This photo was taken during a family trip I did in late February 2019 to the north of Portugal, specifically to the town of Vila Nova de Foz Côa, part of the wine country of the Douro River valley. This region is famous for its wine, of course, but also for the spectacle of the almond trees in bloom that colour the hills in carpets of white. Little did I know that a couple of weeks later, the entire world would be shut down due to Covid. My grandparents were from this town, so I also had family reasons to visit.
The morning of this photo outing, I woke up before dawn because I wanted to be in this viewpoint to watch the sunrise over the mountains. As the first rays of light appeared from the east, I was ready with my camera and wide-angle lens mounted on the tripod.
I had arrived with plenty of time to select a nice composition, with the river valley still covered with the morning mist and the mountains receding in the distance. The temperature was barely above freezing, but luckily I had brought a pair of gloves, which helped with the operation of the camera controls.
I shot in aperture priority, my usual camera mode, using an aperture that ensured a good depth of field over the entire scene. After spending some time in this area, I returned to the hotel for a well-deserved breakfast and a nice cup of hot coffee.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor