Warning: Constant WP_CRON_LOCK_TIMEOUT already defined in /home3/santork0/public_html/wp-config.php on line 102

Warning: Constant AUTOSAVE_INTERVAL already defined in /home3/santork0/public_html/wp-config.php on line 103

Warning: Constant WP_POST_REVISIONS already defined in /home3/santork0/public_html/wp-config.php on line 104

Warning: Constant EMPTY_TRASH_DAYS already defined in /home3/santork0/public_html/wp-config.php on line 105
Fira – Photos of Santorini

Photos of Santorini

Tag: Fira

Stunning view of Fira and Nea Kameni Island from Skaros Rock
The spectacular view from Skaros Rock looking towards Fira, the capital of Santorini. Colour is provided by the lovely yellow spring flowers which contrast with the deep blue sea. To the right you can see the volcano called Nea Kameni

I have said this on more than one occasion, but I will say it again – there are some fantastic views from the Greek Island of Santorini.

But this stunning view of Fira and Nea Kameni Island from Skaros Rock is one of my favourites. And in this post I will tell you exactly why.

Nea Kameni Island is the actual volcano bit by the way! I have just found tha tout researching this photo!

Why do I like this photo so much?

There is so much about this image that I like.

The bright blue of the sky. The lovely deep blue sea.

And the yellow of the flowers that dominate the foreground.

And finally over ot the left the famous white buildings of Santroini sat on top of the caldera.

And then there is the view – quite simply a stunning view from the top of Skaros Rock giving a great perspective on the caldera.

How did I decide on this composition?

I spent a good hour on the top of Skaros Rock. The first five minutes were spent breathing and drinking after the climb to the top of Skaros Rock.

And sweating. Nice I know!

Or as I like to call it consdering potential compositions.

I’ll let you into a secret here – sometimes when I stop to take a photo on a strenuous walk I am not taking a photo – I am just having a sneaky rest!

I wanted to get the sense of the scale of the view from the top of Skaros Rock, and contrast the blue of the sea with the yellow of the flowers, getting some white buildings into the picture too.

I moved all around the edge of the rock until I got the curved shape that you can see in this image – this was the natural frame for he composition I was looking for.

Where was the photo taken?

This is the view from the built-up bit of Imerovigli looking down onto Skaros Rock – which is where I took the photo from.

This was taken on my iPhone by the way.

And this is Skaros Rock and the path up to the base of the upstanding rock at the top. If that makes any sense?

And for completeness, here is an extract from Lightroom showing where I took the photo – as ever it is the yellow tab.

Not that you needed this last bit of info to find Skaros Rock! It is that rock bit with it’s own name!

What time of day was the photo taken?

13:09:47 to be precise. And why not?

Here is a picture of the actual set up of my Canon 6D on my Manfrotto 190 Go tripod – yes this is exactly how I took the photo.

And you can see the last of the cloud lingering around that earlier on that morning had completely covered the sea forming a surreal carpet – check out my other posts for a great photo of this – even if I do say so myself!

What photography gear did I use to get the shot?
- Canon 6D
- Canon 17-40mm F4 L Lens
- Manfrotto 190 Go tripod with geared head
- Peak Design Everyday Backpack
- Loupe Viewer
- No red hat – I was nice and warm by this time after a good, energetic climb up Skaros Rock. Ok I was hot, sweaty and knackered!!
- Oakley sunglasses (lenses marked with drips of sweat that I could not get rid of)
- Red shoes (in need of a clean after the climb)
- No snacks required – just water! And I took two bottles with me this time which makes a change!
Yes I climbed all the way up Skaros Rock, and down again, and to the bit at the front with the other church wearing those silly red pumps. Here it is in this iPhone panoramic photo taken from the other side of Skaros Rock.

What camera settings did I use?
- Aperture F16
- Shutter speeds 1/80th second, 1/320th second and 1/20th second.
- ISO 100
- Back-button focus
- Focal length 17mm
- AV Mode
- 10 second self-timer
- RAW format
What a surprise that I used 17mm on my 17-40mm lens! I have noticed this a lot – that and that I take a lot of photos with my old faithful Canon 24-105mm lens at 24mm. Interesting.

I think I need to get a 14mm fixed lens – that will sort me out and give me more width which I love for my travel photogrpahy work.

One interesting fact about the image.

I was the only person on Skaros Rock when I took this photo. In the hour I was up there I saw four other people.

Nice and quiet, even at that time – just how I like it!

Is there a behind the scenes video of this shoot?

Yes – well sort of. I have a short video looking down on Skaros Rock before I left the built-up part of Imerovigli – you can see the footpath and the last of the fast moving clouds in the video here.

I am not sure why I did not take lots of videos of this location – Skaros Rock offers excellent 360 views of the caldera which you don’t get from anywhere else.

How did I process the image?

This is the processing carried out in Lightroom.

Basic adjustments and corrections are done on import of all images into Lightroom. Further processing was carried out using the Basic Panel and the HSL Panel, along with localised dodging and burning.

Blemishes and edge of frame irritations were removed using Photoshop.

Not too much needed to be done to this image,

What could I have done to improve the image?

More cruise ships would have been ether but there was only one there when I took this photo.

You can’t have everything now can you??

And looking at the image a higher viewpoint would have been good, giving the foreground more of a frame for the background.

Problem with this is that I took this photo from the top of a large rock, a very large rock at that. A rock big enough to have it’s own name.

And it is difficult to get step-ladders into my hand luggage, and I dont have a bag long enough to carry my painters’ pole. Not that I would carry my step ladders to the top of Skaros Rock!!

But the painters’ pole – maybe I can get a bag big enough to carry my small painters’ pole??

And what are my thoughts on this image?

I like this image as it gives a great view from the top of Skaros Rock looking south which I have not seen before.

No this image is good – happy with it.

I do have a lingering regret about not taking photos from this location at other times, and also of not taking lots of videos.

This was truly a very dramatic location with lots of great photographic possibilities – I do not feel that I have done this location justice.

So that being the case I think I need to go back there!!

Enough of me – what do you think of this image?

Do you like this photo of the view of Fira and Nea Kameni Island from Skaros Rock?

Let me now what you think – it is always great to hear from visitors to my website new and old – all your comments are very welcome .

One last thing

If you want to buy this image, or want to speak to me about future collaboration email me at sales@rickmcevoyphotography.co.uk.

Rick McEvoy ABIPP – Photographer, writer, blogger
24/10/2018
What is the best view from Oia? Check out my favourite here
This is the view looking back towards Imerovigli and Fira from the end of the caldera at Oia just before the sun sets on another day in Santorini

There are many great views on the walk from Imerovigli along the top of the caldera to Oia at the end of the island.

But what is the best view from Oia? This is my favourite view from Oia looking back towards Imerovigli and over to the right Fira, with a bit of Oia bathed in the early evening sunlight.

Why do I like this photo so much?

I know I have said this quite a few times but I am loving the fact that the images I am publishing on this website are not your typical photos of Santorini. Sorry – that was a completely conincidental (and indeed unnecessary) use of the keyword which is in the URL for this website.

Sorry where was I? Oh yes, why do I like this photo of the view from Oia looking towards Omervigli and Fira perched on the top of the mass of the Santorini Caldera so much?

Well it is a different viewpoint. And I find that this is quite a common thong with me – quite a lot of the photos that I have published are not images that are displayed that often.

This is not a conscious thing. Well that is not strictly true, not going to the photo locations on Santorini which are the most popoluar ones is a conscious decision.

As is the decision not to study the photos others have taken of Santorini – I like to get to a new location with a clear mind and not other peoples images cluttering my vision.

Publishing Santorini photos which are from different viewpoints is just the way things have happened – all I have done is picked the 20 photos that I took in Santorini which I like the most and which represent me and my photography right now.

No there is no science attached to this – these are just photos that I like.

Back to this image.

I love the white buildings sat on top of the caldera – the relative scales of the two tell a story. And I also love that raking golden pre-sunset light warming the face of the caldera.

And finally getting a little bit of Oia in the foreground gives the image a sense of depth and places the three towns relative to each other.

How did I decide on this composition?

This is the panoramic view from Oia taken on my iPhone.

I wanted to get a little bit of Oia in the foreground, which would give depth and scale to the image. I wanted Oia, Imerovigli and Fira in the same shot.

And I wanted the view looking back from Oia to the main body of the caldera and the main part of the Greek Island of Santorini.

The sky was the sky on the day and time that I took that image – you can’t have perfect white fluffy clouds exactly as you want them every time you take a photo.

This was a relatively straightforward composition, I just had to get as far from the main footpath as possible to eliminate all that stuff that you can see in the panoramic image.

Where was the photo taken?

The photo was taken from Oia looking back towards Imerovigli. We had walked that afternoon all the way from Imerovigli, which was a spectacular and very enjoyable experience.

What time of day was the photo taken?

5:02pm. This photo was taken at the end of the walk from Imerovigli to Oia. This was very much pre-drinks time.

What photography gear did I use to get the shot?
- Canon 6D
- Canon 24 – 105mm F4 L Lens
- Hanheld – my Manfrotto 190 Go tripod with geared head was in my bag. Yes I carried it all the way from Imerovigli to Oia.
- Peak Design Everyday Backpack
- Loupe Viewer
- No red hat – by now I needed a cap (but did not have one)
- Oakley sunglasses (which by this time felt like they had been welded to my face)
- Red shoes (feet destroyed)
- Pre-beer photo – might have been a bit rushed!
What camera settings did I use?
- Aperture F22
- Shutter speeds 1/160th second, 1/640th second and 1/40th second.
- ISO 400
- Back-button focus
- Focal length 40mm
- AV Mode
- 10 second self-timer
- RAW format
40mm focal length! Now that is unusual for me and tells me that the composition was a very deliberate act to go with such a specific focal length.

Now I know that F22 gives the maximum depth of field but F16 should have been fine with that composition at a focal length of 40mm.

One interesting fact about the image.

It was taken at the end of a walk from Imerovigli. We were going to walk back but there is an excellent bus service that took us both back to Imerovigli for less then 10 euros. And this bus trip gave us a great view of the eastern coast of the island.

Sorry not really that interesting a fact was it?

Erm – I took this photo from near the path from Imerovigli to Oia. I had to get off the main path to get this view.

And there was a really good bar on the opposite side of the footpath.

I had a beer and some nuts.

I think I’d better stop here…

Is there a behind the scenes video of this shoot?

No. All I have is this iPhone photo of a simlar view. Not quite the same is it.

How did I process the image?

This is the processing that I did in Lightroom to the file created by merging the three bracketed images.

Most of the processing for this image was done in the basic and HSL panels in Lightroom as you can see above.

Getting the white balance correct was crucial to the success of this image. To do this I found a piece of cloud that was a neutral grey, containing similar values of red, green and blue.

I used the targtetted adjustment tool to make a custom white balance selection which gave the image the correct amount ot warmth.

All I then needed to do in Photoshop was remove dust sensor spots and an ugly building bottom left which was spoiling the corner (in the shadows I hasted to add!).

But that kind of removal is fair enough to me.

And what are my thoughts on this image?

I like this image as it shows the relative locations of Oia, Imerovigli and Santorini.

And it also gives a great view of those famous white buildings of Santorini perched on the top of the caldera of.

The late rafternoon sunlight makes this image, giving a warm glow and a lovely contrast to the lights and shadows.

Finally, what could I have done to improve the image?

Those shadows bottom right bother me. OK I meant bottom left.

I wish they weren’t there. I couldn’t crop in, but I could remove them in Photoshop.

And that is where there is a question – the shadows were there when I was pointing my camera at that particular scene – should I remove them or not?

Enough from me – what do you think of this image?

Yes you have heard enough from me – please give me your thoughts on this photo of the view from Oia looking towards Imerovigli and Fira on the Greek Island of Santorini.

And do you think it is ok to remove the shadows bottom left to make the image nicer?

One last thing

If you want to buy this image, or want to speak to me about future collaboration email me at sales@rickmcevoyphotography.co.uk.

Rick McEvoy ABIPP – Photographer, writer, blogger
23/10/2018
Is this the best view of Fira from the path to Imerovigli?
This is the view of Fira, the capital of the wonderful Greek Island of Santorini, photographed from the path from Imerovigli one sunny April afternoon. In this photo you can see how Santorini has developed, with all those white buildings sat on top of the caldera

Santorini is a small island which packs in the views all over the place. We have all seen lots of images on the internet of those famous white buildings of Santorini, but I try to provide slightly different views.

Is this the best view of Fira, the capital of the Greek Island of Santorini? I think so. This really is a spectacular view, which was taken on my Canon 6D on the walk from Imerovigli to Fira.

Why do I like this photo so much?

One thing I like to capture in one of my photos is context. And if you haven’t been to Santorini before you might not appreciate how the famous white buildings of Santorini have developed on the top of the famous caldera.

And this view taken on the main pedestrian route from Imerovigli to Fira shows this perfectly. This is not that common a view of Fira, which surprises me as there were plenty of people on the footpath that day.

Or so I thought.

I realised how quiet the walk from Imerovigli to Fira was when we got to Fira – there were endless people filling the footpaths making the town almost unbearable.

So I like this photo as it gives context and scale to the capital of Santorini.

You can see exactly how the town has grown on the top of the caldera, and also all those lovely white buildings.

And if you look really carefully you can see the cable car cables appearing out of a building!

How did I decide on this composition?

As we were walking along the path I was obviously taking in the views and Fira growing in front of me as we got closer. I waited until I found a white church which I could include as a foreground feature, which you can clearly see.

I also wanted to get the shoreline to show the full extent of the caldera, and ended up getting the concrete structure which is where tourists are dropped off from the cruise for a day on the island. You can either walk or get the cable car – more on that in another post.

Talking of context this photo also shows the scale of the caldera on which all those lovely white buildings have been constructed.

Where was the photo taken?

Right where the number 10 is.

Or to be more precise.Where the number 5 is.

Is that precise enough for you? I couldn’t zoom in any more and make the number 5 go down to 1 for just this image but this is near enough I guess?

What time of day was the photo taken?

12:40pm. We were walking to Fira for an explore and a spot of lunch. I had been on the go since about 4am that day, getting some great sunrise photos from the top of the caldera. And after the cold of the morning on the caldera the daytime heat was a lovely change for me.

It is funny how we can adjust to such varying temperatures in the same day. And to the complete lack of sleep/ rest!

What photography gear did I use to get the shot
- Canon 6D – here it is! Well I thought I should show you what it looks like!
- Canon 24 – 105mm F4 L Lens (focal length used 17mm)
- Hanheld – my Manfrotto 190 Go tripod with geared head was in my bag
- Peak Design Everyday Backpack
- Loupe Viewer – yes I still use it even hand-held
- No red hat
- Oakley sunglasses
- Red shoes (feet aching a bit)
- Kasimatis Suites breakfast fuelling me
What camera settings did I use?
- Aperture F16
- Shutter speeds 1/500th second, 1/2000th second and 1/125th second.
- ISO 400
- Back-button focus
- Focal length 24mm
- AV Mode
- 10 second self-timer
- RAW format
One interesting fact about the image.

When we got to Fira we found a restaurant right in the centre of the capital of Santorini. We ordered a beer each and sat there. It was right next to one of the main footpaths through Fira. And was it busy!

And we sat there for an age, too tired and hungry waiting for our food to arrive, which took an absolute age. So tired and hungry we just sat there in silence!

When the food finally came it was excellent – chicken gyros with chips. One of my favourite Greek meals!

Is there a behind the scenes video of this shoot?

No. But look what we got when we were in Fira. And yet another use for a Peak Design Everyday Backpack. A bottle of Prosecco carrier!

And see that white thing that my camera bag is resting against? That is one of the legacies of the wine cellar days. Kasimatis Suites used to be a wine celler, or as they are known locally, cavana.

There are remnants of the buildings former use all over the place, which make random appearances in other photos on this website.

How did I process the image?

This is another bracketed set of images merged together in Lightroom using the not surprisingly named HDR Merge feature.

This is what I did in Lightroom. Not too much in terms of processing to be fair.

Now you will have noticed there is a problem!

Yes there is some stuff missing. Here is the actual image. When I straightened the horizon I lost some stuff around the edges. I could have used Constrain to crop which would have basically cropped in the image removing the bits of white but I didn’t want to do that.

I wanted the full image, so had to fill in the blanks.

Now if only there was some software that could fix this…..

Time to jump over to Photogshop. I used the Clone Stamp tool to fill in the blanks, and then used the Patch Tool to improve the standard of the edit to the point where you can’t actually tell what I have done.

That is always the intention with my digital image processing – that is looks natural.

What could I have done to improve the image?

Well I could have taken the shot with the horizon level to save me some work in Photoshop, but apart from that this is the view.

Maybe I could have waited for a cruise ship to arrive and get that in shot to the right. That would have balanced things nicely.

And what are my thoughts on this image?

I wanted to get a view of Fira perched on top of the caldera. And that is what I captured.

I like this image, and it tells the story I wanted to tell with a single image.

It tells the story of the capital of Santorini, Fira, perched on the top of the caldera. And of those lovely white buildings.

And the steep drop down to that lovely blue water.

Enough of me – what do you think of this image?

Let me know if you like my photo of Fira from the footpath to Imerovigli.

One last thing

If you want to buy this image, or want to speak to me about future collaboration email me at sales@rickmcevoyphotography.co.uk.

Rick McEvoy ABIPP – Photographer, writer, blogger
16/10/2018
Where are the best views from swimming pools on Santorini?
Picture of the lovely swimming pool at the Kasimatis Suites in Imerovigli on the Greek Island of Santorini. The pool has spectacular views across the Caldera towards Thirasia where the sun will set in about an hour from when this photo was taken

Views from swimming pools on Santorini. I know – that is quite a demanding ask now isn’t it?

We work hard all year to enjoy our breaks, so there is nothing wrong with asking the question “Where are the best views from swimming pools on Santorini?”

Well this view from the pool at the Kasiamtis Suites is my favorite so far – what a view of the pool, the balcony and in the background a little bit of the caldera!

Why do I like this photo so much?

I did take a photograph from the balcony but something was missing. So I took a step back from the view from the pool to get a photo of the view of the pool if that makes sense) and that lovely burst of Santorini sunshine.

And I managed to get a bit of the view from the pool and the deckchairs – hopefully you get the idea from this photo.

And a band of orange as the sun begins to set on another wonderful day in Santorini.

How did I decide on this composition?

Simple. I wanted the pool, the area to the front of the pool, a bit of the background and of course that big bright burst of golden sunshine. And the reflection off the pool was something I had pre-planned.

That is the beauty of staying in such a photogenic hotel – just by being there you get used to the movement of the sun, the shadows, the little things that when added together can make a photo.

Well you do if you are like me. I am always looking for things to photograph. On a shoot like this many of the compositions come to me when I am walking around doing innocuous things like walking to breakfast (on the day we did not have breakfast in our rooms that is).

Being aware of your surroundings and constantly looking out for photos might annoy the family but for me is an occupational hazard I’m afraid!

Where was the photo taken?

This photo was taken at the swimming pool of the Kasimatis Suites in Imerovigli on the Greek Island of Santorini.

We were stopping at the Kasimais Suites, and had to walk past the pool and this view just to get to reception. Awful I know!

What time of day was the photo taken?

Late afternoon in April, just after 4.30pm. The sun has begun to drop, having traversed from the left to the right – yes this is the prefect photographic orientation.

I took this photo having returned from a long day consisting of sunrise on the caldera, a lovely breakfast in our room and a good investigation of the capital of Santorini, Fira. I did an early afternoon wander and got back in time to get this shot by the pool.

After this I have to confess to having a couple of beers and photographing the sunset from our room. Yes I was that tired!

As I have said before sunset can be a bit of an anti-social time of day, clashing with evening drinks.

What photography gear did I use to get the shot
- Canon 6D
- Canon 24-105mm F4 L Lens
- Handheld – no tripod required
- And probably a pair of sunglasses
- My loupe viewer
What camera settings did I use?
- Aperture – F22
- Shutter speeds – 1/800th second, 1/3200th second and 1/200th second
- ISO – 400
- Focal length – 24mm
- AV Mode
- Back button focus
- Auto bracketing
- Handhed
- Live view
A quick word on the camera settings. F22. Why use that aperture? Simple.

F22 on my Canon 24 -105mm lens gives me that lovely starburst effect. F22 is the minimum aperture, ie the aperture which lets the least light in, as the opening through the aperture blades is at its smallest.

Try shooting into the sun (with care so you don’t damage your eyes) and try all the apertures and see what you get with your gear.

Which leads me onto the next point. When I am shooting straight into the sun, I use the Live View function on my Canon 6D. Much safer. And even then I will have my sunglasses on.

Unless I am using my loupe viewer.

One interesting fact about the image.

Erm. I didn’t go in the pool? All I can remember is that the sun was blindingly bright and I was desperate to sit down and have a drink but did not want to miss a second of that spectacular day.

I was tired, thirsty and loving it!

One bit of irrelevant advice – if you want to make a living doing photography it is best that you absolutely love it as it is hard work.

Is there a behind the scenes video of this shoot?

No. I think people who take videos around swimming pools with people in the vicinity sunbathing are approaching creepy.

Swimming pool/ people = no video!

How did I process the image?

Very well thank you. To be honest once I have processed the first couple of images from a days shoot a lot of the processing is the same, or fairly similar.

I want the images to look like a coherent set of images after all, so the color treatments and other stuff need to compliment other images.

The difference is with the local adjustments, which are individual to each and every image I produce.

I am talking here about
- Dodging and burning
- HSL adjustments
- Radial filter
What could I have done to improve the image?

A higher viewpoint would have made the composition stronger. If I could have got my camera higher I would have been able to include more of the caldera view in the background.

Unfortunately I did not have my stepladders with me, nor my 5m painters pole, and I could not move back any further (from recollection).

Yes lets just say that I was constrained by the buildings around me. I will just have to go back to Kasimatis Suites and do a better job next time!

And what are my thoughts on this image?

I really like this image, I have captured a lovely flat swimming pool illuminated by the sun. I have managed to include a snippet of the view of the caldera, but more importantly the deckchairs on the edge of the balcony.

And I love the colors in the sky, that lovely bright blue transitioning into the orange of the setting sun.

The bright vibrant colours are an essential part of my travel photography work.

And there are no people in the image which is both good and bad.

All in all an image that I am happy to share on my website and write about.

Enough of me – what do you think of this image?

You have read what I have to say about this photo of the view of a swimming pool at Kasimatis Suites in Imerovigli – what do you think of the image, and do you have any questions for me?

One last thing

If you want to buy this image, or want to speak to me about future collaboration email me at sales@rickmcevoyphotography.co.uk.

Rick McEvoy ABIPP – Photographer, writer, blogger
09/10/2018