Vouraikos Gorge

Vouraikos Gorge

The gorge of the river Vouraikos is one of the most beautiful in Greece and only a couple of hours away from Athens on the road to Patras. It has its own small railway so there is no need to walk it if one is not inclined to do so. However walking is a must if one is interested in photography. The area has a lot to offer. Magnificent scenery, lots of tunnels, waterfalls, vegetation, flowers, insects, you name it. The gorge is traversed by a cog railway (rack railway) which is unique in Greece. Rack railways were patented in 1811 in the UK; the first locomotive, named Salamanca, appeared in June 1812. There are very few rack railways left in Europe nowadays; the one that goes through the Vouraikos gorge starts from Diakofto and ends at Kalavryta. We spent just over 7 hours on our way down to Diakofto, took thousands of photos and had a very enjoyable day. Though on this occasion we did not start our day particularly early an early start is highly recommended; the light levels fall rapidly in the gorge as the day moves on.  Those planing to walk the gorge should be prepared for a stiff descent; the ground around the rail tracks, which is the only path available for most of the way is covered with medium sized, uneven, lose stones which make walking rather difficult. Comfortable shoes which provide some custioning are a must.

Photos by Marina Parha and George J. Reclos

Shooting data:

1. Camera: Nikon D3x
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/250 sec - f/5.6, Aperture priority mode
Flash: No flash
Image: NEF edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added saved as JPEG and resized.

2. Camera: Nikon D3x
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/200 sec - f/6.3, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL/BL/FP (high speed flash synchronization) mode
Image: NEF edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added saved as JPEG and resized.

3. Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF-S Nikkor 14-24 mm f/2.8 G @ 24mm
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/25 sec - f/8, Aperture priority mode, -2 EV compensation.
Flash: No flash
Image: NEF edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added saved as JPEG and resized.

4. Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF-S Nikkor 14-24 mm f/2.8 G @ 24mm
Sensitivity: ISO 640
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/500 sec - f/4.5, Aperture priority mode
Flash: No flash
Image: NEF edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added saved as JPEG and resized.

5. Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: -S Nikkor 14-24 mm f/2.8 G @ 21mm
Sensitivity: ISO 640
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/160 sec - f/5, Aperture priority mode
Flash: No flash
Image: NEF edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added saved as JPEG and resized.

6. Camera: Nikon D3x
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/3.2, Aperture priority mode
Flash: No flash
Image: NEF edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added saved as JPEG and resized.

7. Camera: Nikon D3x
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/2.8, Aperture priority mode, -1.7 EV compensation
Flash: No flash
Image: NEF edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added saved as JPEG and resized.

8. Camera: Nikon D3x
Lens: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/400 sec - f/6.3, Aperture priority mode.
Flash: No flash
Image: NEF edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added saved as JPEG and resized. 

Photos by Mahi Goula and George Parchas

9. Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mk II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mmf/4.0L IS USM @ 24 mm
Sensitivity: ISO 1600
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/125 sec - f/11, Manual mode
Flash: No flash
Image: NEF edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added saved as JPEG and resized.

10. Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mk II
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mmf/4.0L IS USM @ 58 mm
Sensitivity: ISO 800
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/80 sec - f/11, Manual mode
Flash: No flash
Image: NEF edited in Photoshop CS4, levels adjusted, sharpening added saved as JPEG and resized.