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During the two week holiday that my wife Liz and I enjoyed on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Crete one of the places we kept on driving around was the northern end of Mirabello Bay,.
Specifically, the stretch of coast between the towns of Elounda and Plaka, with the island of Spinalonga just offshore.
Spinalonga is a fascinating place, with a rich and diverse history culminating in its use as a leper colony up until 1957.
Liz had a special interest in Spinalonga, having read the book 'The Island', which was based here, so Spinaonga was on our list of 'must visit' places during our stay on Crete.
I was also keen on a visit, having viewed Spinalonga from afar and noted the rather imposing fortifications, a relic from Venetian rule in the middle ages, which looked highly photogenic if you're into dereliction like me!
There's a path that you can follow that takes you right around the circumference of the island at sea level, passing a number of those imposing fortifications in various states of dilapidation.
It was getting on the afternoon as we arrived on the far side of Spinalonga, with the sun tracking lower in the sky and shadows starting to lengthen.
The sun, being lower in the sky, made for some lovely chiarscuro effects on the old stone fortifications and ramparts, with certain features being picked out in sunlight while surrounding areas were cloaked in shadow.
This zigzag stretch of wall, leading to a domed cupola gleaming in the sun against the deep azure of the Mediterranean Sea, was in just such lighting, and I made the effort to climb up onto the wall to frame up this composition, to make sure there was a slice of blue sea between the wall and the background hills over on mainland Crete.
Filename - crete spinalonga 10.jpg
Camera - Canon 6D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 73mm
Exposure - 1/80sec @ f8, ISO100
Filters - Polarising filter used to reduce glare and enhance colours.
Location - Spinalonga, Crete
This image - 800x533px JPEG
Conversion - Adobe Lightroom
Comments - Image slighty underexposed to preserve highlight on the brightly lit wall.
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