The olive and the almond are two of the most important crops in Tras-os-Montes, Braganca district, Portugal. They are present in virtually all natural landscapes of this region. Plants domesticated from wild varieties for over 5000 years, their culture in Europe has always remained linked to the Mediterranean basin. Their aesthetic effect on the landscape is, however, different.

While the olive has evergreen leaves, dark green on one side and grey on the other, the almond has deciduous, light green leaves. The flowers of the olive are small and inconspicuous, milky, but those of the almond are large, white, then pink.

The photograph that I now present was taken last May in the morning. In the foreground, there is an orchard of olives mixed with almonds that was in the shade. The almonds no longer had flowers, and the olive leaves weren’t shining because they were in the shade. However, I was delighted with the mixture of greens from the foliage of the two trees, which contrasted with the brown of the soil that had been tilled not long ago. The sky was full of clouds, some dark, but it didn’t rain.

In the background, we can see the Vilarica Valley, of which I present another image in this portfolio. Strongly humanised, this landscape emanates order and subtle harmony. The image was captured with a Hasselblad X1D in crop mode.