Tag: white buildings of Santorini

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
Santorini architecture at Kasimatis Suites in Imerovigli
Lovely late afternoon light spilling into the reception at the Kasimatis Suites in Imerovigli on the wonderful Greek Island of Santorini. The reception at the hotel is in one of the former white cellars

When you think of Santorini architecture what springs to mind. I bet it is all the famous white buildings of Santorini isn’t it? Well to be fair that’s what I thought before going to Santorini.

There is more to Santorini architecture than those lovely white buildings – how about the reception at the wonderful Kasmimatis Suites in Imerovigli sat on the edge of the Santorini caldera? And what gives the Kasimatis Suites their unusual charm is that these buildings used to be a canava – a Greek wine cellar.

It is not just about the views outside – there are great things to see inside too.

And I have learnt a new word – canava. Which the spellcheck wants to correct to canapé!

Why do I like this photo so much?

Sorry about that. Let’s get back to the photo. I am an architectural photographer. That is my speciality. I photograph buildings for a living in the UK.

Luckily I love photographing buildings. Put me in a place like Santorini though, with that famous Santorini architecture and I am doubly happy.

Great location, great architecture. And great and unusual interiors. And all that lovely sunshine, food, beer and wine!

Why do I like this photo so much? I was going to the hotel reception, and walked into this scene. How utterly fantastic. I needed a quick word before heading off out to explore more of this wonderful Greek Island (after a quick beer). Yes I had my camera with me, well I didn’t go anywhere without it when I was in Santorini to be honest.

And what makes this scene of course is the light. Lovely directional light spilling into the room.

And the fact that this vaulted room used to be a canava, which is a Greek wine cellar. The family who own Kasimatis Suites used the space where the hotel is as their wine cellars back in the day.

That is why the hotel is so different, with strange features littered around the hotel. And also why the reception is this wonderful vaulted internal space.

How did I decide on this composition?

I walked into reception, got to the reception desk, turned round and got my camera out. I took three photos of the scene which are virtually identical but this was the shot – everything is right with this particular composition.

Let’s talk about the elements in this composition. I wish I could say that I had placed them so perfectly but I hadn’t. This is literally what I saw.

Firstly through the door you can see the railing on the edge of the balcony. Just in front of that is the lovely hotel swimming pool featured in another photo.

And then there is one white chair, sat slap bang in the middle of the door!

And then the light spilling into the vaulted ceilinged reception area with that lovely directional light casting a shadow from the table.

The directional light also picks up the texture in the tiles.

And there are the wall lights offering some additional points of interest in the scene. And let’s not forget the grille above the door and the fantastic shadows on the domed roof.

See I know about this architectural stuff!

Where was the photo taken?

At the reception at the Kasimatis Suites in Imerovigli on the Greek Island of Santorini

What time of day was the photo taken?

4:40pm. I had been out and about all day and was proably going to reception to order breakfast in the room again – such a great thing that they do this. I timed my visit to reception perfectly, with that strong directional light shining straight through the doorway.

I would love to say that this was deliberate but it was purely conincidental!

It was defintely pre-drinks by the pool before sunset though.

What photography gear did I use to get the shot
- Canon 6D
- Canon 24 – 105mm F4 L Lens (focal length used 17mm)
- Hand held
- Peak Design Everyday Backpack
- No red hat – it was absolutely baking hot
- Oakley sunglasses (on my head)
- Red shoes (feet destroyed by this time). OK i might have been wearing flip flops by now!
- And my wrist strap. I forgot all about that.
What camera settings did I use?
- Aperture F9
- Shutter speeds 1/640th second, 1/2500th second and 1/160th second.
- ISO 400
- Back-button focus
- Focal length 28mm
- AV Mode
- RAW format
One interesting fact about the image.

Apart from the fact that I walked in to reception and saw this scene and took a photo of it?

OK – here we go. This is what it looks like late afternoon from the reception at the Kasimatis Suites in Imerovigli.

I alluded to this before. Kasimatis Suites used to be wine cellars, known locallly as canavas. Obviously since tourism has taken off in Santorini this valuable real estate has been converted to a stuning hotel with great views of the caldera.

So the interesting fact is that this is a picture of a former Greek wine cellar.

Is there a behind the scenes video of this shoot?

No. As I just walked up to reception, turned round and took the photo no! I would have got rather strange looks doing that. But then again I could have got one of the staff to video me – I think I missed a trick there.

How did I process the image?

Here is the unedited RAW image. I know, I am always amazed by how awful a RAW file can look. This is the base data for an image. I shoot in RAW as I get the maximum data from an image capture which I can work with in Lightroom.

The contrast from the RAW file to the finished image is quite remarkable I have to say. This is the first (correct exposure) image – look how flat, dull and uninteresting it is!

Lovely late afternoon light spilling into the reception at the Hotel Kasimatis in Imerovigli on the wonderful Greek Island of Santorini. Lovely sunshine illuminating the reception giving depth to the room

The first job in Lightroom is to merge the three images that I took using auto-bracketing on my Canon 6D. The three files are exposed as follows
- Image 1 – correct exposure
- Image 2 – 2 stops under exposed
- Image 3 – 2 stops over exposed
I merge these three images together in Lightroom. Lightroom creates a brand new file which contains the data from the three original images. This is the file that I worked on to produce the image in this post.

And here is what I did in Lightroom

I did some additional local editing, dodging and burning and the finshed off the image in Photoshop.

This was like editing an architectural image for a client, which to be fair almost never feels like work to me.

What could I have done to improve the image?

I could have moved the table to the left a little bit so the table is not ovehanging into the shadow.

Someone sat on the chair? Maybe?

I don’t really know – it was a scene I walked in and took a photo of quickly as I don’t want to over analyse it any more than I already have!

And what are my thoughts on this image?

I like it. I like architectural photography. And I especially love interior photography. I love capturing light interacting with interior spaces.

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

Let me know what you think of this photo of a converted Greek wine cellar. I love it.

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
15/10/2018