In the region of Pulgia, on the east coast of Italy, the town of Polignano a Mare sits perched on 30 metre high cliffs over the sea. ...
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In the region of Pulgia, on the east coast of Italy, the town of Polignano a Mare sits perched on 30 metre high cliffs over the sea.
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this picture on our trip to the Puglia Region of Italy. It was over 10 years since we stayed in Polignano a Mare, located on the Adriatic Coast and I wanted to return. Polignano a Mare is located about 30 km from Bari. The town sits on limestone cliffs with a sheer drop to the sea. There is a public area to the north of the historic centre which provides numerous locations to shoot across a small inlet along the coastline.Time
I am a big believer of, "it is all about the light" and I would get up at 5:30 each morning, make the 25 minute drive from our agriturismo apartment we were renting to arrive at the coast just before the sun started to rise. I had to so this for a number of consecutive days as on some days there would be some clouds, but on others, clear blue skies. This particular photograph was take at 6:38 am, before the sun cleared the horizon.Lighting
It is about the light, and this photograph was just before the sun rose, but rays of light were being caught by the light cloud cover. I found that once the sun rose above the horizon, buildings and cliffs became bleached out, so it meant that each morning there was a very small time frame to take two or three photographs - especially when taking long exposure. This particular photograph was a 4 minute exposure with a 10 and 6 stop B+W ND Filter.Equipment
I used my Nikon D750, with an 18-300 mm lens, 10, 6 Stop B+W ND FiltersInspiration
My inspiriation remain from my first trip to the town. I have been wanting to return for many years. On my first visit I had not started to use long exposure techniques, and I had high anticipation for different photographs this year.Editing
My workflow is to import the RAW file into Lightroom. Do some basic editing in relation to shadows, highlights, and then to open in NIK Colour Effex 4.In my camera bag
This is the real challenge of a holiday in Italy... what can and what should you bring. I carry a selection of Neutral Density filters (B+W) and Format Hitech. I try to not be changing lens too often so the 18-300 is a good travel lens. I also carry a Sigma 50 1.4 and a Nikon 18-85 when I want something a little lighter.Feedback
Great long exposure shots are all about timing. For morning shots like this, be at your location a good 30 minutes in advance of sunrise. The best sunrise light is just before the sun rises. Once it is up over the horizon, well it is all different. So being at location in advance allows you time to find the right location, set up your tripod and get all your equipment ready.