2015 Belfry Bruges I, a photo from West-Vlaanderen, Flanders

Photographer's Note

2020 - All rights reserved. The photos taken by photographer John Maenhout are registered and copyrighted. Use in any form (web, paper publication, public exposure, etc.) is strictly forbidden without the written permission of the photographer. To contact with photographer please use TE Contact Me

Own site 2020
http://users.telenet.be/johnmaenhout/index-EN.htm

BRUGES
Archive 2015

Belfry winter 2015

Lovely Belfry, picture taken with my old 5D camera.

The belfry was added to the market square around 1240, when Bruges was an important centre of the Flemish cloth industry. After a devastating fire in 1280, the tower was largely rebuilt. The city archives, however, were forever lost to the flames.
The octagonal upper stage of the belfry was added between 1483 and 1487, and capped with a wooden spire bearing an image of Saint Michael, banner in hand and dragon underfoot. The spire did not last long: a lightning strike in 1493 reduced it to ashes, and destroyed the bells as well. A wooden spire crowned the summit again for some two-and-a-half centuries, before it, too, fell victim to flames in 1741. The spire was never replaced again, thus making the current height of the building somewhat lower than in the past; but an openwork stone parapet in Gothic Revival style was added to the rooftop in 1822.

I hope you like it

Camera Model
Canon EOS 5D
File Size
16,1MB
Shooting Date/Time
5/12/2015 13:45:02
Shooting Mode
Manual Exposure
Tv(Shutter Speed)
1/160
Av(Aperture Value)
5.6
ISO Speed
100
Lens
EF85mm f/1.8 USM
Focal Length
85.0mm
Image Size
4368x2912
Image Quality
RAW
Picture Style
Portrait

holmertz, PaulVDV, pajaran, pierrefonds, jemaflor, ikeharel, ktanska, ChrisJ, PiotrF, papagolf21, adramad, quovadis, COSTANTINO, macjake, jean113 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

holmertz (92774) 2020-11-20 11:32

Hello John,
Your old camera took very sharp and clear photos. The exposure of this photo is perfect, and so are the colours. There is a very nice view of the beautiful buildings surrounding the Gothic belfry, which looks like the clocktower of a cathedral. The naked branches of the trees provide a fine foreground.
Best regards,
Gert

PaulVDV (54777) 2020-11-20 11:52

Hallo John,
En nu maar raden waar je exact stond om deze foto te nemen.
Ik gok op het plein De Burg maar vraag me af hoe je dan een boom op de voorgrond kon plaatsen.
Het is een prachtige architectuurfoto waarbij de rode tinten van de gebouwen en het belfort in warmte compenseren voor de kale wintertakken.
Uitstekende scherpte en helderheid!
Vele groeten, Paul

jmdias (102802) 2020-11-20 12:07

john

the shapes of the tower are marvelous and I liked the combination of these nude branches with the local architecture. a special view with local poetry. perfect.

take care

jorge

pajaran (102532) 2020-11-20 12:44

Greeting.
beautiful facades and details, beautiful old architecture, well shown with beautiful colors, contrast and good text.
Nice wood and clock tower.
Nice old bell tower.
Beautiful photo and memory.
I wish you a nice and peaceful night, all the best for the weekend.
Paja.

Silvio1953 (205581) 2020-11-20 12:47

Ciao John, great view of fantastic tower, fine details, excellent clarity, splendid light and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

Fis2 (155519) 2020-11-20 13:30

Witaj John!
I remember this tower, it's gorgeous.
It made an amazing impression on me.
Excellent presentation.
Good evening and nice weekend.
Krzysztof

pierrefonds (103446) 2020-11-20 14:52

Hi John,

The buildings are framing well the bell tower. The point of view is showing the details of the bellfry. The light is giving good colors rendering. Have a nice day.

Pierre

lousat (129885) 2020-11-20 16:56

Salut John,composition magnifique depuis ton archive,un saut dans l'histoire,sans aucun element modern dans la photo,qualite' et perspective de tres haut niveau! Bon WE et merci,Luciano

abmdsudi (88445) 2020-11-20 19:45

Hi John
Lovely detailed architecture seen on such a good day. Some clever craftsmen in the past to design and build such wonders. Love how the lower buildings are bonus which balances the image so well. Indeed a very pleasing image.
Best regards

jemaflor (135326) 2020-11-20 23:00

Hi John,
Beautiful architecture with this high belfry, good frame and angle to take the view, perfect season for this POV without any leaves, good rendering, tfs.

emka (152102) 2020-11-20 23:33

Hello John, Beautiful view of the belfry in Bruges. Lovely colours. In winter, the branches of the tree do not obscure the view. In 2016, I was at the top of it. And you?
Take care, have a nice weekend

MAlgo

ktanska (40035) 2020-11-21 1:41

Hi John,
Excellent tele shot giving good attention to this magnificent old belfry. I like how those tree branches seem to hug it. In summertime this view would be impossible. Those old buildings look great too.
Kari

Royaldevon (75284) 2020-11-21 2:30

Hello John,

I see you have travelled to your archives. I wonder if the weather in Belgium has been as wet as here in the U.K., which would have prevented you from cycling!

Not to worry, I'm sure, like most photographers, you have a wealth of fine shots squirrelled away in your files.

This is a good close-up of the belfry tower, clearly showing its decorative design and the clock face.
This shot would have been impossible when the tree was in leaf but now, the naked branches resemble claw-like hands reaching out to touch the tower.

Have a good w/e,
Bev :-)

walterantonio (2168) 2020-11-21 5:23

Hi John,

Beautiful photo of this amazing tower. A really old place and full of many stories. The colors in the photo were very good, reminding us of an air of mystery. To top it off, the leafless trees in the foreground have completed their composition. Thank you for sharing this beautiful photo and its history.

best regards from Brazil

ikeharel (105841) 2020-11-21 5:47

Hello John,
Excellent view of the Belfry through the naked tree.
If the clock was right, an early morning in winter with good light that brought out best of the architecture details, both houses and the tower's.
Wish you a nice weekend,
Ike

ChrisJ (159946) 2020-11-21 6:02

Hello John,

Smart choice of a vertical format to emphasise the height of the tower. Good sharpness and well framed and composed using the rule of thirds. Tfs!

Tue (82146) 2020-11-21 8:31

Hallo John,
Een prachtige en zeer gedetailleerd foto van de indrukwekkende toren. Het zachte herfstlicht is heel aangenaam. Ook de gevels van de huizen staan heel mooi en duidelijk op de foto.
Lars

clic (23760) 2020-11-21 8:57

Dag John
So much black lace in the sky add much artistry to the campanile view and this superimposition manifests a professional stroke of genius!
Very nice!
Met vrindelijke groeten

mkamionka (61122) 2020-11-21 11:14

Hi John,
beautiful capture of this famous silhouette. Very well photographed with the naked trees. I like the well pronounced details of the architecture. Also the colors are well saturated, while the sky has a pleasant soft bright touch.
Very well done,
M

kasianowak (15762) 2020-11-21 11:19

Hi John
This is an iconic tower for me. I've been to Bruges many times and would love to be able to see it again.
Nice composition with the tree creating intricate patterns in the foreground.
Best wishes
Kasia
PS. Your English is very good.

PiotrF (52330) 2020-11-21 16:30

Hello John,
Interesting picture from Bruges with an impressive bell tower.I like good composition and nice colours.
Good work, fine presentation.
Regards
Piotr

vjmite (5066) 2020-11-22 2:39

Hi John,
An impressive photo of this beautiful tower. The bare tree branches in the foreground give it a wintry atmosphere. Excellent sharpness and exposure. We can see many details of the stonework in the large version.
Vince

papagolf21 (152599) 2020-11-22 7:30

Bonjour, cher ami John,
Le beffroi est toujours aussi imposant et il semble défier les siècles passés et à venir !
La beauté architecturale est toujours présente et cela fait plaisir.
Amitiés.
Philippe

adramad (66950) 2020-11-22 8:54

Hi John.
Wonderful composition with this fantastic view of the Belfry, ideal as seen together with the great graphics of the branches of the trees already without leaves, these create a beautiful pre-winter atmosphere.
A great photo, with very good color, very well managed both the lighting and the sharpness.
Well done. I like.
Enjoy, Sunday.
All the best for you.
Luis.

quovadis (5677) 2020-11-22 19:22

Hi John.

A marvellous image here showing the tall clock tower with a crown-like top finish.

Well taken with the naked winter branches in the foreground. The brick architecture has been dominant material in the construction, unlike the west coast of North America. Thanks for sharing!!!

COSTANTINO (104051) 2020-11-23 11:50

Hello dear John and have a nice day
what a beautiful photo!!!!!!
photo with excellent sharpness
and lightness with impressive
and vivid colors...
the exposure of this photo is
almost perfect...
this tower looks like a clock
tower because I can see
a clock on it...
regards
Costantino

macjake (96157) 2020-11-23 15:14

Hi John
I don't mind at all that you used the tree branches to block the tower....why not right? we don't have to use the same clear view each and every time. this looks great to me. nice mixture of stone and plaster, and lots of texture, nice mix of architecture all around. good one. cheers
Craig

BennyV (32570) 2020-11-24 9:01

Het belfort achter de takken van de bomen.
Mooi fotowerkje, John. Proficiat.

Benny

jean113 (21983) 2020-11-25 8:52

Hello John, reading your notes, the tower has a long and difficult history. So even if it is now missing a spire, it is still a very impressive building.
The bare branches of the trees allow us an almost clear view of the tower and its surrounding buildings.
Presented in your usual high quality.
Kind regards, Jean.