Travel Photography: True Colors of Santorini, Greece, the travel story behind the images.
“I never stop thinking about color even during my dinner on Santorini Island.
I loved the cherry tomatoes. Not only do they taste great, but oh boy,
they where really red.” - GD -
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Santorini, Greece - “The liquid road.”
It is winter in Europe now and I thought to give everybody a little break from Asia and share with you some photos from one of my favorite places... called Santorini in Greece all images on this post are taken a few years ago during the winter month of February.
"The story behind the images."
Santorini in Greece, one of the most thought after holiday destinations for the rich and famous, also a destination for Honeymooners and a popular spot for the Gay community during the summer month, but Santorini has a lot more to offer; from incredible Landscapes, amazing colors, great wines and the super red cherry tomatoes.
During a trip to Germany in February I decided to take a little detour and swing by this island on my way home to Manila.
It was in the middle of winter and the weather in the Mediterranean can get cold and extremely windy, my short flight from Athens to the island was even delayed for a few hours due to weather conditions.
Wow I thought, I wonder how this one is going to turn out…I had decided to go to Santorini for it's amazing colors… you know how much I love colors, but going there in the middle of winter...well almost everyone said I was ga, ga.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Santorini, Greece - "Right behind me."
But then I always go to places in the off season anyway, when only a few tourists hanging around and in the case of Santorini there were almost none.
Santorini is famous for its blue skies and beautiful sunny weather during the summer month, but what I wanted was not just boring blue skies but dramatic clouds on the horizon and I was really hoping for my kind of weather.
Once I arrived on the island I started to walk…kilometers everyday, it was windy and chilly but the sun came out during the day and in the afternoon I was blessed with some amazing clouds and fantastic light.
OK, I have to admit it was cold, very windy and finding an open Restaurant not far from my small empty Hotel in the evenings became a real challenge.
Of course I had to eat sometimes, but after running around all day I was not in the mood to cover the whole Island again and finding a restaurant.
After a few hours on my first day I did managed and found a very cozy place, close by my Hotel, where I had my Greek Salads every night with a special order of those locally grown real red cheery tomatoes and some Santorini wine, which BTW is excellent.
It was on my 3rd day when I spotted an interesting cloud formation; the fading sun already gave me this beautiful light. Oh…I need to get to the right spot now…over to the cliffs, but that was far away…way to far to walk.
After waiting on the roadside for a few anxious minutes I managed to flag down a cab, wow that was lucky… not many cabs around that time of the year, told the driver to take me to this cliff I checked out the previous day and off we went.
Uhhh… just made it, no time to spare to put up a Tripod, I run over to the cliff…greeted by yet another one of natures amazing light spectacles. I named this image later “The liquid road.” see above.
The asphalt road carved out of the cliffs below leading down to the Santorini Harbor was shining like oil…an awesome sight.
The whole spectacle lasted no longer then a few minutes before the road turned back to its normal color and the magic light on the cliffs slowly disappeared.
So, here I was shooting like crazy, taking a breather now and then, I turned around…holy cow… now I know why everything looks so fantastic, a cloud formation subduing the sun was creating these amazing colors on the cliff face and made the road look like liquid.
I managed to squeeze in a few extra shots from what happen right behind me, without moving an inch just turning around on my heels.
So there you have it, above are two cool images from one position, yet another lucky day for me.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Santorini, Greece - during the winter months.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Santorini, Greece - another great afternoon
Observing the weather and checking your locations upon arrival makes all the difference, I even took a taxi the first day just driving around the island checking locations where I would like to be in the late afternoon.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Santorini, Greece - walking the narrow streets
I came to Santorini for its color…I certainly didn’t get disappointed; I was alone, well “almost” exploring this ancient rim of a Volcano for almost two weeks.
“True colors will never change.” - GD -
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Santorini, Greece - stairway to heaven...
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Colors - Santorini, Greece,
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
The archway - Santorini, Greece
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Color & simplicity - Santorini, Greece
Please note: No Photoshop or manipulation on any of the images, these are indeed the true colors of Santorini.
More images from Santorini @ my PhotoShelter Gallery
GD
More information and excerpts from Wikipedia below:
Santorini is essentially what remains of an enormous volcanic explosion, destroying the earliest settlements on what was formerly a single island, and leading to the creation of the current geological caldera.
The island is the remnant of a volcanic cone whose top was blown off. The inner coast around the caldera is a sheer precipice of more than 300 m drop at its highest, and exhibits the various layers of solidified lava on top of each other, and the main towns perched on the crest.
The ground then slopes outwards and downwards towards the outer perimeter, and the outer beaches are smooth and shallow. Beach sand color depends on which geologic layer is exposed; there are beaches with sand or pebbles made of solidified lava of various colors: the Red Beach, the Black Beach, the White Beach, etc. The water at the darker colored beaches is significantly warmer because the lava acts as a heat absorber.
More @ Wikipedia
Travel Photography: Mysterious places... Nan Madol in Pohnpei called the Venice of the Pacific.
Another ancient “Venice”... but where is Nan Madol?
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Spectacular sunset en route from Chuuk near Guam to Pohnpei by boat.
Miles from nowhere...
Nan Madol is often called the “Venice of the Pacific” like Ayutthaya in Thailand which I described recently on my Blog. Another ancient “Venice”, but where is Nan Madol?
Nan Madol is extremely difficult to reach even after the long Journey to Pohnpei in the Pacific, (see map) constructed in the water and can only be reached during favorable tides by small boats or Kayaks.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
In the canals of Nan Madol, Pohnpei
Wow, how I love these ancient civilizations like Angkor Wat, Nan Madol and many others, going back in time and snooping around long forgotten worlds, thinking what it must been like during ancient times.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
"The Venice of the Pacific" the ancient ruins of Nan Madol, Pohnpei
Exploring these ancient ruins is quiet an experience and one starts to wonder how people managed to move such large rocks and build an entire city without the tools we have today.
Nan Madol is shrouded in deep mystery and many Archeologists still debating its origin and its people who build it. More excavation is needed and maybe one day we find out more about the “Venice of the Pacific” called Nan Madol.
But for the time being it will belong to one of those mysterious places I treasure so much.
Some more info & LINKS from Wikipedia below:
GD
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Locals girls enjoying the fresh water underneath
a waterfall on the Island of Pohnpei.
Nan Madol is a ruined city that lies off the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei, in the Federated States of Micronesia, and was the capital of the Saudeleur dynasty until about AD 1500. Pohnpei is one of the wettest places on earth with annual recorded rainfall exceeding 300 inches (7,600 mm) each year in certain mountainous locations.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Lush tropical vegetation on Pohnpei
It is also worth noting that Pohnpei and the ruins of Nan Madol also play a central role in author James Rollins' book, Deep Fathom.
Nan Madol was the ceremonial and political seat of the Saudeleur dynasty, which united Pohnpei's estimated 25,000 people. Set apart on the main island of Pohnpei, it was a scene of human activity as early as the first or second century AD.
A local story holds that when Nan Madol was being built a powerful magician living in the well inhabited region on the northwest of the island was solicited, and that his help was a major factor in completing the buildings. In particular, he was responsible for supplying the huge stone "logs" used in much of Nan Madol by "flying" them from their source to the construction site.
The city Nan Madol consists of a series of small artificial islands linked by a network of canals and is often called the "Venice of the Pacific” The name Nan Madol means "spaces between" and is a reference to the canals that crisscross the ruins. According to Gene Ashby in his book Pohnpei, An Island Argosy, the original name was Soun Nan-leng (Reef of Heaven)
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Children on Pohnpei having fun on the road side with some price tags.
Archaeology
Today Nan Madol forms an archaeological district covering more than 18 km² and includes the stone architecture built up on a coral reef flat along the shore of Temwen Island, several other artificial islets, and the adjacent Pohnpei main island coastline. The site core with its stone walls encloses an area approximately 1.5 km long by 0.5 km wide and it contains nearly 100 artificial islets—stone and coral fill platforms—bordered by tidal canals.
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
"The Venice of the Pacific" the ancient ruins of Nan Madol, Pohnpei
Carbon dating indicates that the construction of Nan Madol began around AD 1200, while excavations show that the area may have been occupied as early as 200 BC. Some probable quarry sites around the island have been identified, but the exact origin of the stones of Nan Madol is yet undetermined. None of the proposed quarry sites exist in Madolenihmw, meaning that the stones must have been transported to their current location. It has been suggested that they might have been floated via raft from the quarry, but no one has successfully demonstrated the process. Archaeologists have yet to unravel the mystery, and some modern
More @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nan_Madol
More interesting information about Nan Madol @ http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/nmad/hd_nmad.htm
Just one more...
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© Gunther Deichmann - www.deichmann-photo.com
Happy face and colorful price tags, Pohnpei.
Travel Photography: Simplicity, Light & True Colors of Boracay Philippines, a colorful Time Machine.
A colorful Time Machine... Simplicity, Light & True Colors
of Boracay Philippines… from 1993 until 2008.
© Gunther Deichmann - Boracay 2008, true colors and
atmosphere of Boracay, Philippines
Sometimes we repeat ourselves, like the other day when I was looking for images in my PhotoShelter Archives and Galleries and I came across the ones from Borobudur and Yogyakarta in Indonesia. (previous post)
A coincident for sure…but it happen again yesterday when searching for particular images for an article on Cambodia.
I stumbled across the Philippines Boracay folder and out of curiosity I had a quick look, but then decided to share some of those photos with you, again a nice mix of film and digital. Time Machine as the name suggest's means going back in time... hence the reason the first photos on this post are the most recent ones, followed by the old-timers.
© Gunther Deichmann - Boracay 2008, colors, simplicity & light
© Gunther Deichmann - Boracay 2008, "The Mask"... simplicity.
© Gunther Deichmann - Boracay 2005, when I woke up in the morning...before brushing my teeth and going to the bathroom I spotted these cloth pegs on the Balcony...the rest you can see above...color, light & simplicity!
I might add that non of the Photos have been altered in Photoshop, well in 1993 Photoshop??? The Digital images have been processed using Aperture using minor adjustments only. Again an interesting mix between film and digital, besides light and color don't change, it is only the equipment and our way of processing today.
So, easy on Photoshop, filters etc.,...believe me, Mother Nature has the best light & colors we could ever ask for and that is a real blessing.
© Gunther Deichmann - Boracay 2003, colors & light with my
very first simple point and shoot Digital Camera, a Canon G2. 
© Gunther Deichmann - "The Colors of Boracay"
& simplicity... film - Fuji Velvia 50 ASA
FM2 Nikon with a 20mm lens - 2002 
© Gunther Deichmann - Boracay 1993, simplicity & colors on Kodachrome film
from the hill top with my then X700 Minolta using a 600mm Minolta lens.
Soon, very soon I stop digging in my Archives and share with you new images from Cambodia, so please stay tuned, I be reporting direct from our GD Photo Workshop base in Siem Reap at the Heritage Suites Hotel.
My special thanks to Shroff International Travel for all those complicated and ever changing travel arrangements in and out of Cambodia. Love you Guys!
GD
Travel Photography: Experience is the mysterious, Borobudur & Yogyakarta Indonesia.
BOROBUDUR & YOGYAKARTA
© Gunther Deichmann - Borobudur Kodachrome 25
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.
It is the source of all true art and science.” - Einstein
It was during the good old Kodachrome days when I visited Borobudur in Indonesia.
While searching for some images the other day it all came back to me…the good old days! Well the days aren’t so bad either now, but my memory started to flash in front of me again.
No Photoshop and very BIG Computers them days… film was it, period.
During my visit to Borobudur I observed the sun and thought it be so nice if I could get the sun to break just through the openings of the stupas…so I waited.
Patience paid of and I managed to squeeze in just a few frames, bracketing the exposure as much as possible and then? Ha, ha NO LCD screen either.
© Gunther Deichmann - Borobudur
Kodachrome 25
I had to wait a few weeks before I got back to Australia, send the film for processing to Melbourne since Kodak was the only Lab who could process Kodachrome at that time.
After the boxes of slides arrived I looked with excitement for those images from Borobudur, once I found them amongst all those others my grin was brighter then the light table…remember no Computer…well only those super large ones which nobody could afford.
In short, this is the story about the image above. (first one)
I am actually planning a Photo Workshop to Yogyakarta, Borobudur and the near by Volcano. If you interested please let me know, this one promise to be very cool and affordable, I post the dates (2011) once I finalized the details, so please stay tuned. I guess this time around it will be all digital.
© Gunther Deichmann - Batik in Yogyakarta, Kodachrome 25
Now I am looking forward to yet another amazing ancient structure this time in Siem Reap, Angkor Wat and surrounding areas. Our Photo Workshop starts by September 12 and includes Phnom Kulen and the mighty Tonle Sap Lake.
Maybe Mr. Einstein visited these places too, who knows but he certainly has a point.
GD
Below some excepts from Wikipedia…for more go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borobudur
Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.
A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.
Borobudur is the biggest Buddhist temple in the ninth century measuring 123 x 123 meters. It was completed centuries before Angkor Wat in Kamboja.
All relief panels in Borobudur temple reflect Buddha's teachings. For the reason, this temple functions as educating medium for those who want to learn Buddhism.
The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage.
Borobudur a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Jogjakarta City (also Jogja, Yogya, Jogjakarta) is a city in the Yogyakarta Special Region, Indonesia. It is renowned as a center of classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry, and puppet shows.
Aperture 3:Travel Photography...Tip for Places, use your iPhone or your Digital Camera with a GPS
Recent visited places from Mindoro Isl., Puerto Galera, City
of Batangas, Makati and Manila shown as Satellite Map
If you're not using a Digital Camera with a GPS function that is Ok. just use your iPhone and whenever you stop or from the Car window take a quick shot. Later import the photos from your iPhone into Aperture 3 activate Places and the rest is easy. I be writing a lot more about this cool addition from the road. Click on the Places icon at the upper right hand side at the toolbar to get you started.
Recent visited places in Makati and Manila shown as Road Map
10 days ago I went to the Island of Mindoro/Puerto Galera and I took some happy snaps with the iPhone, then on the way back I also stopped in Batangas and then back to Manila. Of course there have been some gaps where I didn't stop to get some images but all the rest had been recorded, very accurate I might add, see the attached screenshots. Map options are Satellite - Road or Terrain.
Ok the only "drawback" is that my wife from now on always knows where I am or I have been, ha, ha. but that is fine with me too, nothing to hide.
Recent visited places in Makati and Manila shown as Terrain Map
To activate your Places before they work you have to go first to the Aperture 3 Preferences settings and activate it, then click on the Advanced setting a small drop down menu appears and you see Look up Places, the default setting is on Never just click on the Automatically and you're done.
Again an excellent new addition to Aperture 3 and as you can see I am getting fine tuned for my big trip starting next week.
GD
