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Monasteries of Meteora



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The last rays of sunshine light up the autumn colors around the monasteries of Saint Nicholas of Anapafsas and Rousanou in Meteora, Greece....
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The last rays of sunshine light up the autumn colors around the monasteries of Saint Nicholas of Anapafsas and Rousanou in Meteora, Greece.
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2 Comments | Report
Byronfairphotography PRO+
 
Byronfairphotography January 04, 2020
Absolutely gorgeous
Ozbod54
 
Ozbod54 January 06, 2020
I love the subtle tones almost pastel
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Behind The Lens

Location

This picture was taken in Meteora in the northwestern part of Greece. Ever since I first saw a picture of the monasteries nestled high up on the steep natural rock formations of the region, I had wanted to go there to hike with my family and to see the fascination rock structures with the monasteries. We decided to go there during late fall in 2018 to catch autumn colors.

Time

The picture was taken after sunset. I had found a good spot from where I could see the setting sun behind the rock formations and the monasteries. I took a few pictures during sunset. This one was taken after the sun had already gone below the horizon and the light was fading. I had taken my earlier sunset pictures in landscape mode but at that time of this picture I thought maybe using portrait mode would be better as it would emphasize the height of the rocks in the background.

Lighting

Since the sun had already set at the time of this picture, the light was fading. However, there were still a few rays peaking from behind the mountains, enough to light up the autumn colors in parts of the picture.

Equipment

I used a Nikon D610 camera with a Nikkor AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens. I had set the camera on a tripod in anticipation of low light, although for this picture it turned out to be not necessary. No flash was used.

Inspiration

I wanted to capture the sight of these monasteries with the entire rock on which they were built to emphasize their height along with the rock formations around to give a sense of scale. I wanted anybody looking at these pictures to think about what geological phenomenon could have resulted in these rock formations and how were these monasteries constructed in the medieval period without modern technology.

Editing

I used Lightroom to increase the contrast and reduce the exposure a bit as well as dehaze to bring out the colors better.

In my camera bag

I now carry a Nikon D850 along with 2 lenses: Nikkor AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens and aTamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2. I will also be carrying a macro lens going forward. I also carry a tripod and lens cleaning equipment as well as spare batteries and chargers.

Feedback

The trip needs some planning to avoid the tourist crowds around the monasteries and the help of locals for finding the best spots for taking pictures.

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