This shot is dedicated to =Star-buck - a late birthday present

The Photo

I took this on my recent trip to Italy, on my first morning in Tuscany.
We stayed in San Quirico d’Orcia, a tiny village in the heart of this valley, and I set off at around 6.20am, drove a km or so down the road to where I thought I’d have a decent view, and set off into the fields.
The main problem was that I hadn’t had time to scout the location on the evening before, and when I set up I kept getting the feeling that I would get a better composition a little over to the east, so I set off walking across the fields down one hill and up another in the mist.
When I reached the top of the next hill, same thing, I felt that I’d be better off on the next hill along, so I set off again…

By the time I’d finally reached the top of the next hill over, dawn was beginning to break, I’d walked around 2 kilometers from the car through some really thick mud. My shoes were buried underneath a kilogram of Italian field, and my trousers (which fortunately are waterproof) were also covered in mud.
It was tricky to work there, because everything I put down was immediately filthy, and it’s always at moments like this, when you’re thinking “I really don’t want to drop a filter here” that fate sends one slipping through your fingers.
Consequently I spent a fair amount of the morning trying to clean muddy filters and cable release, because once it’s on your hands, it’s of course going to be transferred to everything you touch.

Still, it was more than worth it. My final spot gave me a fantastic view over the entire mist-filled valley, completely free of telephone wires, and with different elements to compose in the mist in different directions.
I spent around an hour and a half shooting, after which the sun had got quite high in the sky and had burnt off most of the morning’s mist.

I was looking forward to shooting there again on the next two mornings, but as it turned out, the following mornings were incredibly foggy with no visibility, making it almost impossible to shoot, so this first morning was the only one I got.

Metadata

Taken in Val d’Orcia, Tuscany, Italy
Nikon D3 | Nikkor 80-400 ED VR
Gitzo GT2541 tripod w/ Gitzo GH1780QR ballhead
1/350 | f13 | 200mm

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