Dear all, We have received an inspiring message from the winner of the Portuguese competition that we would like to share with you. Ha has authorized us to publish and share it. I took the liberty of translating it to English for your enjoyment. I think it would give a very nice blog post for the european site.
João Martinho uploaded 500 pictures of 181 different monuments in Portugal, and won the prize for Best Picture. He has a second picture that will also compete for the European prize.
His message is below.
Best, Gonçalo
*Dear members of Wikimedia Portugal,* * *
* *
*it was with great satisfaction that I received the news of my victory in the photo competition “Wiki Loves Portugal – Portugal” with the photo “Alameda de Pedra” captures at the Carmo Convent in Lisbon in September 2008.* * *
* *
*I no longer recall when the interest in photography of monuments and landscapes awoken in me; when I think about it I believe it was always in me, starting with my curiosity in registering pictures of places and moments in my memory that had in some way moved me, I was a child still without a camera of my own, but I own the most important equipment a photographer could have: the visual sensitivity about what surrounds him.* * *
* *
*With the years I started gaining enthusiasm and acquiring photographic equipment that allowed me to reproduce and crystalize in time that which I had observed in the journeys I have been doing through this world of ours. A trip for me is a photographic adventure. I do not travel without photographing!* * *
* *
*As an amateur photographer, I am passionate about photography. In the last few years I have taken advantage of the merits of the internet to subscribe and participate in international forums and groups for amateur photographers. Within these I would highlight “BetterPhoto” and “Photoblur” of which I have been a member and where some of my pictures have been awarded (I take the liberty to add my “BetterPhoto” gallery for your appraisment: http://www.betterphoto.com/searchResults.asp?limit2=&szTerm=joao martinho&schMod=Photos&page=1&rows=16http://www.betterphoto.com/searchResults.asp?limit2=&szTerm=joao%20martinho&schMod=Photos&page=1&rows=16). However until today no other national or international award has given me as much satisfaction as the one I have just received. The reason is my passion for the natural and monumental heritage of Portugal: My first and best motive for photographic inspiration. I have now crowned that fondness with this honourable distinction.* * *
* *
*Our country is one of the most fortunate in terms of places and monuments with photographic interest. Proving it is the quantity and participation level achieved during the competition. Regrettably throughout our country I have encountered too many examples of the poor condition much of our historic and architectural heritage. That situation is extremely heart-breaking for me however I have not up to this date found the right “weapons” to fight the degradation of the places and buildings once living and noble and those who time and human neglect are slowly turning into regrettable ruins. Two years ago, I made an appeal to IGESPAR to undertake a photographic survey throughout the country of monuments that require restoration and preservation but my appeal fell on deaf ears. Now this purpose is rekindled and I would like to take the opportunity of this award to consolidate my mission of contributing the best way I can (through photographic images) to alert the competent authorities to this true SOS from some of the national heritage. I am aware that much has been done and that we have some good examples of happy interventions, namely through the Pousadas de Portugal, but I have that much is still to be done and from today I will launch in my Facebook page a new appeal “SOS – Património Nacional” placing photos of buildings and monuments needing intervention and restauration.* * *
* *
*It is this way that I intend to be constructive and enterprising with the award I receive from you. Not as arrival point but as a starting point to go even beyond.* * *
*I take the opportunity to send you my congratulations for the success of this initiative and applaud all the more than 250 contestants that with more than 16000 pictures took the opportunity to showcase the Portuguese monuments on the web through their respective photographs.* * *
* *
*With my best regards* * *
* *
*João Martinho*
2011/10/26 GoEthe.wiki goethe.wiki@gmail.com
Dear all, We have received an inspiring message from the winner of the Portuguese competition that we would like to share with you. Ha has authorized us to publish and share it. I took the liberty of translating it to English for your enjoyment. I think it would give a very nice blog post for the european site.
Thanks a lot for sharing this. This is really inspiring. Thanks.
And, where is it? And, thanks.
Millars
From: jeanfrederic.wiki@gmail.com Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:32:07 +0200 To: wikilovesmonuments@lists.wikimedia.org CC: wlm@wikimedia.pt Subject: Re: [Wiki Loves Monuments] Text from the winner of the Portuguese competition
2011/10/26 GoEthe.wiki goethe.wiki@gmail.com
Dear all, We have received an inspiring message from the winner of the Portuguese competition that we would like to share with you. Ha has authorized us to publish and share it. I took the liberty of translating it to English for your enjoyment. I think it would give a very nice blog post for the european site.
Thanks a lot for sharing this. This is really inspiring. Thanks.
It was on my original message, but I post it again, with the Portuguese original as well.
Dear members of Wikimedia Portugal,
it was with great satisfaction that I received the news of my victory in the photo competition “Wiki Loves Portugal – Portugal” with the photo “Alameda de Pedra” captures at the Carmo Convent in Lisbon in September 2008.
I no longer recall when the interest in photography of monuments and landscapes awoken in me; when I think about it I believe it was always in me, starting with my curiosity in registering pictures of places and moments in my memory that had in some way moved me, I was a child still without a camera of my own, but I own the most important equipment a photographer could have: the visual sensitivity about what surrounds him.
With the years I started gaining enthusiasm and acquiring photographic equipment that allowed me to reproduce and crystalize in time that which I had observed in the journeys I have been doing through this world of ours. A trip for me is a photographic adventure. I do not travel without photographing!
As an amateur photographer, I am passionate about photography. In the last few years I have taken advantage of the merits of the internet to subscribe and participate in international forums and groups for amateur photographers. Within these I would highlight “BetterPhoto” and “Photoblur” of which I have been a member and where some of my pictures have been awarded (I take the liberty to add my “BetterPhoto” gallery for your appraisment: http://www.betterphoto.com/searchResults.asp?limit2=&szTerm=joao martinho&schMod=Photos&page=1&rows=16http://www.betterphoto.com/searchResults.asp?limit2=&szTerm=joao%20martinho&schMod=Photos&page=1&rows=16). However until today no other national or international award has given me as much satisfaction as the one I have just received. The reason is my passion for the natural and monumental heritage of Portugal: My first and best motive for photographic inspiration. I have now crowned that fondness with this honourable distinction.
Our country is one of the most fortunate in terms of places and monuments with photographic interest. Proving it is the quantity and participation level achieved during the competition. Regrettably throughout our country I have encountered too many examples of the poor condition much of our historic and architectural heritage. That situation is extremely heart-breaking for me however I have not up to this date found the right “weapons” to fight the degradation of the places and buildings once living and noble and those who time and human neglect are slowly turning into regrettable ruins. Two years ago, I made an appeal to IGESPAR to undertake a photographic survey throughout the country of monuments that require restoration and preservation but my appeal fell on deaf ears. Now this purpose is rekindled and I would like to take the opportunity of this award to consolidate my mission of contributing the best way I can (through photographic images) to alert the competent authorities to this true SOS from some of the national heritage. I am aware that much has been done and that we have some good examples of happy interventions, namely through the Pousadas de Portugal, but I have that much is still to be done and from today I will launch in my Facebook page a new appeal “SOS – Património Nacional” placing photos of buildings and monuments needing intervention and restauration.
It is this way that I intend to be constructive and enterprising with the award I receive from you. Not as arrival point but as a starting point to go even beyond.
I take the opportunity to send you my congratulations for the success of this initiative and applaud all the more than 250 contestants that with more than 16000 pictures took the opportunity to showcase the Portuguese monuments on the web through their respective photographs.
With my best regards
João Martinho
Caros membros da Wikimedia Portugal,
foi com uma enorme satisfação que recebi a noticia da minha vitória no concurso de fotografia "Wiki Loves Monuments - Portugal" com a foto "Alameda de Pedra" captada no Convento do Carmo em Lisboa em Setembro de 2008.
Não me recordo já quando despertou em mim o interesse por fotografia de monumentos e paisagens, quando penso nisso creio que sempre esteve em mim, começou com a minha curiosidade em registar na minha memória imagens de locais e momentos que de alguma forma me sensibilizaram, era criança ainda não tinha câmara fotográfica, mas possuía o mais importante equipamento que um fotografo pode ter: a sensibilidade visual sobre o que o rodeia. Com os anos fui ganhando entusiasmo e adquirindo equipamentos fotográficos que me permitiram reproduzir e cristalizar no tempo aquilo que tenho observado nas viagens que tenho feito por este nosso mundo. Uma viagem para mim é uma aventura fotográfica. Não tenho viagens sem fotografia!
Como fotografo amador, sou um grande apaixonado pela fotografia. Nestes ultimos anos tenho aproveitado os méritos da internet para subscrever e participar em foruns e grupos internacionais de fotografos amadores. Entre estes destaco "BetterPhoto" e "Photoblur" das quais tenho sido membro e onde tive algumas das minhas fotos premiadas (tomo a liberdade de juntar a minha galeria "BetterPhoto" para vossa apreciação: http://www.betterphoto.com/searchResults.asp?limit2=&szTerm=joao http://www.betterphoto.com/searchResults.asp?limit2=&szTerm=joao martinho&schMod=Photos&page=1&rows=16 ). Porém até hoje nunca outro prémio nacional ou internacional me deu tamanha satisfação como o que acabo de receber. A razão prende-se com a minha paixão pelo partimónio natural e monumental de Portugal: Meu primeiro e melhor motivo de inspiração fotográfica. Assim logrei agora coroar esse gosto com esta honrosa distinção.
O nosso país é dos países mais afortunados em lugares e monumentos com interesse fotográfico. A prová-lo está a quantidade e o nível de participação conseguido neste concurso. Lamentavelmente ao longo de todo o nosso país tenho encontrado demasiados exemplos do mau estado de muito do nosso património histórico e arquitectónico. Essa situação tem-me sensibilizado bastante porém não tenho até hoje logrado encontrar as "armas" para combater a degradação de locais e edificações outrora vivas e nobres e que o tempo e a incuria humana vai a pouco e pouco transformando em lamentáveis ruinas. Ha´cerca de dois anos fiz um apelo ao IGESPAR para proceder a um levantamento fotográfico em todo o país de monumentos carentes de recuperação e preservação mas o meu apelo não foi escutado. Agora reacende em mim este designio e quero aproveitar a oportunidade deste prémio para consolidar a minha missão de contribuir da melhor forma que sei (através da imagem fotográfica) para alertar as autoridades competentes para este verdadeiro SOS de algum do património nacional. Sou consciente que muito se tem feito e temos bons exemplos de felizes intervenções, nomeadamente através das Pousadas de Portugal, mas tenho visto muito ainda por fazer e desde hoje lançarei na minha página do Facebook um novo apelo "SOS - Património Nacional" colocando fotos de edificios e monumentos carentes de intervenção e restauro.
É desta forma que pretendo ser construtivo e empreendedor com o prémio que recebo de vós. Não como um ponto de chegada mas como um ponto de partida para ir mais além.
Aproveito para enviar-vos os meus parabéns pela adesão a esta iniciativa e aplaudir todos os mais de 250 participantes que com mais de 16000 imagens aproveitaram para partilhar na web os monumentos de Portugal vistos através das respectivas fotografias.
Com os meus melhores cumprimentos
João Martinho
2011/10/27 Santiago Navarro Sanz wikimillars@hotmail.com
And, where is it? And, thanks.
Millars
From: jeanfrederic.wiki@gmail.com Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:32:07 +0200 To: wikilovesmonuments@lists.wikimedia.org CC: wlm@wikimedia.pt Subject: Re: [Wiki Loves Monuments] Text from the winner of the Portuguese competition
2011/10/26 GoEthe.wiki goethe.wiki@gmail.com
Dear all, We have received an inspiring message from the winner of the Portuguese competition that we would like to share with you. Ha has authorized us to publish and share it. I took the liberty of translating it to English for your enjoyment. I think it would give a very nice blog post for the european site.
Thanks a lot for sharing this. This is really inspiring. Thanks.
-- Jean-Frédéric
_______________________________________________ Wiki Loves Monuments mailing list WikiLovesMonuments@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikilovesmonuments http://www.wikilovesmonuments.eu
Wiki Loves Monuments mailing list WikiLovesMonuments@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikilovesmonuments http://www.wikilovesmonuments.eu
By the way. The Spanish awards ceremony will be on 5th November in Plasencia, a city in Extremadura. All of you are invited. May be some Portuguese could come, it is near the Spanish-Portuguese border.
Millars
From: jeanfrederic.wiki@gmail.com Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:32:07 +0200 To: wikilovesmonuments@lists.wikimedia.org CC: wlm@wikimedia.pt Subject: Re: [Wiki Loves Monuments] Text from the winner of the Portuguese competition
2011/10/26 GoEthe.wiki goethe.wiki@gmail.com
Dear all, We have received an inspiring message from the winner of the Portuguese competition that we would like to share with you. Ha has authorized us to publish and share it. I took the liberty of translating it to English for your enjoyment. I think it would give a very nice blog post for the european site.
Thanks a lot for sharing this. This is really inspiring. Thanks.
A wonderful message! Thanks a lot for sharing. Is it also publicly available? If we have more feedback like this, I hope we can share it somewhere together.
Best regards,
Lodewijk
No dia Quarta-feira, 26 de Outubro de 2011, GoEthe.wikigoethe.wiki@gmail.comescreveu:
Dear all, We have received an inspiring message from the winner of the Portuguese competition that we would like to share with you. Ha has authorized us to publish and share it. I took the liberty of translating it to English for your enjoyment. I think it would give a very nice blog post for the european site.
João Martinho uploaded 500 pictures of 181 different monuments in Portugal, and won the prize for Best Picture. He has a second picture that will also compete for the European prize.
His message is below.
Best, Gonçalo
*Dear members of Wikimedia Portugal,*
*it was with great satisfaction that I received the news of my victory in the photo competition “Wiki Loves Portugal – Portugal” with the photo “Alameda de Pedra” captures at the Carmo Convent in Lisbon in September 2008.*
*I no longer recall when the interest in photography of monuments and landscapes awoken in me; when I think about it I believe it was always in me, starting with my curiosity in registering pictures of places and moments in my memory that had in some way moved me, I was a child still without a camera of my own, but I own the most important equipment a photographer could have: the visual sensitivity about what surrounds him.*
*With the years I started gaining enthusiasm and acquiring photographic equipment that allowed me to reproduce and crystalize in time that which I had observed in the journeys I have been doing through this world of ours. A trip for me is a photographic adventure. I do not travel without photographing!*
*As an amateur photographer, I am passionate about photography. In the last few years I have taken advantage of the merits of the internet to subscribe and participate in international forums and groups for amateur photographers. Within these I would highlight “BetterPhoto” and “Photoblur” of which I have been a member and where some of my pictures have been awarded (I take the liberty to add my “BetterPhoto” gallery for your appraisment: http://www.betterphoto.com/searchResults.asp?limit2=&szTerm=joao martinho&schMod=Photos&page=1&rows=16http://www.betterphoto.com/searchResults.asp?limit2=&szTerm=joao%20martinho&schMod=Photos&page=1&rows=16). However until today no other national or international award has given me as much satisfaction as the one I have just received. The reason is my passion for the natural and monumental heritage of Portugal: My first and best motive for photographic inspiration. I have now crowned that fondness with this honourable distinction.*
*Our country is one of the most fortunate in terms of places and monuments with photographic interest. Proving it is the quantity and participation level achieved during the competition. Regrettably throughout our country I have encountered too many examples of the poor condition much of our historic and architectural heritage. That situation is extremely heart-breaking for me however I have not up to this date found the right “weapons” to fight the degradation of the places and buildings once living and noble and those who time and human neglect are slowly turning into regrettable ruins. Two years ago, I made an appeal to IGESPAR to undertake a photographic survey throughout the country of monuments that require restoration and preservation but my appeal fell on deaf ears. Now this purpose is rekindled and I would like to take the opportunity of this award to consolidate my mission of contributing the best way I can (through photographic images) to alert the competent authorities to this true SOS from some of the national heritage. I am aware that much has been done and that we have some good examples of happy interventions, namely through the Pousadas de Portugal, but I have that much is still to be done and from today I will launch in my Facebook page a new appeal “SOS – Património Nacional” placing photos of buildings and monuments needing intervention and restauration.*
*It is this way that I intend to be constructive and enterprising with the award I receive from you. Not as arrival point but as a starting point to go even beyond.*
*I take the opportunity to send you my congratulations for the success of this initiative and applaud all the more than 250 contestants that with more than 16000 pictures took the opportunity to showcase the Portuguese monuments on the web through their respective photographs.*
*With my best regards*
*João Martinho*
2011/10/27 Lodewijk lodewijk@effeietsanders.org
A wonderful message! Thanks a lot for sharing.
I translated into French and shared to our mailing list. This is so inspiring that it just needs to be shared.
If we have more feedback like this, I hope we can share it somewhere
together.
I’ll take this opportunity to share this link that Adrienne found at the beginning of the month : http://emiloulie.blogspot.com/2011/10/wiki-loves-monuments.html
It’s a blogpost in French, written by a 16 years old girl living in Romania, and it is easily one of the cutest and freshest things I have ever read in six years of Wikimedia.
As I said at the time on the French ML :
“This is Wiki Loves Monuments.
16 years-old kids grabbing their bikes to see the cultural heritage around, and finding out that they can help Wikipedia.
A French girl, born in the United States and living in Romania, taking part in a European contest spearheaded by Dutch.”
This is really an extraordinary story that we are part of, don’t you think? :-)
Following the most faithful translation I can provide Wiki loves Monuments Hello everyone!
I hope you spent a good week, because we did ! The challenge that we had to do was very nice, and allowed us to visit a bit the city. I don’t know if you know, but Wikipedia has organised a competition in Europe last month (september). In ten countries of the European Union a list of monuments was created. We had to take a picture of all these monuments so that Wikipedia could then put them in their databases. Here is the website : http://wikilovesmonuments.fr/
Fortunately for us, Romania was one of the competing countries! So we decided to take part to this treasure hunt. Firstly, we found the list of all the monuments to photograph in our city. Then we looked for those that were accessible and near our home. This took a lot of time but in the end we managed to make our own list. This Thursday, we went with our bikes all well prepared for the event. We had to go to the post office so we took this opportunity to take pictures of : the C.D. Loga high school, Carmen Silva high school,
Bonjour à tous ! J'espère que vous avez passé une très bonne semaine car nous oui ! Le défi que nous devions faire était très bien et nous a permis de visiter un peu la ville. Je ne sais pas si vous savez mais, Wikipedia a organisé un concours en Europe le mois dernier (septembre). Dans dix pays de l'Union européenne une liste de monuments a été créé. Il fallait prendre en photo tous ces monuments pour qu'ensuite Wikipedia puisse les mettre dans leurs bases de données. Voici le site pour aller voir : http://wikilovesmonuments.fr/ Heureusement pour nous, la Roumanie était un des pays concurrents ! Nous avons donc décidé de participer aussi à ce jeu de piste. D'abord nous avons trouvé la liste de tous les monuments à photographier dans notre ville. Puis nous avons cherché ceux qui étaient accessible et près de chez nous. cela a pris beaucoup de temps mais finalement nous avons réussi à faire notre propre liste. Ce jeudi, nous sommes partis sur nos vélos tout bien réparés pour l'évènement. Nous devions aller à la poste donc nous avons profité de l'occasion pour prendre des photos du : et d'un tres vieil hopital . Nous avons fait en tout 2h00 de vélo ! Le vendredi, pendant que je préparai le repas, Noé et Maman sont partis prendre en photo le pont Eiffel : http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ez0XBgdt3gM/ToiWC6PDs6I/AAAAAAAAAow/vlQ_K_Gz-Gg/s1600/IMG_5241.JPG et la caserne de Pompier de la ville. Nous avons tout envoyer à Wikipédia :) en espérant que nous recevrons un prix.... À bientôt Emiloulie
This is great! Everybody, please share your stories too!
Lodewijk
No dia 27 de Outubro de 2011 01:48, Jean-Frédéric < jeanfrederic.wiki@gmail.com> escreveu:
2011/10/27 Lodewijk lodewijk@effeietsanders.org
A wonderful message! Thanks a lot for sharing.
I translated into French and shared to our mailing list. This is so inspiring that it just needs to be shared.
If we have more feedback like this, I hope we can share it somewhere
together.
I’ll take this opportunity to share this link that Adrienne found at the beginning of the month : http://emiloulie.blogspot.com/2011/10/wiki-loves-monuments.html
It’s a blogpost in French, written by a 16 years old girl living in Romania, and it is easily one of the cutest and freshest things I have ever read in six years of Wikimedia.
As I said at the time on the French ML :
“This is Wiki Loves Monuments.
16 years-old kids grabbing their bikes to see the cultural heritage around, and finding out that they can help Wikipedia.
A French girl, born in the United States and living in Romania, taking part in a European contest spearheaded by Dutch.”
This is really an extraordinary story that we are part of, don’t you think? :-)
Following the most faithful translation I can provide Wiki loves Monuments Hello everyone!
I hope you spent a good week, because we did ! The challenge that we had to do was very nice, and allowed us to visit a bit the city. I don’t know if you know, but Wikipedia has organised a competition in Europe last month (september). In ten countries of the European Union a list of monuments was created. We had to take a picture of all these monuments so that Wikipedia could then put them in their databases. Here is the website : http://wikilovesmonuments.fr/
Fortunately for us, Romania was one of the competing countries! So we decided to take part to this treasure hunt. Firstly, we found the list of all the monuments to photograph in our city. Then we looked for those that were accessible and near our home. This took a lot of time but in the end we managed to make our own list. This Thursday, we went with our bikes all well prepared for the event. We had to go to the post office so we took this opportunity to take pictures of : the C.D. Loga high school, Carmen Silva high school,
Bonjour à tous ! J'espère que vous avez passé une très bonne semaine car nous oui ! Le défi que nous devions faire était très bien et nous a permis de visiter un peu la ville. Je ne sais pas si vous savez mais, Wikipedia a organisé un concours en Europe le mois dernier (septembre). Dans dix pays de l'Union européenne une liste de monuments a été créé. Il fallait prendre en photo tous ces monuments pour qu'ensuite Wikipedia puisse les mettre dans leurs bases de données. Voici le site pour aller voir : http://wikilovesmonuments.fr/ Heureusement pour nous, la Roumanie était un des pays concurrents ! Nous avons donc décidé de participer aussi à ce jeu de piste. D'abord nous avons trouvé la liste de tous les monuments à photographier dans notre ville. Puis nous avons cherché ceux qui étaient accessible et près de chez nous. cela a pris beaucoup de temps mais finalement nous avons réussi à faire notre propre liste. Ce jeudi, nous sommes partis sur nos vélos tout bien réparés pour l'évènement. Nous devions aller à la poste donc nous avons profité de l'occasion pour prendre des photos du : et d'un tres vieil hopital . Nous avons fait en tout 2h00 de vélo ! Le vendredi, pendant que je préparai le repas, Noé et Maman sont partis prendre en photo le pont Eiffel : http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ez0XBgdt3gM/ToiWC6PDs6I/AAAAAAAAAow/vlQ_K_Gz-Gg/s1600/IMG_5241.JPG et la caserne de Pompier de la ville. Nous avons tout envoyer à Wikipédia :) en espérant que nous recevrons un prix.... À bientôt Emiloulie
-- Jean-Frédéric
Wiki Loves Monuments mailing list WikiLovesMonuments@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikilovesmonuments http://www.wikilovesmonuments.eu
*(sorry for double posting*)
2011/10/27 Lodewijk lodewijk@effeietsanders.org
A wonderful message! Thanks a lot for sharing.
I translated into French and shared it to our mailing list. This is so inspiring that it just needs to be shared.
If we have more feedback like this, I hope we can share it somewhere
together.
I’ll take this opportunity to share this link that Adrienne found at the beginning of the month : http://emiloulie.blogspot.com/2011/10/wiki-loves-monuments.html
It’s a blogpost in French, written by a 16 years old girl living in Romania, and it is easily one of the cutest and freshest things I have ever read in six years of Wikimedia.
As I said at the time on the French ML :
“This is Wiki Loves Monuments.
16 years-old kids grabbing their bikes to see the cultural heritage around, and finding out that they can help Wikipedia.
A French girl, born in the United States and living in Romania, taking part in a European contest spearheaded by Dutch.”
This is really an extraordinary story that we are part of, don’t you think? :-)
Following is the most faithful translation I can provide. :-)
(@Romania organisers : folks, I hope your jury will consider sending the girl a prize :-)
Dear Jean-Frédéric,
Can you please share the link to french translation, if public? I believe the author would like to know the repercussion of his words :-)
Best,
Can you please share the link to french translation, if public?
It is not, merley posted on our private mailing-list. But in fact I think this might make a nice post for our French blog. I'll make sure to let you know.
My quick translation follows, if someone wants to use it.
Cheers,
Thank you Jean-Frédéric!
We have his permission to share and publish it.
2011/10/27 Lodewijk lodewijk@effeietsanders.org
A wonderful message! Thanks a lot for sharing. Is it also publicly available? If we have more feedback like this, I hope we can share it somewhere together.
Best regards,
Lodewijk
No dia Quarta-feira, 26 de Outubro de 2011, GoEthe.wikigoethe.wiki@gmail.com escreveu:
Dear all,
We have received an inspiring message from the winner of the Portuguese competition that we would like to share with you. Ha has authorized us to publish and share it. I took the liberty of translating it to English for your enjoyment. I think it would give a very nice blog post for the european site.
João Martinho uploaded 500 pictures of 181 different monuments in Portugal, and won the prize for Best Picture. He has a second picture that will also compete for the European prize.
His message is below.
Best, Gonçalo
*Dear members of Wikimedia Portugal,*
*it was with great satisfaction that I received the news of my victory in the photo competition “Wiki Loves Portugal – Portugal” with the photo “Alameda de Pedra” captures at the Carmo Convent in Lisbon in September 2008.*
*I no longer recall when the interest in photography of monuments and landscapes awoken in me; when I think about it I believe it was always in me, starting with my curiosity in registering pictures of places and moments in my memory that had in some way moved me, I was a child still without a camera of my own, but I own the most important equipment a photographer could have: the visual sensitivity about what surrounds him.*
*With the years I started gaining enthusiasm and acquiring photographic equipment that allowed me to reproduce and crystalize in time that which I had observed in the journeys I have been doing through this world of ours. A trip for me is a photographic adventure. I do not travel without photographing!*
*As an amateur photographer, I am passionate about photography. In the last few years I have taken advantage of the merits of the internet to subscribe and participate in international forums and groups for amateur photographers. Within these I would highlight “BetterPhoto” and “Photoblur” of which I have been a member and where some of my pictures have been awarded (I take the liberty to add my “BetterPhoto” gallery for your appraisment: http://www.betterphoto.com/searchResults.asp?limit2=&szTerm=joao martinho&schMod=Photos&page=1&rows=16http://www.betterphoto.com/searchResults.asp?limit2=&szTerm=joao%20martinho&schMod=Photos&page=1&rows=16). However until today no other national or international award has given me as much satisfaction as the one I have just received. The reason is my passion for the natural and monumental heritage of Portugal: My first and best motive for photographic inspiration. I have now crowned that fondness with this honourable distinction.*
*Our country is one of the most fortunate in terms of places and monuments with photographic interest. Proving it is the quantity and participation level achieved during the competition. Regrettably throughout our country I have encountered too many examples of the poor condition much of our historic and architectural heritage. That situation is extremely heart-breaking for me however I have not up to this date found the right “weapons” to fight the degradation of the places and buildings once living and noble and those who time and human neglect are slowly turning into regrettable ruins. Two years ago, I made an appeal to IGESPAR to undertake a photographic survey throughout the country of monuments that require restoration and preservation but my appeal fell on deaf ears. Now this purpose is rekindled and I would like to take the opportunity of this award to consolidate my mission of contributing the best way I can (through photographic images) to alert the competent authorities to this true SOS from some of the national heritage. I am aware that much has been done and that we have some good examples of happy interventions, namely through the Pousadas de Portugal, but I have that much is still to be done and from today I will launch in my Facebook page a new appeal “SOS – Património Nacional” placing photos of buildings and monuments needing intervention and restauration.*
*It is this way that I intend to be constructive and enterprising with the award I receive from you. Not as arrival point but as a starting point to go even beyond.*
*I take the opportunity to send you my congratulations for the success of this initiative and applaud all the more than 250 contestants that with more than 16000 pictures took the opportunity to showcase the Portuguese monuments on the web through their respective photographs.*
*With my best regards*
*João Martinho*
wikilovesmonuments@lists.wikimedia.org