidade estão lindas!
Parabéns!
MC
P.S.: Aquele guarda-sol vermelho parece anunciar uma cerveja brasileira (Brahma)... ;-)

MLINES (10934) 2007-12-21 13:45

Hi Jose. An excellent note with this colourful composition. Agree with your sentiments. The photo is well balanced and pleasing to see. Only negative is that it unsettles me and i want to go there to enjoy it too! TFS. Murray.

Gerrit (36127) 2007-12-21 14:16

Hi José,
excellent composition with the overhanging palmtree. Fantastic colours,
Regards, gerrit

berek (28989) 2007-12-23 12:04

Hi Jose,
its like a paradise. you are right its winter dreams. lovely atmosphere and magnificent sky. have a nice week.
Burak Erek

atus (15476) 2007-12-23 14:53

Hi José
very well seen shot captured here. With this cold winter we have here, it wants me to be there right now. Very well framed and composed with very nice light and gorgeous colours.
Well done! Tfs and Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Attila

jmcl (14073) 2007-12-23 19:50

Hi Jose,

happy holiday season from a very cold evening in South Dakota ..
you can feel the warmth off this .. a simple and incredibly effective image .. the way the trees live in this frame is just tremendous .. the foreground one .. but all of them play into it .. very nice.

take care,

John

Bruno40 (6442) 2007-12-25 1:28

Jose,
You almost fooled me. I thought it was actually a wide angle photo. Your sticthing work is quite good.
Nice presentation.
well done.
Feliz Navidad
jorge

Emile (20055) 2007-12-25 6:32

Hola Jose.
Una magnifica fotografia tomada en Boca Chica, la presencia de la mata de coco produce una excelente escena tropical con el mar de color turquesa, muy buena composicion y contrastes de colores, la verdad que es un gran foto.
Felicitaciones.
Un abrazo.

elmec (12194) 2007-12-25 14:01

Helo Jose!
Lovely picture from the middle of summer!
We need now some sun and warm wind, and we are waiting to spring...
Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!

axiotea (16229) 2007-12-26 10:26

Salut José
L'assemblage est bien fait et je ne vois aucun raccord! Bon PDV qui donne un impact dynamique à ce palmier qui semble toucher les nuages. Des couleurs bien vives, bonne profondeur et le format carré qui sied bien à cette scène.
Wish you all the best ;)
Marilyn

rajju (1317) 2007-12-28 18:20

what a shot! superb colors... i know DR is always beautiful but this one is amaizing..

best wishes for you

raj

jwmunro (6375) 2007-12-31 13:45

Hello Jose -

This image makes my day as I look out my window at all of the snow on the ground. Makes start to dream about heading off to Hawaii or some other place that is warm. Well composed image with the palm crossing at a diagonal forcing us to look up to the sky. Well done!

Thank for sharing and Happy New Year.

John

jackart (5604) 2008-01-06 12:34

Hello Jose!

O Yes! Take me to this island, where days are warm and sunny. Very nice place. Great palm tree. Wonderfull framing and colors

Regards
Jacek

delkoo (34588) 2008-01-07 1:58

bonjour josé
contrairement a ma derniere photo, c'est une image plutôt optimiste, heureusement, il reste encore de belle place sur cette terre, loin des tracas dû à la polution ou autre, la composition est parfaite et ce long cocotier rempli bien l'image.

didier

JCG (25687) 2008-01-07 2:08

Bonjour José,

Effectivement une image qui fait rêver, les couleurs de ce bout de paradis sont superbes et j'aime beaucoup le cadrage de ce beau palmier sur fond de ciel bleu. La limpidité des eaux calmes est magnifique. Splendide région et merci pour la photo cadeau qui nous montre une vue plus large sur l'endroit.

Avec toutes mes amitiés et je profite de ce passage pour te souhaiter ainsi qu'à tous ceux qui te sont chers tous mes voeux de bonheur et de prospérité pour la nouvelle année qui commence,

Jean-Charles

danos (33074) 2008-01-07 5:19

Ola Jose,
very nice composition with so vivid colours and light!The lean of the trunk of the palm tree is splendid as contrasted perfect with the blue sky.The red tent adds a different colour stroke in the scene.Why aren't there people on the beach or in the sea? Informative your note too.

Regards,Danos

edytungkal (4519) 2008-01-07 17:20

Absolutely a beautiful picture, the diagonal of the coconut tree indeed give an impressive effect of this picture and the combination of the red, yellow colours against the nature colours are great. Good idea to add the man walking under the tree..
Best quality and nice colours, well done Jose..

daniel

Loic_bzh (7061) 2008-01-08 3:14

Salut José et bonne année!

effectivement, c'est ici le cliché typique d'une plage des îles. La photo est très réussie et le format est original...

Bonne journée,

Loïc

crckt (7090) 2008-01-09 8:51

Hi Jose,
Lovely shot, deserves a place in the travel brochures. Awesome colors, wish it was summer again! :)
Regards,
Shaeri

ElAprendiz (7370) 2008-01-17 9:02

Hola Jose

Una agradable composición natural. Este tipo de paisajes marinos, siempre para mi serán encantadores, porque se refleja en todo su esplendor, la luminosidad, los colores, los detalles, el cielo, etc
Es magnifico observar el contraste de colores entre el cielo, el mar y la playa, que abre un momento de relax. Buen trabajo

John

fserajian (4541) 2008-01-18 23:52

Hi JOse,

Beautiful composition and colours. TFS

Fara

Tango7174 (0) 2008-01-20 8:27

A good candidate for PC wallpaper, with beautiful colours and sharpness. Too bad the umbrellas in the low right corner, telling us this is a touristic area, not quite a virgin island!
Well done José!

Thành.

gracious (20017) 2008-01-21 11:34

Hello my dear friend Jose,
I do not want to miss this awesome shot from the the sun and beach which very well captured by you!
this is a top quality image of tropical setting to include the clear blue sky, coconut tree and beach, you had it all! the great place to be for holidays
many thanks for sharing
best regards to you and family
cheers
Tony

asajernigan (14246) 2008-01-22 3:26

Jose,
This is a nice view of a beautiful beach. Your composition is great including the leaning palm tree which creates a diagonal through the shot. The lighting and colors are great with excellent sharpness and DOF. This is a nice scene on a cold winter day!
TFS,
Asa

xuaxo (5815) 2008-01-24 13:27

Olá José
Quase perfeita foto duma praia tropical. Melhor só se se visse toda a parte inferior do tronco da palmeira. As mesas, cadeiras e toldos "cortados" também distraem um pouco. Mas no geral está uma bela foto.
F

bigboroboy (1009) 2008-01-24 15:19

This is a classic scene well executed but if I am to be fussy I would say those beach umbrellas are distracting. Hap they been more prominent then their colours would have added something to the scene. But half visible and poked away in the corner like that they only serve to distract. Still, wonderfully exposed shot with lovely, saturated colours. Keep up the good work, PHIL

lilimih33 (9874) 2008-01-25 12:24

Hello Jose!
Exotic place!
Great colours and very nice perspective!
Perfect clarity and fantastic water!
Excellent done!
Best regards!
Lili

...I return... :)

ruisc_pt (6207) 2008-01-26 14:15

Jose.
As tuas "top rated" são memso "top"..
ytenho uma muito parecida com esta em Samaná.. mas não tão top...
Um ab.
R

Yffic (6106) 2008-01-31 12:00

Bonsoir Stego,

Photo très carte postale qui nous rechauffes au coeur de notre hiver morne et gris.
La netteté est les couleurs sont très bonnes.

Amicalement.

Yves

mark_mk (246) 2008-02-09 7:20

Hi Jose,
this picture makes me jealous. I live in Germany and you should see our winters ;-). But anyway a lovely picture, the water looks great and clear and your point of view is perfect!
Great job!

Mark

ahmetgedikli (22052) 2008-03-03 2:15

Merhaba Jose,
Excellent seascape! Perfect colors, light and POV. Great work!
Thanks for sharing and best wishes.
Ahmet

gurpreet (35) 2008-04-15 9:16

wel captured, though a landscape mode would have been much better...jmho.

afshinazizi (148) 2008-06-28 13:16

Hi

great shot.

Beautiful place

Ive also seen another shot from this place by another position on akkasee.com , somke months ago.

Beautiful work and great colors.

Regards

Mrfish33 (56) 2008-09-26 19:06

Conventional and classic. This is a beautiful, excellent photo, but maybe an unusual pov/focus would make it even better. What about the bottom right corner much closer to the tree trunk?

Silversnow (2121) 2009-08-07 12:56

Very dreamy indeed!
Great composition, superb colors, I love the details & colors.