The huge circular corridor, El Djem Photo

Photographer’s Note

The huge circular corridor, Colosseum, El Djem

El Djem or El-Jem (Arabic: قصر الجمّ; Latin Thysdrus) is a town in Mahdia Governorate, Tunisia, population 18,302 (2004 census). It is home to some of the most impressive Roman remains in Africa.

This is by far the most imposing Roman monument of Africa; its huge, round shape rises from the desert plain and can be seen from a great distance, especially as the town that grew around the monument is made up of low-lying buildings.

It is also one of the best conserved buildings of its kind, despite all the vicissitudes it encountered over the centuries, in particular when it was bombarded with cannon balls at the end of the XVIIth century in an attempt to dislodge a rebel tribe that had sought refuge within, and which provoked a large breach in the side of the building.

The monument is almost elliptical and measures 149m long by 124 wide and 36 m high. The tiers of seats, which had disappeared and have now been partially reconstructed, could accommodate up to 30,000 spectators, ranking it 7th after those of Rome, Capua, Milan, Autun, Verona and Carthage. The arena measures 65m along its longest axis, and has two large underground galleries crossing it, through which actors, wild beasts and machinery could pass and wait in two series of eight underground cells.

For a long time it had no other role than that of a historical monument but in the last two decades the El Jem coliseum has served to host the symphonic music festival in summer as well as other artistic events. (Source: patrimoinedetunisie.com & wikipedia)

Morac, besnard, BeBeHooker, paura, dip, jlbrthnn, vasilpro, Gerrit, ymrk, ymrk, Royaldevon, mikolaj_kawa, xavshot, Graal, gervaso, JCG trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

Morac (20761) 2009-09-01 1:30

Hi George,
I like this curve and the effect of depth obtained, and all in a beautiful light.
Best regards
Marc

rikko77 (6444) 2009-09-01 1:36

Hello George
I like the portrait framing, so full of pastel colors. Good balance between lights and shadows, well done!
have a nice day,
Rikk

mauro61 (16152) 2009-09-01 1:41

ciao george,
gli edifici e in genere le costruzioni in pietra gialla hanno una bellissima resa fotografica.
la lunga prospettiva con gli archi mi piace molto, supportata da un'ottima luce.
saluti
maurizio

besnard (31000) 2009-09-01 1:42

Bonjour George
Une très prise de ces arcades aux douces couleurs ocres. C'est du très bon travail.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

BeBeHooker (5990) 2009-09-01 1:52

Hi George!
Wonderful architecture, amazing corridor. Nice colors. Very nice brightness. Good take.
Cheers!

paura (39036) 2009-09-01 2:41

George,
Very interesting place with excellent lighting and colours. The note is also very nice to show the "El Djem".

Well done, friend.

Paulo

dip (12792) 2009-09-01 3:51

Hi George,
wonderful monochromatic photo with excellent point of view and lighting management,
very well composed!
regards,
Dimitris.

serp2000 (9643) 2009-09-01 5:07

Privet, George,
Fine job! I like the contrast, excellent colour and shadows.Superb sharpness, as always. TFS!
Regards,
Serghei

jlbrthnn (38727) 2009-09-01 6:53

Hello George,
Very good perspective, with coubure of the corridor, and good repetitive effect of the arcades. The generous light makes it possible to photograph without shaded zone. Excellent realization. Cheer.
Have a nice day.
Cordially.
Joël

vasilpro (9258) 2009-09-01 8:20

Hello George,
Excellent composition with beautiful curves giving an effect to the photo, very nice light management and great color tones.
Have a nice evening, Vasilis.

Gerrit (36127) 2009-09-01 8:21

Hi George,
wonderful place and excellent POV and perspective. I like the definition of the sandstone but the shadowed parts could be a little darker in my taste,
regards, Gerrit

ymrk (9059) 2009-09-01 8:47

Selam George,
Specially these road is very affective and these warm hot of the walls with their view is seeming the fantasticly!Impressive graphical detaisl at the same time.
Greetings,

Yağmur

Royaldevon (5938) 2009-09-01 12:12

Hello George,

I found your notes really interesting and linking nicely with shot. The portrait format gives an indication of the stature of the building whilst the textures and shapes speak loudly of its antiquity.
I like how the curve acts as guide and gives a good sense of perspective.

Kind regards,
Bev :-)

francio64 (11588) 2009-09-01 13:42

Ciao George,
bella prospettiva in questa tua nuova foto.
La vista circolare dell'anfiteatro, porta l'occhio a seguire l'intero corridoio.
Ottimo lo sharp e la gestione delle luci.

TFS!
Francesco

lousat (15912) 2009-09-01 16:25

Aaah...i remember my bad pics inside this corridor....and now seeing your i'm crying..ehehe...impressive quality and fantastic colors,you must to print a guide-book of Tunisia! My best compliments another time,have a nice day,LUCIANO

John_F_Kennedy (31865) 2009-09-02 0:07

Hello George,
You have captured this beautiful arcade very well here. Very good foreground perspective with beautiful colours and details.
Best wishes,
Achim

mikolaj_kawa (30985) 2009-09-02 1:23

Hello George! Mysterious architecture, very interesting olace, good note, very good POV and capture, perfect exposure. Nice light and bright, ideal colours. Original work. Well done!

jjcordier (25104) 2009-09-02 1:27

George
Belle présentation de la galerie de ce beau Colisée. Jolie perspective et très belles couleurs chaudes.
Amicalement
JJ

xavshot (62991) 2009-09-02 12:14

Bonsoir George
le format vertical et la succession des arcades donnent une très belle profondeur à l'image. J'aime beaucoup la composition.
Xavier

Graal (58577) 2009-09-02 23:51

Jó napot George,
amazing corridor, good shot, well composed image. I like the perspective and game of light with shadows. Well presentation.
Gr., Aleksander

gervaso (5606) 2009-09-03 14:56

Hello, George!

Wonderful monochromatic picture with an excellent perspective! The curve leading to a place we can not see is interesting, it adds a bit of mystery to the image. Good job! Well done!

ManuMay (11249) 2009-09-07 1:51

HI George!!

Very good one!

This fantastic composition, thanks to your particular point of view, reminds me some of the Aadiilj´s!!

Great light management and colour tones...a very good work!

Have a nice day...

Best regards

Manuel

JCG (25687) 2009-09-07 2:47

Hello George,

A judicious vertical format to emphasize this succession of arcades and to give depth to the image. I like much the colors ochres of the image and the play of light. Pretty George glance.

With all my friendships and a very good day,

Jean-Charles