Beauty in grayscale

My last days of 2021 were spent in one of my favourite places, a small village near Serra da Estrela, the highest point in continental Portugal.

One of the reasons why I like going there, besides the childhood nostalgia, is because the village is surrounded by nature: green fields, pine forests, small rivers, all at the distance of a brief walk. A place in particular is one of my favourites, especially in thw winter time; and seemed a perfect location to snap a few photos for a #monomad challenge.

I passed by this waterfall countless times when I was a kid, on my way to my grandparents vegetable garden. There's barely a stream of water in the summer, but in the winter it comes alive. Playing with my camera's shutter speed gives it an even more magical look.

The effect created by the long exposure looks even cooler in monochromes in these photos, since the day colours were already fading; they were taken almost after sunset, but while there was still some light left. Being in a valley makes the light fade sooner than I would want, but hey, can't complain!

Not only water looks good without its natural colours, the creatures of nature have some charm as well.

A female common stonechat was enjoying the last rays of sun, not far from the waterfall. I'm glad to have made a few decent photos while birdwatching as well... but that's topic for a different community. 😉

Happy 2022!

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