THE FASSA VALLEY

ITALY

IMAGE NUMBER 1023

Located in Trentino in northeastern Italy, Val di Fassa is one of the major and most well known valleys of the region. The alpine valley is most famous for its Dolomites, which in 2009 became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the most spectacular mountains in the world, the Dolomites are the pride of Val di Fassa, especially during the winter season when thousands of tourists flock to the numerous ski slopes.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/200th of a second and an aperture of F11. Schneider Kreuznach 45 lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

THE FASSA VALLEY

ITALY

IMAGE NUMBER 1022

Located in Trentino in northeastern Italy, Val di Fassa is one of the major and most well known valleys of the region. The alpine valley is most famous for its Dolomites, which in 2009 became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the most spectacular mountains in the world, the Dolomites are the pride of Val di Fassa, especially during the winter season when thousands of tourists flock to the numerous ski slopes.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 50. Exposure of 1/60th of a second and an aperture of F14. Schneider Kreuznach 80 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

MT. ETNA

SICILY

IMAGE NUMBER 987

Mt Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, between the cities of Messina and Catania. It is the highest active volcano in Europe outside the Caucasus. It is currently 3,326 m (10,912 ft) high, though this varies with summit eruptions. It is the highest peak in Italy south of the Alps. Etna covers an area of 1,190 km2 (459 sq mi) with a basal circumference of 140 km (87 miles). This makes it by far the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy, being about two and a half times the height of the next largest, Mount Vesuvius.
This image captures the interface between Etna’s lava flows and the forest. The perimeter is marked by trees killed by the lava.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 50. Exposure of 1/8th of a second and an aperture of F18. Schneider Kreuznach 80 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

WILDFLOWERS

PIETRAPERZIA, SICILY

IMAGE NUMBER 963

Sicily, the biggest of the Mediterranean islands, boasts over 3000 different wildflowers that grow on its shores. The exuberant island wildflowers create explosions of form and color that have long astonished and inspired visitors from northern climes to come to admire the island’s flora–historical diaries and letters from visitors to the island are full of awed descriptions of the plant life they found here.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 50. Exposure of 1/8th of a second and an aperture of f22. Schneider Kreuznach 80 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

WILDFLOWERS

COTI-CHIAVARI, CORSICA, FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 962

Wildflower season is particularly beautiful on Corsica. Tender pink, yellow, and white colors paint the island slopes when the wildflowers bloom. At this time the Corsican air is filled with a strong floral perfume. It is said that in Spring ancient mariners could sense their proximity to the island from the perfume in the air.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/13th of a second and an aperture of f22. Schneider Kreuznach 80 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

LES CALANCHES

CORSICA, FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 951

Snaking south from Porto to Piana in the north west of Corsica, the coast road through the Calanches is one of the most dramatic in Europe, an almost surreal landscape of wind-eroded granite cliffs that drop vertically into the deep indigo of the gulf. The cliffs are red, pink, russet and honey, carved into precipitous pinnacles by the elements and up to 300 metres above the sea in some places.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/80th of a second and an aperture of f8. Schneider Kreuznach 45 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

WILDFLOWERS

CORSICA, FRANCE

IMAGE NUMBER 950

Wildflower season is particularly beautiful on Corsica. Tender pink, yellow, and white colors paint the island slopes when the wildflowers bloom. At this time the Corsican air is filled with a strong floral perfume. It is said that in Spring ancient mariners could sense their proximity to the island from the perfume in the air.

This image of the maquis in Corsica near Aregno captures the intense, varied and abundant wildflower display for which Corsica is world famous.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/80th of a second and an aperture of f8. Schneider Kreuznach 45 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.

REDGUMS

MT. STURGEON, WESTERN DISTRICT, VICTORIA

IMAGE NUMBER 940

Mt Sturgeon Station in the Southern Grampians of Victoria, was established by Dr Robert Martin in 1839. It is one of Australia's iconic merino wool producers.  After Martin's ownership, Mt Sturgeon became the jewel in the crown of the Armytage rural empire - although the family seldom visited from their urban mansion "Como" in Melbourne.  Mt Sturgeon's bluestone homestead is the essence of the Western District “squattocracy”. In the 1980's it was purchased by the billionaire, Alan Myers, the son of the local butcher, who has a passion for the village of Dunkeld which nestles outside the station. 

For Atticus, the most exciting things about the property are the red gums beneath Mt Sturgeon, many of them hundreds of years old. There is is nothing like them elsewhere. They are the mightiest trees in Australia, notwithstanding the tourist promos of other districts.

TECHNICAL NOTES


The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 50. Exposure of 200th of a second and an aperture of f8.  Schneider Kreuznach 80mm lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.  

THE VIEW FROM MONTSERRAT

NORTHERN SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 761

Montserratis a multi-peaked rocky range located near Barcelona, Spain.  It is well known as the site of the Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat, which hosts the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary and which is identified with the location of the Holy Grail in Arthurian myth. It is part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range. The main peaks are Sant Jeroni (1,236 m), Montgrós (1,120 m) and Miranda de les Agulles (903 m). 

"Montserrat" literally means "saw (serrated, like the common handsaw) mountain" in Catalan. It describes its peculiar aspect with multitude of rock formations which are visible from a great distance. The mountain is composed of strikingly pink conglomerate, a form of sedimentary rock. Montserrat was Spain's first National Park.  The highest summit of Montserrat is called Sant Jeroni (Saint Jerome) and stands at 1,236 meters (4,055 feet) above sea-level. It is accessible by hiking trails which connect from the top entrance to the Sant Joan funicular, the monastery, or the base of the mountain. 

Every day, the Monastery of Montserrat is visited by thousands of tourists.  Atticus decided to spare you those images.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/55th of a second and an aperture of f8.  45 mm Phase One wide angle lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

RONDA

ANDALUSIA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 712b

Ronda is a city located about 100 km west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000 .   The Guadalevín River runs through the city, dividing it in two and carving out the steep, 100-plus-meter- deep El Tajo canyon upon which the city perches.  The canyon is completely unexpected as the visitor approaches. 

Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles spent many summers in Ronda as part-time residents of Ronda's old-town quarter called La Ciudad. Both wrote about Ronda's beauty and famous bullfighting traditions.  Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls describes the execution of Nationalist sympathizers early in the Spanish Civil War. The Republicans murder the Nationalists by throwing them from cliffs in an Andalusian village, and Hemingway allegedly based the account on killings that took place in Ronda at the cliffs of El Tajo.  Orson Welles said he was inspired by his frequent trips to Spain and Ronda.  After he died in 1985, his ashes were buried in a well on the rural property of his friend, retired bullfighter Antonio Ordoñez.  

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/500th of a second and an aperture of f7.1.  28 mm Schneider Kreuznach wide angle lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

RONDA

ANDALUSIA, SPAIN

IMAGES NUMBER 712 (top) & 712a (bottom)

Ronda is a city located about 100 km west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000 .   The Guadalevín River runs through the city, dividing it in two and carving out the steep, 100-plus-meter- deep El Tajo canyon upon which the city perches.  The canyon is completely unexpected as the visitor approaches. 

Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles spent many summers in Ronda as part-time residents of Ronda's old-town quarter called La Ciudad. Both wrote about Ronda's beauty and famous bullfighting traditions.  Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls describes the execution of Nationalist sympathizers early in the Spanish Civil War. The Republicans murder the Nationalists by throwing them from cliffs in an Andalusian village, and Hemingway allegedly based the account on killings that took place in Ronda at the cliffs of El Tajo.  Orson Welles said he was inspired by his frequent trips to Spain and Ronda.  After he died in 1985, his ashes were buried in a well on the rural property of his friend, retired bullfighter Antonio Ordoñez.  

TECHNICAL NOTES

The images were taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 199. Exposure of 1/400th of a second and an aperture of f7.1.  28 mm Schneider Kreuznach wide angle lens with leaf shutter.   The images were captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

 

RONDA

ANDALUSIA, SPAIN

IMAGE NUMBER 711

Ronda is a city located about 100 km west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000 .  The Guadalevín River runs through the city, dividing it in two and carving out the steep, 100-plus-meter- deep El Tajo canyon upon which the city perches.  The canyon is completely unexpected as the visitor approaches. 

Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles spent many summers in Ronda as part-time residents of Ronda's old-town quarter called La Ciudad. Both wrote about Ronda's beauty and famous bullfighting traditions.  Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls describes the execution of Nationalist sympathizers early in the Spanish Civil War. The Republicans murder the Nationalists by throwing them from cliffs in an Andalusian village, and Hemingway allegedly based the account on killings that took place in Ronda at the cliffs of El Tajo.  Orson Welles said he was inspired by his frequent trips to Spain and Ronda.  After he died in 1985, his ashes were buried in a well on the rural property of his friend, retired bullfighter Antonio Ordoñez.  

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/13th of a second and an aperture of f20.  28 mm Schneider Kreuznach wide angle lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

TREE

CENTRAL GREECE

Image Number 412

This tree, captured on a misty morning was situated on a cliff adjacent to the small Monastery Church of "Timios Stavros" in Doliana-Trikala in central Greece about 80 klm from Meteroa.  

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/111th second and aperture F4.5.   45mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

ROUSANOU MONASTERY

METEORA, CENTRAL GREECE

Image Number 414

The Metéora, literally "middle of the sky", is one of the largest and most important complexes of Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars in central Greece. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.   In the 9th century AD, hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. More than 20 monasteries were built, beginning in the 14th century.  Until the 17th century, the primary means of conveying goods and people from these eyries was by means of baskets and ropes. Six monasteries remain today.  Each monastery has fewer than 10 inhabitants.  The Monastery of Rousanou was built in the 16th century.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/80th second and aperture F5.   45mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

ROUSANOU MONASTERY

METEORA, CENTRAL GREECE

Image Number 413

The Metéora, literally "middle of the sky", is one of the largest and most important complexes of Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars in central Greece. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.   In the 9th century AD, hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. More than 20 monasteries were built, beginning in the 14th century.  Until the 17th century, the primary means of conveying goods and people from these eyries was by means of baskets and ropes. Six monasteries remain today.  Each monastery has fewer than 10 inhabitants.  The Monastery of Rousanou was built in the 16th century.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/60th second and aperture F5.   45mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

MONASTERY OF ST. NICHOLAS ANAPOUSAS

METEORA, CENTRAL GREECE

Image Number 406

The Metéora, literally "middle of the sky", is one of the largest and most important complexes of Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars in central Greece. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.   In the 9th century AD, hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. More than 20 monasteries were built, beginning in the 14th century.  Until the 17th century, the primary means of conveying goods and people from these eyries was by means of baskets and ropes. Six monasteries remain today.  Each monastery has fewer than 10 inhabitants.  The Monastery of St Nicholas Anapousas was built in the 16th century.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/6 of a second and aperture F14.   150mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

ROUSANOU MONASTERY

METEORA, CENTRAL GREECE

Image Number 405

The Metéora, literally "middle of the sky", is one of the largest and most important complexes of Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars in central Greece. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.   In the 9th century AD, hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. More than 20 monasteries were built, beginning in the 14th century.  Until the 17th century, the primary means of conveying goods and people from these eyries was by means of baskets and ropes. Six monasteries remain today.  Each monastery has fewer than 10 inhabitants.  The Monastery of Rousanou was built in the 16th century.

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 1/3 of a second and aperture F14.   150mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

VARLAAM MONASTERY

METEORA, CENTRAL GREECE

Image Number 403

The Metéora, literally "middle of the sky", is one of the largest and most important complexes of Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars in central Greece. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.   In the 9th century AD, hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. More than 20 monasteries were built, beginning in the 14th century.  Until the 17th century, the primary means of conveying goods and people from these eyries was by means of baskets and ropes. Six monasteries remain today.  Each monastery has fewer than 10 inhabitants.  The Holy Monastery of Varlaam – The Holy Monastery of Varlaam is the second largest monastery in the Metéora complex. It was built in 1541.   

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 4/5ths of a second and aperture F12.   150mm Schneider Kreuznach lens with leaf shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

VARLAAM MONASTERY

METEORA, CENTRAL GREECE

Image Number 402

The Metéora, literally "middle of the sky", is one of the largest and most important complexes of Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars in central Greece. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.   In the 9th century AD, hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. More than 20 monasteries were built, beginning in the 14th century.  Until the 17th century, the primary means of conveying goods and people from these eyries was by means of baskets and ropes. Six monasteries remain today.  Each monastery has fewer than 10 inhabitants.  The Holy Monastery of Varlaam – The Holy Monastery of Varlaam is the second largest monastery in the Metéora complex. It was built in 1541.    Beyond it is the Monastery of the Holy Trinity (1475).

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of2seconds and aperture F10.   45mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.  

 

GREAT METEORA MONASTERY

METEORA, CENTRAL GREECE

Image Number 400

The Metéora, literally "middle of the sky", is one of the largest and most important complexes of Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars in central Greece. The Metéora is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.   In the 9th century AD, an ascetic group of hermit monks moved up to the ancient pinnacles.  They lived in hollows and fissures in the rock towers, some as high as 1800 ft (550m) above the plain. The hermit monks, seeking a retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, found the inaccessible rock pillars of Meteora to be an ideal refuge. More than 20 monasteries were built, beginning in the 14th century.  Until the 17th century, the primary means of conveying goods and people from these eyries was by means of baskets and ropes. Six monasteries remain today.  Each monastery has fewer than 10 inhabitants.  

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 35. Exposure of 4 seconds and aperture F16.   45mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.