valeryromanov
FollowLe Mont Saint-Michael, Normandy, France. May 2015 - Мон-Сен-Мишель, Нормандия, Франция. Май 2015...
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Le Mont Saint-Michael, Normandy, France. May 2015 - Мон-Сен-Мишель, Нормандия, Франция. Май 2015
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Top Shot Award 22
Creative Winter Award
Contest Finalist in This Is Europe Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Multicolored Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Architectural Masterpieces Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in HDR Beautiful Shots Photo Contest
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johnpa53
August 26, 2016
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
johnpa53
August 26, 2016
I think this is my favourite photograph of Mont St Michel. And i've seen a few! Absolutely beautiful. The weather wasn't this kind the evening I visited. Well done.
Inara
May 24, 2017
Awesome picture and million thanks: my husband just booked a holiday for next week to here - inspired by your photo! :)
ddelannoy
May 24, 2017
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
ddelannoy
May 24, 2017
Génial, il y a tout dans cette photo ; une histoire, de la lumière et du rythme ! Simplement bravo !
Steve002
May 24, 2017
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Steve002
May 24, 2017
Pity the building is out of focus, but those mud cracks came out beautifully! lol
BuckPhotography
June 07, 2017
I love this. You see high-tide photos everywhere. This is different. This is special.
joergkoch
June 16, 2017
Viewing your photo put me to ancient times - with a touch of being not of this world.... great!
CarpeDeeM
October 20, 2017
Congrats on capturing the magic of this iconic place. I know what the queues are like here. Your timing was perfect - tide out, sunset & no people when there must have been thousands. Great job.
jeffgauthier
December 08, 2020
I've been here before. I bought a 3d model and it took me a few years to put it together. This is a stunning shot!!!
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Behind The Lens
Location
Being in Normandy, France I just had to visit the island that is known as 'Saint Michael's Mount' in English. After taking a free bus from Beauvoir village to the Le Mont Saint-Michael I walked around at the seabed trying to find out a good foreground and not to sink in the wet sand.Time
The time of taking picture was based on a combination of low tide and sunset. Actually, I got there about one or two hours before sunset to explore the place and to choose the best point of view. After the place was chosen, I just waited for a sunset and turning the illumination on.Lighting
The sky was very cloudy all day long so all I hoped was some kind of a photographer's luck. One hour before the very sunset clouds dispersed suddenly and the sun appeared on the sky. It wasn't playing a great role for monastery walls but had highlighted the cracked seabed. And after the sun went down I just waited for the illumination.Equipment
This photo was shot on Sony Alpha SLT-A99 camera with Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 16-35mm (SAL-1635Z). Of course, I used a tripod and remote control because of low point of shooting.Inspiration
Le Mont Saint-Michael is known to be on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. So I have to see it at least. On the other hand it was shot millions times already. And it was a real creative challenge for me to find something uncommon while making a picture of such well-known place.Editing
First, because of very shallow depth of field caused by low point of shooting I made a focus stacking for foreground, central part and background of the picture. It's also rather difficult to make a single photograph with sun going down and illumination of buildings turned on. So I made a composite HDR for sky and illumination. After that there were minor adjustments in colors, shadows and highlights, lens corrections and final cropping of the image.In my camera bag
The equipment I usually take with me is rather common for landscape photographer. First, that is my camera Sony Alpha SLT-A99, than four lenses - old Sigma DG 12-24 mm f/ 4.5-5.6 EX for a very wide angles, than Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 16-35mm (SAL-1635Z) and Sony Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 24-70mm (SAL-2470Z) for the most part of the photos and Minolta AF 100-200/4.5 - very light telephoto lens. Also I have a number of filters - neutral density and polarized. Of course, I have to say about my tripod, camera remote control and my phone with a number of photo tools to find out time of low and high tides, sunsets and sunrises and soon.Feedback
What is an advice? Take as many pictures as you want but publish only the ones that you a ready to print in a big size and hang it on the wall in front of yourself for one month at least. Don't be lazy to wake up before sunrise and be ready to miss a dinner because of the sunset - may be this time you'll be lucky to shot a masterpiece.