Mountains High

Pasterze
 
This 6 photo panorama of the pasterze glacier was shot during our summer holiday in Austria. Most sadly the Grossglockner in the background was not visible as it was covered with clouds. Like all glaciers the Patserze is seriously affected by global warming. I Googled a 1978 picture and the difference in size is astonishing.
 
Photo by Frank Panis

Shooting data:

Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: AFS 17-35mm f/2.8 @17mm on a tripod
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1/800 sec @ f/5.6
Flash: None
Image: RAW file converted in NX2 and stitched with PTGui.

Mt Panahaiko

We were on our way to Athens and stopped to browse at a clothes outlet  just at the outskirts of Patras. When we got out of the shop the sun was already setting. The crests of Mt Panahaiko were covered with snow on which the sun light was reflected giving them a nice orange tint. The branches of a nearby tree in the foreground made the view even more appealing so I decided to include them in the photo. I stepped down the lens to f/8 so the distant mountain crests wouldn't be completely blurred and took a couple of photos resting my arms on the roof of our car. I tried fill in flash but this destroyed the photo as it made the branches the main subject which is not what I wanted. In the end, I got what I was looking for. The branches stand out of the picture but, instead of completely dominating the picture, include the mountain, which is still there adding a warm touch to this composition.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting data:

Camera: Nikon D2x
Lens: AF Nikkor 50 mm f/1.8 D
Sensitivity: ISO 250
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/9, Aperture priority mode
Flash: none
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS3, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.

Look and See

More often than not people look but do not see. This is more evident in sights attracting tourists. I have noticed the vast majority of those who carry a camera focusing on the "recommended" main attraction, all of them shooting from the same angle, producing thousands of flat, boring, identical photos. Yet, something far more interesting could be shot just a couple of meters away. This has led me to the decision to carry my camera with me even when a photo opportunity seems a remote possibility. This photo is an example of my approach paying off.  On one occasion we  unexpectedly visited Achaia Clauss, a well known wine making facility founded by Gustav Clauss back in 1861. After taking the short tour and admiring the facilities and hundreds of barrels  of wine (which are certainly worth seeing), we got out in the open. Just opposite the main facility the view was breathtaking. It was the end of December so, even though it was still early afternoon, the sun was already low in the horizon creating some shadows of the wall on the ground yet powerful enough to flood the scenery with light and create a hazy horizon. The contrast of the lighting levels as well as the pastel colours made a very interesting photo. There is enough detail in the dark parts of the wall and the slope of the hill but still you can see the hazy atmosphere at the back, so characteristic for Greece. Every time I look at this photo, I remember the paintings of the Great Masters, like Leonardo da Vinci, showing classic Italian landscapes lit in a similar way.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D2x
Lens: Sigma 28 mm f/1.8 D EX DG Macro
Sensitivity: ISO 250
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/320 sec - f/8, Aperture priority mode
Flash: none
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS3, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.