Fairy tale
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Sunrise in Val d'Orcia - Tu...
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For info on our Nature Photo Tours in Europe and Africa please visit us at
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Sunrise in Val d'Orcia - Tuscany, Itlay
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www.naturephoto.tours
Sunrise in Val d'Orcia - Tuscany, Itlay
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Sep, 2015Views
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Contender in the Visual Poetry Project
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
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Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
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Nature-Photo-Tours
August 12, 2016
Thanks.sorry to respond you only now... I'm really happy with this photo, I love the atmosphere
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in Val d'Orcia, in Tuscany. I think it's one of the most beautiful areas in Italy, even if there are lots of them. The beauty is in the rolling hills like waves that are all cultivated, but have such a natural feel to it. Even if humans have left very little 'wild' in this area, it seems like nature has the upper hand nonetheless.Time
I woke up before sunrise and arrived here short before the sun rose over the horizon. It was early September, so it wasn't too early ;-) I had taken a few photos closeby, but now the the sun was illuminating the hills and I thought this was the perfect time. In September the fields have all been harvested and most plowed, but even the empty fields are beautiful here.Lighting
What drew me to this scene is the play of light and shadows on the hills. The low light accentuates the forms. The light was warm and soft due to some light haze. It was a scene that one dreams about, like in a fairy tale. The HDR technique I used here, accentuates this.Equipment
I used a Canon 6D with an EF24-105mm f/4 and a circular polarizer. For this photo I used a Manfrotto tripod, which worked fine here, but with the 6D was a little overloaded. I now changed the tripod to a Sirui N-3204X with a K-40X ballhead, so also when there is some wind, it's still rock solid.Inspiration
Like I said before the area is beautiful. There are lots of photographers coming here, and it's easy to understand why. These landscapes just invite you to take photos. In the early morning I was all by myself, being one with the landscape and concentrated on taking photos. The silence at this time of the day is so relaxing. Looking down on this landscape against the sun I saw the big tree in the foreground, that had to be part of the composition. The hills with their shadows had to be prominent as well. I think a vertical photo works well here as it shows the details in the trees and shows all the layers moving further away. The diagonal lines created by the trees on the edges of the fields and the crests of the hills create depth and movement.Editing
This photo required quite some post processing. It's actually composed of 5 photos using exposure bracketing. One 'correctly' exposed, two under exposed and two over exposed. First I processed the normal exposed photo in Lightroom CC, I changed the white balance (I always shoot in Raw with AWB), added some contrast and tuned the highlights/shadows/whites and blacks until I was happy. Then I applied these corrections to he other 4 photos. Now I used the HDR Efex from the Nik Collection (it's now a free software!) to combine the 5 images to one. Now this is where the magic happened. The yellow I love so much in this photo was there in each photo, but not as strong as it is now. Here is where the fairy tale came to life. I blended the final image with one of the single exposures in Photoshop CC, but only in the sky. HDR often makes the sky looks too harsh and I wanted it to look soft.In my camera bag
Normally I bring my Canon 6D with an EF 24-105mm f/4 and an EF 70-200mm f/2.8, together with a circular polarizer, a 10-stop ND filter and an extra battery. The 70-200 is a bit heavy, but the quality is so good, I like to have it with me. My tripod doesn't fit in my bag, but I won't leave without it. I couldn't have pulled off this photo without it. It also makes you think more about your composition.Feedback
This area of Tuscany is beautiful most of the year maybe except winter. The best moments for these landscapes are during the golden hour, so around sunrise and sunset. Not only because the light is warmer, but also because the low light creates texture and depth on the hills. I prefer the morning to the evening, mainly because it's so much more quiet and peaceful. Use a tripod, especially in low light conditions. This way you can set the aperture you want with a low ISO, without worrying about the shutter speed being too long to be handheld. During post processing be patient and try different things. HDR does not always work for me, but sometimes it's worth to give it a try. I feel it worked here.
