Belvedere - Val d'Orcia - Tuscany

[Hans Kruse]

Well the iconic location again and this time in late October 2017. Very different from May not only the crop but especially the light is so different at that time of year. Even then there is a fight for the tripod holes

Golden morning by Hans Kruse, on Flickr

[KMRennie]

Hi Hans lovely image, as always. My thoughts on famous places.
Images of honeypot locations are judged differently from other images. Is this the best photograph of this location that I have ever seen? Is the image different enough from the thousands of other shots of this location? The reason that these locations are popular is that it is fairly easy to solve the compositional conundrum of including everything that is necessary and excluding everything that is not. It also helps that the weather conditions are often helpful and produce light coming from advantageous directions. Taking the Val d’Orcia example I note that the image is often taken in very soft and often misty conditions and take it that this area is often misty and this definitely helps to produce images that are different from the norm even if the norm in certain weeks in Tuscany is soft and misty. It also helps that the elements that the photographer has to work with in the famous locations are usually in themselves beautiful. Having said that it is easy to take images in popular locations it must be extremely difficult to produce something new. I live on the edge of the English Lake District and have a few honepot locations nearby. I don’t ignore them and often photograph them especially if the weather conditions are exceptional however I get more satisfaction from getting a good image from an “unknown” location.
Ken

[Hans Kruse]

Hi Hans lovely image, as always. My thoughts on famous places.
Images of honeypot locations are judged differently from other images. Is this the best photograph of this location that I have ever seen? Is the image different enough from the thousands of other shots of this location? The reason that these locations are popular is that it is fairly easy to solve the compositional conundrum of including everything that is necessary and excluding everything that is not. It also helps that the weather conditions are often helpful and produce light coming from advantageous directions. Taking the Val d’Orcia example I note that the image is often taken in very soft and often misty conditions and take it that this area is often misty and this definitely helps to produce images that are different from the norm even if the norm in certain weeks in Tuscany is soft and misty. It also helps that the elements that the photographer has to work with in the famous locations are usually in themselves beautiful. Having said that it is easy to take images in popular locations it must be extremely difficult to produce something new. I live on the edge of the English Lake District and have a few honepot locations nearby. I don’t ignore them and often photograph them especially if the weather conditions are exceptional however I get more satisfaction from getting a good image from an “unknown” location.
Ken

Thanks Ken for your thoughts. Since I'm running workshops in Tuscany I need to go to all the iconic places and it is not that I don't like these locations, but in a few of them you are severely limited because you need to show up very early to secure your spot and you can't move as then somebody else will take it. That's on part I don't like. The other is the many shots of the same location. But it is definitely possible to shoot even Belvedere in a unique way in terms of what you select especially with a longer lens. The weather is a big factor, of course, as it is everywhere else. I can't say that there are more misty weather in this location than in so many other locations, but it surely helps with special light and atmosphere. The thing I like about this location is that there are many subselections of the entire scene that can make a picture and if the house is not included you might not know that it is taken there.

A couple of attempts to make something different than the usual shots:

Belvedere view by Hans Kruse, on Flickr

I love wine by Hans Kruse, on Flickr

Belvedere in the fog by Hans Kruse, on Flickr

Morning sun on rolling hills by Hans Kruse, on Flickr

Tuscany morning with fog by Hans Kruse, on Flickr

Tuscany morning at Belvedere by Hans Kruse, on Flickr

Belvedere in Val d'Orcia in May by Hans Kruse, on Flickr

[32BT]

Interesting discussions.

I think that one of the best options for iconic locations is to try to reduce to the absolute bare minimum to still capture and convey the atmosphere. That's why i like the "Tuscan gold" image you posted. I would definitely try to capture just a road on a rolling hill, one cyprustree, and the golden light. Just that. Iconic symbols for Tuscany, arranged in the most pleasing way possible.

(Searching for bucketlist now)

[Riaan van Wyk]

I'm rather glad I don't live in that house.

[elliot_n]

I'm rather glad I don't live in that house.

Indeed!

Hans, have you met the residents?

[Hans Kruse]

Indeed!

Hans, have you met the residents?

No, never. There are some big dogs barking if you go down a bit on the road leading to the house and I didn't feel like going there. There are some other landowners who a re really fed up with the many people coming there and not respecting the crop and they land. The person who owns the olive field where most of the shooting is done from have not tried to stop people from going to the spot. I could imagine this would happen. In Umbria in the Monte Sibbilinni Park just below the now destroyed village of Castelluccio the farmers who grow the lental fields have gotten more and more agressive in trying to people out of their fields. I wonder what it was like this year in late June, but access is now severely limited with only one road open into the area.