Solitude On Sedgemoor

"

The grass that morning was damp underfoot and a light mist hung over the river. The sun began to rise on the horizon with Glastonbury Tor clearly visible in the hazy distance.

This is South Drain at Catcot a very special place for me on the Somerset levels.

It's a place I’ve photographed for more than 35 years and in an area I learned my photography.

More than all that it’s a place I brought my mum regularly in her twilight years to enjoy the view.

The image here was captured not long after her passing.

I ventured out at dawn with my drone wanting a fresh perspective of this familiar place and I certainly got that.

https://youtu.be/Jn4ZhzqcIAQ

The grass that morning was damp underfoot and a light mist hung over the river. The sun began to rise on the horizon with Glastonbury Tor clearly visible in the hazy distance.

I only flew for around 20 minutes but the wonderful new perspective of this familiar place was incredible

https://bit.ly/3qNEbK7

A Brief Moment In The Palace.

A Brief Moment In The Palace.

It’s funny, sometimes I will process and create images within days of completing a shoot.

Other times, as with this image, they can wait for months, if not years for me to get the right inspiration to create something.

I knew the final image I created for this image of a statue in the courtyard of the Grand Masters Palace had to be sympathetic to the wonderfully quiet but brief time I spent there early one summer morning.

The time finally came and inspiration took me to complete the image here with the colours and tones that I felt were fitting of the experiences of the brief beautiful morning.

Rhodes A-Brief-Moment-In-The-Palace-Of-Grand-Masters
https://bit.ly/3TdU4Fk

MOUSE ISLAND DAWN

Mouse Island Dawn

This small Island of Pontikonisi is better known as Mouse Island and is located at the mouth of the Halkiopoulos lagoon in Corfu Greece.

According to the legend, Pontikonissi was Odysseus’s ship, the vessel that brought the legendary king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey to the island of the Phaeacians.

It was during a terrible storm that the boat was washed out on the shores of the island, and god Poseidon turned his boat into this green rock, giving it his name.

The small church on the island is called Panagia Vlacherna.

I had already captured the island from a high vantage point from the cliffs at dusk.

For this image I wanted to get much closer and a more intimate angle of the Panagia Vlacherna church. 

Getting to walkway that lead to the island was going to be my first obstacle.

I had no car having returned it to the hire company a day or so earlier so I was looking to walk to the location.

This meant a long walk on the road or apparently told a short walk via the beach 

The beach was my first choice but only if the tide was low enough allow me access and I definitely didn't fancy a swim with a 4ib tripod in tow! 

Fortunately tide and light were in my favour and I reached the walkway leading to the church just as the sun rose above the horizon and began to burn the mist off the distant mountains It looked spectacular, I setup the tripod and camera and began to shoot.

My job was easy I simply had to set up my composition and enjoy the unfolding of the sun upon the scene. It was breathtaking.

Mouse Island is probably the most famous landmark of Corfu and this fine art print has been a popular addition to my art gallery.

https://bit.ly/3SPrY1X

Etherial Beauty At Athena Lindia

Etherial Beauty At Athena Lindia 

I entered the citadel high above the town of Lindos as soon as the gates opened.

If I had my way I’d had been set up and shooting at first light but that was not possible as the site was out of bounds to the public until 8am.

Ive visited the site a couple of times over the years but this time I wanted to shoot in the early morning light without hordes of tourists.

The light was fabulous, crystal clear and still fairly low enough in the sky to create some wonderful textures upon the historic pillars and dusty ground.

I covered many angles but I do admit I love shooting into the sun when I can.

Contre-jour light is one of the most beautiful hence why it’s been used by fashion photographers for decades.

Being here pretty much on my own was wonderful although I didn’t have much time to sit around (which was a shame) admiring the location.

I knew the coaches of tourists were no doubt on route and the site would soon get busy plus the light was also gaining in intensity and losing those wonderful textures.

This was probably my favourite image created from that morning. 

I love the tree caressing the temple wall and the pop of colour it adds to the bright tones of the location from it’s leaves.

As I often do at these incredible places I gazed at the scene wondering what things had unfolded here over the centuries.

These historic sites have fascinated me since childhood and inspire me to continue to capture them in my own particular way.

https://bit.ly/44LjrRL

Silent Bell

Silent Bell Monolithos 

Jaw-dropping was my overwhelming emotion when I first visited Monolithos.

This fairly remote location took a while to drive to through the mountains but on arrival that was forgotten about.

We parked close to a small taverna below the hill and walked up the picturesque path and steps to the top. 

The site was once the location of a castle built by the Knights of Saint John and now 

two 15th-century chapels remain St. Panteleimon and St. George.

The day I first visited the site was packed full of balanced stone towers. Im not sure if that had any significance but they were no longer at the site on my two other visits.

The panoramic views from here are simply stunning encompassing the mountains and down over the sea and coastline for miles.

Monolithos is a  location that I feel needs a drone to really capture just how incredible it is.

My plan at some point  is to find accomodation near by and head out on one of my morning trips with my drone to capture this incredible place in all it’s glory.

++

“RHODES 10 PLACES TO VISIT FOR STUNNING 

PHOTO LOCATIONS”  

Receive My Free eBook

Download & View Details Here https://bit.ly/collectiveemail

https://bit.ly/49OC9ea

Bygone Farming In Somerset

Bygone Farming In Somerset

I’ve mentioned before the Somerset Levels is where I learnt my photography as a young man spending many hours getting lost down droves and lanes, taking hundreds of pictures many of which were total failures, but provided me with a great learning curve and rather large archive.

Yesterday I went with my family to a favourite and special place on the Somerset levels at Catcot.

On the way home, we decided to stop off at Shapwick Visitor Centre to look around the gallery and have a coffee.

I admired many of the artists that were represented in the gallery, and one particularly who is quite well-known for his watercolour paintings of Somerset, farming and the countryside.

It reminded me of some images I’d captured nearly 20 years ago of a historic agricultural show near Langport.

I decided to delve into my vast archive of well over 300 thousand images and find them to take a look at what I documented.

What I found filled me with huge excitement as I could see the potential they held.

It’s not uncommon for me to capture images that I’m drawn to and then file them away without touching them further for a few months but 19 years is probably a record! 

I’ve now created a beautiful collection that I’ll be offering in my fine art gallery shortly

Here are a couple you might enjoy and share with some who may remember these tractors and way of life.

https://bit.ly/3xjcigb

Ascend To The Temple

Ascend To The Temple

Steps ascend towards the temple ruins at the acropolis above Lindos Rhodes.

This was the morning I entered the citadel above Lindos as soon as the gates opened around 8.00 am.

Rather late in the morning for my desire to capture great light but not being able to enter the site before opening without seeking some special permissions and no doubt a whole lot of paperwork I decided I’d just have to take what light I was blessed with.

As it turned out everything still looked beautiful and I ventured around the site enjoying the place pretty much to myself

https://bit.ly/3wk8Gdk

Nina Vasiliou

Nina Vasiliou The Lady  Who Lived At The Edge Of A Volcano

Social Media Answers My 20 Year Old Questions.

https://youtu.be/k-jGJjyIp8w
https://bit.ly/3R51pGo