Visiting the extremity

Just when I thought I knew pretty much everything about the Portuguese landscape (from personal experience or some kind of visual source) me and the family discovered the small village of Salvaterra do Extremo. The name says it all, as the words "do Extremo" mean literally "of the extremity". And this village is indeed located on the Eastern border with Spain, on a godforsaken land.

Olympus E-P2 + Panasonic Lumix 20/1.7

The landscape is dominated by the ruins of a Spanish castle, Peñafiel, overlooking a small canyon that divides the two countries. The cliff underneath it is a breading spot for griffon vultures (that's my wife above, trying to locate some nests).

This is also the Northern most point of the Tejo Internacional Natural Park, which will be the theme for some of the upcoming posts.

Staying square

Olympus E-P2 + Panasonic Lumix 20/1.7

I'm sticking with square format for a while longer. It has been a stimulating exercise on composition. Of course, it can also be an arbitrary restraint, as some subjects or themes are unfit for a square image.

In the end, the fundamental question will come down to this: are my square photos better than my 3:2s or 4:3s? Probably not, but as long as I have fun doing it...

Where shall I go from here?...

Olympus E-P2 + Zeiss 135/2.8 + extension tube

The empty room

Olympus E-P2 + Panasonic Lumix 20/1.7

The Shadow Mountains

In Peneda-Gerês National Park there is a mountain range called Sombrosas, which I would like to poetically translate as "Shadow Mountains." That's the massive formation in the background of the previous photo.

These photos were taken during a day hike last month, with a couple of friends. My intention was to picture the Sombrosas from different points along the path, at different times of day. The whole experience made me enjoy the Panasonic 20/1.7 a bit more. The 40 mm (equivalent) focal length actually worked quite well for emphasizing the dramatic features of this vast landscape. And the light combination of a pancake lens with the compact E-P2 is a blessing when one has to climb steep slopes under hot sun!

Olympus E-P2 + Panasonic Lumix 20/1.7

Summer!

Almost...

Pentax K10D + Zeiss Planar 50/1.4