Calcata, a photo from Rieti, Lazio

Photographer's Note

A visit at mid day to this lovely hill top village told me that it would be best shot at dawn as the sun caught the top of the village. An early start the next day looked like a wasted journy as a thick mist blanketed everything, I set up on the spot visited on my previous recce and spent a chilly and damp hour and a half hoping for the mist to rise.
As the sun broke into the valley the mist swirled, thinned and was gone within 5 minutes so although I never got the shot I was after initially I think it was worth the wait.
Tech: shot in B&W with a blue filter and 1 stop soft grad, in PS cropped slightly, sharpened and pulled the shadows and boosted highlights a fraction in Curves.

Cool-ice, Galeota, Kenny10pin, CVTJan, Proxilva, digiken, Rhiannon, RGatward, eleparc heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

Cool-ice (5289) 2004-08-20 8:25

The land of mystery !
If only we can fly in it.
Great !!!

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Galeota (10352) 2004-08-20 9:27

Richard, this is a fantastic photograph. I actually lack of words to describe exactly what I feel looking at it.

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Kenny10pin (19301) 2004-08-20 10:58

Great work here, I like the clouds and the mist, very good work and also the houses are visible, great shot

erthmuffin (1551) 2004-08-20 11:19

wow, wonderful mood! great shot!

Proxilva (2157) 2004-08-20 12:10

I'm speechless here Richard..

love the village and the dawn as well as the the valley on the left..

Hanssie (11022) 2004-08-20 12:56

Photographing is parts-of-seconds-work, but it's also waiting and waiting, but most of the time it's worth indeed, I always take the time, if possible and I'm glad when I have a nice shot !
This one is wonderful and I'm glad you waited here to show us this picture, very nice !

Toonboy (2539) 2004-08-21 5:47

Wow a spooky mystical feel to this one Richard fantastic composition and I agree well worth the wait

digiken (105) 2004-08-21 17:00

A fantastic picture -- the subject matter and atmosphere make it look very old. Good composition -- I like the way the mountain in the background is out of focus and diffuse -- it gives balance to the image but doesn't compete with the subject.

Rhiannon (1728) 2004-08-27 5:48

Magical, mysterious and stunningly beautiful.
The mists are great, the village looks beautiful with those old houses and the way they are crowded on that mountain top.
This is a absolutely amazing capture and B&W suits perfect and really adds to this photo.
Impressive work, Richard!

RGatward (20108) 2004-08-31 2:34

Hi Richard, good to see you've started posted again. I've just back, so some catching up to do. This caught my attention most from your recent TNs. Very atmosperic

Miks (1717) 2004-08-31 9:11

To me this is far more interesting that another sunrise postcard. The mix between the swirly, blurry cloudscape and the tightly packed village provides a very spooky feeling. It requires much more technical competence to capture though. So its good luck that you've got plenty of that. Thanks in general for your informative technical notes.

Cheers,
Mikkel

eleparc (24063) 2004-09-01 10:31

this is simply a fantastic shot richard! exceptional dreamy, mystery and mystical mood, perfect compo and contrasts.. bravo!!! this is far better than the sunset you were expecting or longing for, IMO... a new favorite for me!

piozac (2065) 2004-09-01 16:00

THis is an impressive image Richard! This mist gives amazing atmosphere to it. It looks like a picture ilustrating one of the Tolkien stories.. I miss only a black Nazgul flying above!

Definetely favourite one!

naxius (16685) 2004-09-02 3:25

Amazing shot Richard! What a misty atmosphere you have captured here! Great shot. I like it very much.
Alexandre

dsidwell (9783) 2004-09-20 15:50

Soft and mysterious, the composition makes that negative space at left in the mist grab my attention so nicely. It's almost a second thought that there is a little town on top of this little mountain. It makes the town appear to be very organic and part of this mysterious place.

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GrahamB (939) 2004-10-05 12:55

Wonderful shot Richard, I missed this when you posted it. I love the way you have captured the mist and the way the image fades to white at the top.
What does the blue filter do here? I have read you can use them in portraits to get rid of red marks on the skin so I guess you needed to reduce the reds?

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ein22 (478) 2007-02-23 0:17

Hey Richard

What a brillint subject and an amazing view of it. It looks cold and miserable but the weather was on your side for effect.

Well done it's fantastic.
Andrew

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kri54 (1515) 2007-05-24 7:46