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On my way through Belgium


On my way through Belgium
Photo Information
Copyright: Hans Spruijt (GreenBaron) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3077 W: 778 N: 9414] (37645)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-06-30
Categories: Nature, Architecture
Camera: Nikon D70s, SIGMA 28-70mm F2.8-4, 58mm UV
Exposure: f/6.7, 1/180 seconds
Map: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-07-04 6:07
Viewed: 542
Points: 56
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
On my way through Belgium

While traveling over the Highway A26 from Luik (Liége) to Luxembourg, I really didn’t had a plan were to stop for a break and photo shoot. I realized my TL-portfolio doesn’t consist a picture taken in Belgium , shame on the Baron, it are my neighbors.

Well after three and an half hour driving my legs and back need some stretching, so I left the highway somewhere without any particular goal and ended up in a very small village named Rulles. [take a look at the [Map:View] option, it’s well worthy] The weather was improving, but still heavy grey overcast, although the light conditions weren’t bad at all. So I took my camera and wandered through the streets of Rulles. People were busy cleaning their yards apparently preparing for the Sunday. Some of the natives were looking as if I was an alien from outer space. One man asked me something in French. [you should know Belgium is a bi-lingual country or in fact a tri-lingual, spoken is Dutch (Flemish), French and German. Well, my French is as good as Kilted-Arabs English, so hardly or nothing to make myself understandable. So said to the man in my best French tongue: “Je ne parle pas Français” [I don’t speak French]. In his best Dutch he asked me what I was doing. I told him I was on my way from Holland to Nancy and stopped here took have a break and making pictures of his nice village. The man looked at me as if he discovered I had a terrible disease and said: “So you drove 1000 kilometer to end up in Rulles? He shook his head and walked away yelling to his wife in French which I didn’t fully understand; but two words I still remember: “Hollandais idiot” no translation needed I think.

Well one of the pictures is the bridge in Rulles, were how funny the river ‘Rulles’ is flowing. Just an impression of a nice village in the Belgium Ardennes.

PP-talk:
Shot in RAW imported in Nikon Editor, only sharpened (low), converted to JPEG, imported in Adobed PS, adjusted brightness and contrast. Increased saturation , cropped slightly, add frame and text and resized for TL.

Used a Sigma 28-70mm zoom lens.

Image details:
ISO: 200
Metering : Matrix
Shutter: 1/180
Aperture: f/6.7
White balance: Auto
Focal length: 70mm

Ardennes

The Ardennes (IPA pronunciation: [/ɑːdɛnz/]) (Dutch: Ardennen) is a volcanic region of extensive forests and rolling hill country, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France (lending its name to the Ardennes département and the Champagne-Ardenne région). Much of the Ardennes is covered in dense forests, with hills averaging around 350-500 m (1148-1640 ft) in height but rising to over 650 m (2132 ft) in the boggy moors of the Hautes Fagnes (Hohes Venn) region of north-eastern Belgium. The region is typified by steep-sided valleys carved by fast-flowing rivers, the most prominent of which is the Meuse. Its principal cities, Liège and Namur, are both in the Meuse valley. The Ardennes is otherwise relatively sparsely populated.
The Eifel range in Germany adjoins the Ardennes and is part of the same geological formation, although they are conventionally regarded as being two distinct areas.
The region took its name from the ancient Arduenna Silva, a vast forest in Roman times that stretched from the Sambre river in Belgium to the Rhine in Germany. The modern Ardennes covers a much smaller area.
History
The highly strategic position of the Ardennes has made it a battleground for European powers for centuries. The region repeatedly changed hands during the early modern period, with parts or all of the Belgian Ardennes being incorporated into France, Germany, the Spanish Netherlands, the Austrian Netherlands and the United Kingdom of the Netherlands at various times. In the 20th century the Ardennes was widely thought unsuitable for large-scale military operations due to its difficult terrain and narrow lines of communications. However, in both World War I and World War II, Germany successfully gambled on making a rapid passage through the Ardennes to attack a relatively lightly defended part of France. The Ardennes saw three major battles during the world wars – the Battle of the Ardennes in World War I, and the Battle of France and Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Many of the towns of the region were badly damaged during the two world wars.
The rugged terrain of the Ardennes severely limits the scope for agriculture, with arable and dairy farming in cleared areas the mainstay of the agricultural economy. The region is rich in timber and minerals, and Liège and Namur are both major industrial centres. The extensive forests have an abundant population of wild game. The scenic beauty of the region and its wide variety of outdoor activities, including hunting, cycling, walking and canoeing, make it an important tourist destination.(Text: Wikipedia.com)
Helkoryo, Ejtaan, PierreFrigon, juta, Silke, milas, inaam, joopschotsman, Morgwathien, juyona, Tomek, Hendrika, janneman, Photograph2u, Marylou, XOTAELE, Refugee, eyesthetix has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Hendrika: zeurenGreenBaron 2 07-05 07:25
To PierreFrigon: CopyGreenBaron 1 07-04 18:54
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Critiques [Translate]

Good morning Hans

Really breautiful image here, Lovely scenic view and great notes.

TFS regards Helen

  • Great 
  • Dawn Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1221 W: 110 N: 3185] (15819)
  • [2007-07-04 6:20]

Strange man in Rulles..or did he think you drove all that way just to see Nancy..LOL.. just had to add that bit!

He obviously wasnt a photographer, its the camera that frightens them Hans, specially when is an SLR.. they stare at us here in Auckland too.. when us 3 go out, have you seen Pams Lens.. its like a machine gun!

Now to your photo... nice pretty place, lovely composition and colours.

Always enjoy reading your notes Hans, its always interesting to now how and why, and who said what, well for me it is...must be my nosey nature! :-)

Thanks for sharing.

Kia Ora!!..Ka kite Ano..
Cheers Dawn..

  • Great 
  • Fons Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1505 W: 1 N: 111] (11397)
  • [2007-07-04 6:28]

Heel mooi zicht op die brug met al dat groen en een stukje rood!

't staat wel weer leuk, zo'n extra geel plektje op je landkaart he?
bijna alles is geel nu???
Anyway, prachtig landschapje. Ik houd wel van dit soort plekjes....

Nice landscape Hans, I like places like this.

Cheers,
Anneke

I like the l;ittle hazy seeing. It creates a fairytail mood. Well done, Hansje.

groetjes,

Don

Superbe capture. Good sharpness and details.
And what's with naseer16'comment, Did he just copy Dawn's comment?????? Or is my computer playing tricks on me?????
Anyway, very good capture.
TFS
Pierre

Hello Hans,
First off I love your story..:o) I have a really great vision in my head picturing your conversation with the local even through the language barrier..and it made me smile for sure! ha!
The photo is quite lovely, I really like the soft greenery and the beautiful arched bridge...rulles seems to be a beautifully peaceful place. TFS
Donna:o)

  • Great 
  • juta Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 139 W: 20 N: 103] (1650)
  • [2007-07-04 8:34]

Hai Hans,
Really breautiful image here,well done,TFS
Best regards
JUTA

  • Great 
  • Silke Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3300 W: 267 N: 6202] (23100)
  • [2007-07-04 8:39]

A lovely bit of scenery with good clear colours and details
TFS
silke

Hi Hans.
Very beautiful. Great composition and colour. Good POV, but I feel the frame is a bit strong, just a little ;) Very nice, well done.
Regards, Steve.

  • Great 
  • inaam Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1738 W: 5 N: 382] (1348)
  • [2007-07-04 10:05]

Hoi Hans,

Pleasent atmosphere has been beautifully captured in this wonderful image my friend. Excellent light and luminosity. Fine presentation. Well done.

Thanks for sharing this image.

  • Great 
  • milas Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2100 W: 379 N: 2059] (22110)
  • [2007-07-04 10:05]

merhaba myfriend Hans,
Really breautiful image here,well done,TFS
selamlar

Erg mooi plaatje. Het hele dorp lijkt nu mooi, maar dat is natuurlijk nog maar de vraag. Ziet er wel oud uit, maar misschien staan er wel moderne flats in het plaatsje. :-)
Technisch weer pico bello, hoewel, is de lucht wat overbelicht? Of zat er gewoon geen doortekening in de wolken?
groeten,
Joop!

Hello Hans,
A very scenic image. Interesting pOV, pleasant colours and good details. Maybe the weather was not the best, but you can't have everything :)
TFS
brgds,
Barbara

  • Great 
  • juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2390 W: 0 N: 770] (12756)
  • [2007-07-04 18:24]

Hola Hans,
bella postal,
hermoso pov, sensacional trabajo,
saludos

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3160 W: 213 N: 6664] (26330)
  • [2007-07-04 21:49]

“Hollandais idiot” - even I can understand that... In NZ it would be "Pakeha idiot!"
Nice scene Hans, I don't think I've seen a Belgium bridge before myself, so thank you,
Janice

  • Great 
  • Tomek Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1185 W: 35 N: 1970] (11236)
  • [2007-07-04 23:24]

I can imagine how nice must be there... picture says it all, but that story with French man is the best, ha haha - hilarius and instantly remind me Luis de Funes..........
Hans you made a great evening for me, thank you so much.
Tom

another beutifull postcard.. i like this way to present ur work.. framed so perfect.. so nice also the big note.. great railway pov..
TFS
Marco

Heel mooi van compo en kleuren !
Rustgevend.

Bedankt ook voor het commentaar :
ik heb goed gelachen !!

Groetjes

Jan

Hello Hans, this is very nice, we feel we could be back in time if it were not for the electrical wires.

Very nice, relaxing, romantic view. Very sharp.

Take care, Yan :)

ps: why do you work in Nikor and save it in jpg and then in Photoshop and save it again in Jpg. This means twice saving in jpg, thus 2 compression and loss of pixels.

I work my raw files in Photoshop and save it once in jpg.

Hello Hans :o)
Nice shot ! Pleasant place to go fishing :o) Great light and colours, good POV too :o) Did you eat wild boar ?! ;o)
TFS, friendly greetings from Dieppe
Marylou

Did you stop in to see Magda?? Very nice shot here! Love the architecture, the brick work is fascinating! Enjoy your trip..tomorrow, back to work!! B-)
Linda
I'll be back.................

Hola Hans.
Otra imagen de gran calidad. Con un encuadre genial y buenos detalles y nitidez.Excepcional tu comentario.
Saludos, JL.

  • Great 
  • jawa Gold Star Critiquer [C: 1658 W: 0 N: 1] (10667)
  • [2007-07-05 14:05]

Hallo hans
Mooie registratie van het Ardense land.
Mooie diepte in de foto.
Gr Jos
P**

  • Great 
  • ttreen Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1567 W: 118 N: 3550] (14211)
  • [2007-07-05 15:42]

Hey Hans...
I really love your POV on your trips.. This is such a nice POV... with the river and the bridge and even you have somehow captured the Clock tower.. very nice colors.

Thanks

Tricia

He, he Hans,
Zie ik eindelijk iets aan je foto waar ik over kan zeuren.
Dit is een elegante en sfeervolle foto (ja helemaal toppie) die zit in een mooi frame (ja, helemaal goed), maar die letters zijn te stijf (persoonlijk vind ik Bradley Hand hier mooi). However I'm sure you know where to find the most elegant fonts.
TFS
Els
:) follow

Love the notes Hans especially the Hollandais idiot bit, I think we on TL are possibly all a little strange in our habits. Nicely composed, good detail and lovely soft colours. TFS,
David

Many thanks for your comment on ‘Foggy Days IV’ and your birthday wishes.

hello Hans,
this is a very beautiful capture. Postcard quality - great character and rural charm.

Very well done !
best regards, Daniel

BEAUTIFUL IMAGE ............ !

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