Photographed at Meteora in Greece a few weeks ago.
You can see a larger version here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianbramham/7093140911/sizes/o/in/photostream/
This photo looks wonderful as a large print!
Like what you see here and are interested in photographic composition?.....the blog section of my website now has a complete set of 5 articles covering my personal approach to the subject: Ian Bramham Photography - Blog
For purchasing high quality archival prints of any of these photos you can send me an email by clicking here or by going to my website Ian Bramham - Fine Art Photography where prices are listed in the gallery sections under each individual photo.
@Marc L.: Thanks Marc!
@Andrew Atkinson: Thanks Andrew!....yes, I used 2 x 2 Lee nd grad filters positioned with the dark part of the filter over the sky to balance the exposure. When I stack 2 nd grad filters like that I stagger them vertically to make sure the transition line isn't too abrupt.
I always find the post processing of photos taken at dawn and dusk difficult in that I'm always in two minds about how bright or dark to make them. On the one hand I don't want to lose the feeling of the lowish light levels you get at these times of day yet, on the other hand, I don't want an image that just looks dull and muddy (especially important as a consideration when printing!)
On this one for example when I first showed this on-line to a good friend he suggested I darken the foreground which is what I've done for the image you see here but I'm not sure if I've darkened it enough or if it has enough contrast. What do you think - leave it as it is or darken the foreground a touch more?
@Hans ter Horst: Thanks Hans! (I hope you find the rest of the articles interesting!)
@Andrew Atkinson: I only have two Lee grads at the moment Andrew (although I'll probably buy more in time)
I initially bought a 2 stop Lee soft edge grad which I found difficult to use as the transition is so subtle that you can't see where it is when looking through the viewfinder! As a result, I bought Lee's 2 stop nd hard edge grad which is the one I normally use. Occasionally I use both together when the dynamic range of the scene is too great for a single one, but as mentioned earlier I stagger them vertically.
Here's another example of a shot where I used both grads stacked together: http://ianbramham.aminus3.com/image/2012-02-08.html
@Dimitrios: Thanks Dimitrios, we also visited Athens and Poros during our stay in Greece but our 3 day visit to Meteora was as part of a big group of photographer friends + partners and kids (there was about 20 of us altogether). One of our photographer friends who lives in Athens organised the whole thing - Alex Bazeos, who is a wonderful friend but also a great photographer: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexring/
@Babzy: Thanks Babzy!
@Ian Smith: Thanks Ian (I was never good enough on the computer to manage to get HDR to work properly so I use filters quite a lot for this kind of scene)
@Punit: Thanks Punit!...yes, it needs viewing at the larger size doesn't it.
@Hiro: Hiro, all my photos are available for sale as prints. You can contact me via the AM3 contact form or via my website: http://www.ianbramham.com/contactform.html
NIKON D700
1/13 second
F/8.0
ISO 200
16 mm (35mm equiv.)