In the water – the Tower of Belém from a frog’s-eye view

by Nina Thilo

This photo would have cost me wet shoes – and, in fact, almost a wet camera too. The camera is positioned almost at water level; a wave is just breaking over the golden sand, and behind it rises the Torre de Belém in all its Manueline splendour. The low-angle shot lends the tower a power and grandeur that you never get from the usual tourist’s perspective. The spray in the foreground has been actively captured, whilst the details of the façade, with its turreted windows and battlements, remain fully visible. Clouds drift across a sunny sky. It is one of Portugal’s most famous fortresses, but hardly anyone has seen it like this. This angle requires determination and courage, and that is precisely what makes the image so special. It is not a postcard image, but a genuine photographic encounter with a structure that has guarded the mouth of the Tagus since the 16th century.
As a print, it is aimed at all those who love Portugal, at architecture enthusiasts and at people who prefer the unusual to the standard. It is equally suitable for living rooms, offices and hotel corridors. The warm colour palette of sandy gold, stone beige and sky blue makes it visually striking whilst also lending it significant meaning.