Before the War Photo

Photographer’s Note

I promised a while back that I would post a photo of the original Stari Most(Old bridge). here it is, as it was on a winter's day in 1978. You can see the patina of centuries gone past on the bridge, the tower and other structures. The old tree as well had been shattered to pieces- one should lament for grand old trees also that perish in stupid wars.
It was on this trip that Mostar settled in my heart forever.

The image was scanned from an old B&W Kodak film.

Modeste, avene, Gerrit, shevchenko, fanni, feather, macondo, Royaldevon, serp2000, bracasha75, Vasa, Dyerco, bakes888, cagla, Clementi, trekks, patdeph trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

Modeste (450) 2009-09-15 5:39

Very good B&W, the composition's great, and your comment's touching. Are people unable to live in peace ?

avene (11068) 2009-09-15 5:42

hello, neighbour :)
I had to double-check the date of the photo to make sure I see correctly, it is almost as old as I am :) love it, the B&W version has a timeless quality, this could very well be a scene from 19th century. the curving stone wall in the foreground works well to lead the eye towards the bridge and tower, and the branch adds a nice natural frame. pitty that the tree is not there anymore.
great shot, I really like it.

best,
Kristine

jimmyjimmy (536) 2009-09-15 6:04

Hello Klaudio

I have not seen the after image. So I will gone on this image as is. the image is spectacular, reminds me of fairy tales of old. Just a place rthat one would want to visit. Very nice work

Regard
Jimmy

rigoletto (26504) 2009-09-15 9:38

Lovely Mostar...
A rainy, seemingly cold day, Kujundziluk is empty, and bare branches tend to hide Stari Most whose heart has not been broken yet. And look at the streams flooding down from the gutters to the Mother Neretva, it must really be a good drench...
Such a beautiful photo for those who feel somethings for this lovely town.
And even more, the photo is one year older than me :)
Best wishes,
Deniz

Gerrit (36007) 2009-09-15 15:05

Hi Klaudio,
magnificent composition in great light.
Excellent photo and very special.
regards, gerrit

SteveH (3951) 2009-09-15 16:19

Hi Klaudio, looks like you're having fun going through your old shots. Fine composition in this one. Inclusion of the tree and wall in the FG works well. Cheers, steve

shevchenko (10004) 2009-09-15 20:29

Hi Klaudio,
I like it, just look like a drawing by pencil, good pov to frame it, full in poetic flavour, thanks for sharing a value old photo.
Ally

fanni (8737) 2009-09-16 1:01

Hello Klaudio,
do you think that if there were no religions in the world there would be fewer wars?...... this is not a rhetoric question :)
the composition is very good in many aspects. And the b&w version adds a timeless touch to this photo. But this view looks almost unreal or a little bit ghost-like (to me).
Warm greetings from Moscow,
Elena

alftrek (2885) 2009-09-16 1:39

Hello Klaudio,
Truely a magnificent view of this bridge. The quality of this shot seems undiminished through the scaning process. I can not imagine living in a place like this if you complain about the cold in Melbourne.
BTW, are you joining us for the TE meeting on the 27th?

Regards
Alfred

npecanhuk (14324) 2009-09-17 2:25

Hello Klaudio!
Wow! This is magnificent!
Black and white and pov were great choices here!
The composition was very well elaborated and pretty effective with awesome visual results!
Sharpness, exposure and of are excellent too!
A very interesting and truly eye-catching photograph!
TFS - congratulations!
Best regards,
Neyvan

mariani_josep (352) 2009-09-17 3:03

Hi Klaudio

It's lovely picture .. it's like painting...
I like the composition with the dry branch and stone fence as foreground

MJ

tulipan7 (450) 2009-09-17 13:01

Nedavno sam bila u Mostaru i posjetila 'novi' Stari most. Izgleda isto ali ipak nije. Sve je to tako tuzno... Mozda izadje koja dobra slika s mog putovanja i osvane ovdje na TE...

feather (49872) 2009-09-17 14:03

You were a good photographer back then too. The composition is excellent with the low wall leading the eye and the wonderful old tree leaning in to the scene. The image has stood the test of time very well and has survived the scanning process.
Well done
Kath

macondo (13193) 2009-09-17 17:01

What a classic. Your best 'lost in time' scan by far. Some might lament the trees' branches intrusion into the picture over the bridge but I think it's a great aspect of this very delicate picture. The boughs stand out almost 3D-like against the misty, wintry scene behind. It looks so wet. The composition is outstanding, with the eye drawn back and forth from the bottom left to top right. And then there's the little waterfall bottom right. I looked closely for some human figures and found them - tiny, as if in a Japanese picture, but crucial. Wonderful scanning quality too. I think the photos scan better than the slides.
Regards,
Andrew

muunal (302) 2009-09-18 13:05

Fascinating view from past. Thanks for sharing...

delpeoples (6397) 2009-09-18 18:22

Ciao Caro Klaudio, this is a beautiful scene, very haunting and melancholy, made more beautiful by your poetic Note. Nice choice with the B&W, this is one of my favourites, TFS, Lisa.

Royaldevon (5938) 2009-09-19 6:44

Hello Klaudio,

I applaud your sentiments exactly!

I have seen this beautiful bridge on the T.V. but to be honest, this shot of it gives a much better perspective.
Your pov is very well judged to use the curve of the wall so well, and the pointing fingers of the ancient tree. All the features are well placed for very good balance.
Besides the technical crits, this is a very interesting photograph. B&W works well.

Kind regards,
Bev :-)

serp2000 (9629) 2009-09-20 5:47

Privet, Klaudio,
Fine shot from your privat archive! I like this tale picture. My compliments! Interesting note!
Serghei

mkamionka (4746) 2009-09-22 2:44

Hi Klaudio,
B&W enhances very much the mood of this shot.
I like very much the architecture, still little know in the western countries, so thanks for sharing that.
Your composition is brilliant with the tree branches which are always making a photo more dramatic.
It seems to be a wonderful place and your presentation if perfect,
M

bracasha75 (22219) 2009-09-22 12:55

Zdravo Klaudio
Fenomenalna slika starog mosta u Mostaru i vreme kada su stvari dobro funkcionisale medju narodima i narodnostima ....
vreme kada sam ja imao 3 godine i vreme koje sam ja ziveo sa roditeljima u Nemackoj,ali sam ostetio mali deo te Jugoslavije.Mada znam da je mnogi nisu voleli ja sam je gotivio jer se makar nije ratovalo...po meni steta sto su se narodi zamrzeli !!!!!!!!!!
Divna slika moj dragi prijatelju
Veliki pozdrav tebi Klaudio
Bratislav

Vasa (5912) 2009-09-24 7:47

Dragi Dado,

video sam ti poslednje fotke iz Makedonije, a zastao sam ovde kod neodoljivog Mostara. Mnogo lepa fotka is dna tvojih džepova koju si krio trideset godina. Ako sam Mostar i video po lepom vremenu, sigurno nisam u februaru kao ti. Zato ti puno hvala za ovo pokazivanje i to originalnog mosta. Posetio sam tvoju galeriju sa uzbuđenjem. Hvala ti prijatelju i raduj se letu,

Branko

Dyerco (9180) 2009-09-27 3:13

Hi Klaudio
The textures really pop out in this B&W. Nicely done indeed. I see a few of your latest shots are B&W.
Phil

keribar (42760) 2009-09-28 21:17

Hello Klaudio

It is s long time since I wrote a critique to you, I know. and today I got up early with the idea of checking your pictures once again. This is how I discovered this gem, among many other beauties. I have seen pictures of the new bridge, and I don't believe my life will be long enough until it becomes old enough gets a patina , or the trees grow like this: It is almost like a Disney World or Las Vegas Hotel compared to the original. Also the composition of this picture is perfect.
Keep it well -
Friendly regards - Izzet

bakes888 (18257) 2009-09-28 23:43

Hi Klaudio. The beauty of old photos is the let us remember what was and should still be.
I see from this you have always had a photographers eye, beautifully composed! Excellent sharpness and detail also, every brick and twig is plainly visible. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

omerozden (1241) 2009-09-29 0:23

hello klaudio,
this is one of the best pictures of the stari most i have ever seen. very well composed, very neat.
warm regards,
omer

vinicio (22420) 2009-09-29 8:15

Thanks for this beautiful gift Klaudio, it's really a beautiful image, compliments.
Ciao
Vinicio

cagla (2251) 2009-09-30 12:53

Hi Klaudio, what a wonderful, a dream like view of this beautiful bridge.. I was searching your gallery for your previous posts of the stari most after rebuilt inorder to compare them with your last post, and I met this one. For me a super quality B&W work, and for me this is what photograph gives to us. TFS.
Selamlar.
Çağla.

Clementi (44683) 2009-10-02 10:59

Ciao Klaudio,
an exceptional document!!! thank you for having made us see this masterpiece before the war. excellent the scanning.
Have a nice week end
Giorgio

sonkai (1017) 2009-10-09 5:22

Hi Klaudio,
I think this shot has a very good quality to be a scanned shot,and I like the B&W choice.Yes,I can see the passing of time in the place,this kind of bridge always makes me wonder and seems to me impossible structures,I know this picture is previous to war,but I think building really forget wars,in spite of their scars,our eyes are those which can not forget them.Thanks for sharing.
Regards,
Sonsoles

patdeph (18106) 2009-10-15 9:22

hello Klaudio
Waow,how beautiful it is!We can see that this is an old picture,but that fit so well with this old bridge and the superb houses beside!And the way you have framed is excellent,with the line of the wall leading the eyes to the bridge,and the branches framing the compo!This is really splendid!
Regards
Pascale

Abyta (93) 2009-12-07 1:08