Mars Hill in Athens With the Sun Covered Mostly by Clouds
Late afternoon at entrance of Acropolis looking west towards Mars Hill with the sun mostly covered behind the clouds
Late afternoon at entrance of Acropolis looking west towards Mars Hill with the sun mostly covered behind the clouds
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Jul, 2014Views
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Fall Award 2020
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One Of A Kind
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photograph was taken at the west end exit of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It is a place which provides many different views to choose from for observation and photography. It also provides an excellent overview of the "Areopagus" also known as "Mars Hill."And a view of the west part of Athens with Athens Observatory clearly visible to the middle left of center.Time
The photograph was taken early evening in mid July. The sun sets very late in Athens at that time of the year. It also just happened to be a day with cloud cover. I stopped to assess the view and noticed the sun trying to shine through the clouds. And I began to take many photographs to collect as many options as possible. Eventually when processing the photographs, I was able to find this gem of a shot! It is one my favorite photographs taken in Athens.Lighting
I must admit it has been very hard to replicate this shot. It was just being at the right place and the right time with the right light and right amount of clouds. To me, the contrast of dark clouds, bright sun, green from foliage and trees, and whites and grays from rocks and buildings, together formed a unique collection of light and contrast.Equipment
Because of the nature of the trip, I was limited to a Canon 60D and one of my favorite workhorse lenses, the Canon 24-105mm F4.0L series lens. Because of the amount of depth of field from foreground top background, I picked F11 as the sweet spot. And I also used my favorite setting which is dynamic range ISO 200 to collect as much color as possible.Inspiration
The view was spectacular with sun trying to peak out of clouds with strong rays of light throughout the entire scene. Plus the reflection of the sun as seen shining from buildings and residences added more perspective to the prospective photograph. The shadows and bright whites caused by the sun also peaked my interest. With such a unique setting, I paused and took my time to take as many photographs as possible to review later to pick out the best option. The lighting was constantly changing with clouds and sunEditing
I used Photomatix Pro HDR to tonemap a three raw files stacked together. All three taken in very quick automatic bursts capturing shots at +2, 0, and -2. After final processing in Photomatix, I imported into Lightroom to do some finishing touches.In my camera bag
I like Canon and like to use a full frame 5D Mark II or a 6D for lansdcape and travel. For wildlife I prefer to use 7D Mark II, But when traveling for extended trips, I like to keep it safe and take equipment that I would not regret to lose such as the 60 D used for this specific trip. As to lenses, I like to only use Canon L series. Although, I have found the Tokina wide angle lenses to be superb choicesFeedback
Always be very aware of your entire surroundings. I almost missed this shot since I was busy taking photographs of west part exit of the Acropolis. But I quickly stopped and took my time to ensure I was able to take as many photographs of the changing light scene to the west.
