Sunday, August 16, 2009

A Classic Santorini Church and Sunset


This Greek church landscape scene on Santorini is the subject of countless travel photographs (including travel book and magazine covers), but it's not that easy to find unless you know where to look. I stayed here for about an hour or so, taking lots of shots before and after sunset. This one was just after sunset - around 8:15 PM.

The cruise ship is now leaving port, having done its job of giving its passengers one last look at a sunset panorama that they will not soon forget.

And here's the same scene in a vertical format, showing more of the blue dome and more of the sky. I think I like the vertical shot better. 

[Click on the photos for larger views.]

 

I toyed with the idea of brightening up just the blue and white of the church in these images, but the reality is, this is pretty much exactly how I remember this scene - everything was getting darker by the minute at this point. Within a few minutes of taking these images, I was packed up and heading back to our hotel.

3 comments:

website design said...

this is so breath taking! what a great sunset! Its so good.

Unknown said...

I like the upright composition better but even if true to the time of day the shots could perhaps do with a little enhancement to contrast and saturation. What do you think?

David K. said...

Bob - Thanks for the comment and suggestion. I do like the vertical composition better. I tend to also agree that these shots could use a bit more 'punch', too. These are quite accurate to the actual scene as shot (very soft, dusky, and pastel), but for more dramatic effect they could use a contrast and sat boost.