Though Autumn is traditionally a season of letting things go, it can also be a season of renewal and rebirth.It can be a time to adopt a fresh new outlook on life and find enjoyment in the little things.
A beautiful medieval bridge in the heart of the forest. Located at an altitude of around 440 meters with the forest of Paphos, this is a must for your autumn explorations.
The Tzelefos Bridge is the largest medieval stone bridge ever to be built in Cyprus and still stands today. It towers of the Diarizos River, the fourth largest river in Cyprus that starts from the Troodos mountains and flows into the district of Paphos.
It was built to serve as the connection between villages such as Milikouri and Agios Ioannis that are located on the west bank and, Agios Nikoloas and Treis Elies, located on the eastern bank.
What people notice about this bridge in the height above the river and its narrowness. It also is considered to be one of the most magical locations of the whole island due to it being built deep within the forest.
It is the largest medieval stone-built bridge in Cyprus and it stands as one of the most photographed sights of Cyprus.
In ancient times, it was called “Vokaros” (from the world “separating”). There are several versions of the name of the bridge. For instance, it might come from the Greek word “kelefos” that means weak, ill. The name is likely to be linked to a person that got sick or died during the construction of the bridge.
The scenic setting of the Medieval bridge is ideal for visiting all year round and it is ever changing. It is easy to walk to the bridge from the parking lot and there is a walking trail starting from the bridge.
The river crossing the bridge is one of a handful in Cyprus that has water flowing all year round to end in Arminou dam.
The purpose of my getaway in the forest is that i wanted to practice and learn how to take long exposure photography. Long Exposure Photography has become very popular the last few years and has been adopted by many photographers (professionals and amateurs), it’s a handy technique.
What i have realized about this technique is that it’s actually quite complicated and that the best thing to do was to write it down so that I didn’t leave out anything important.
I was planning this trip for a long time and yesterday was the perfect opportunity when one of my friends Anna called me, and said ‘Lets Go!’
Without any hesitation, we prepared our backpacks, our photography equipment, got something to eat on the way and we headed off to the mountains. We really enjoyed our way to the forest, listening to music and catching up after a few months apart.
When we finally reached our destination, we really enjoyed the mystical atmosphere of the forest, the clear air, the sounds of the surroundings it was all a true ambience.
What i have learned about long exposure photography so far?
Long exposure photography allows us to record the trail of any movement, as far or slow as it may be. Because this is something our vision can never experience, the results are simply awe inspiring. technique in which the camera’s shutter is left open during a somewhat lengthy period of time. The resulting image captures the trail of moving objects in front of the camera, while showing still elements razor sharp.
There are a few things to bear in mind when taking long exposure shots which i have noted yesterday:
1) You must have a tripod, or something secure to rest your camera on. I also used a 2-second timer delay. Any camera shake will blur the otherwise-sharp surroundings.
2) Always shoot in RAW, so that you can do the adjustments to white balance, exposure, etc.
3) Make sure your sensor is clean.
4) Manually focus the image, otherwise a lot of blurry photos will come out.
5) Using the Aperture Priority mode, set the depth of field required for the scene. Using the lowest ISO, take a test image and make a note of the resulting shutter speed calculated by the camera. It may be useful to check the histogram to make sure that the captured image is correctly exposed.
6) Calculate the revised shutter speed based on the strength of the filter attached. This is calculated by doubling the shutter speed for each stop of light reduced. The aperture and ISO should remain unchanged.
7) If the image is under or overexposed, increase or decrease the shutter time where appropriate and take another image.
8) Play around with a combination of different filters to get the right exposure length/aperture for the shot you’re looking for.
9) As it gets darker you will need less glass and longer exposures.
10) Wrap up warm – it can take a long time to take these shots.
11) Don’t get completely carried away! Take some normal, filterless shots too. It’s good to be able to compare the difference to see which you prefer.
It does take a little while to get the hang of long exposure photography but with a bit of practice it will soon become second nature. As you will see from my photos in this article, i think i manage to take a few right ones, what do you think?
Really looking forward for my next long exposure photography getaway very soon!
Keep reading and keep watching my blog for new stuff!! 🙂
