S. Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

803-240 [SNFCC pano]

The new Greek Cultural Center in Athens, with its ease of access, beauty, diversity, novelty and tens of other reasons, offers itself as an irresistible photographic spot. Ideal, I might say, for amateur photographers who would like to experiment and improve their skills. One of my favorite spots!
 
On this spot, I often spend some relaxing time shooting panoramas. Occasionally, repeating the ones that failed! Why not? It’s free, enjoyable and educating! The above rectilinear panorama resulted from stitching 17 vertical pictures.
 
Photographed in Athens on October 02, 2019.
 

803_0286 [SNFCC pano]

 This is also a composition of 17 pictures but processed in a way that would produce a cylindrical panorama. I had never tried this process before but I thought the series of trees might yield an interesting result. So, I gave it a try.
 
Photographed in Athens on September 26, 2017.

Please click on both pictures to have a better view.

 

The Cathedral of Athens

802_6445 [Athens cathedral]

The Cathedral of Athens is centrally located, very close to Syntagma Square, and constitutes a major landmark of the city. It is 40 m long, 20 m wide and 24 m high. It’s construction started on Christmas Day of 1842 and was completed 20 years later. On May 21, 1862 it was dedicated to the Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary at the presence of the King Otto and Queen Amalia who had laid the cornerstone 20 years earlier.
 
Throughout its history, it has been the venue of all sorts of official ceremonies ranging from coronations to royal weddings and to funerals of prominent figures of the Greek society.

Photographed in Athens on July 20, 2016



 

802_6597 [Athens Cathedral: Interior]

 The interior of the Cathedral seems to impress all visitors who have the opportunity to admire the plethora of Byzantine-style icons and frescoes, treasures like a part of the chain that Romans used to chain up Paul the Apostle in Rome, or the tombs of two saints: Agía Filothéi and Patriarch Gregory V to name a few.
 
While the night-shot of the exterior of the Cathedral was easy to take with the use of a tripod, photographing the interior proved problematic. Huge dimensions, dim light, and no tripod permitted were only some of the problems any photographer would face. The problem was partially solved with 18 pictures HDRed into 6 and then stitched into the above hand-held 2x3 panorama.
 
Photographed in Athens on August 18, 2016
 
Please click on both pictures for a better view.

The University of Athens: The historic building

IMG_0601 [The University of Athens]

  The pictured historic building of the University of Athens is situated in the heart of the city. It was designed in the 19th-century by the Danish architect Hans Christian Hansen (1803-1883) as part of the so-called “Athenian trilogy” of neoclassical buildings consisting of the University of Athens in the middle, the National Library on the left and The Academy on the right. Once, it housed all University services but today its use is restricted to housing the Rectorate, the Senate and the Great Hall of Ceremonies.
 
Photographed in Athens on April 10, 2016
 
Please click on the picture for a better view.

"Galileo”: a panorama

DSC5348-NX [Galileo: a panorama]

“Galileo” [see photo] was sailing rather fast very close to the shore below the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounio when I tried to take a picture of it but it was too big to fit into the frame of the prime telephoto lens mounted on my camera. I was about to quit in despair, when I remembered a piece of advice I had read on the Web. I right away turned the camera vertical and took three shots with a panoramic composition in mind. Fortunately, it worked. I wouldn’t like to have missed the shot of such a vessel.

Photographed on Cape Sounio on May 15, 2015

Andros

CCC_6638 [Andros Panoramic]

A note for our foreign friends who may not be familiar with geography of Greece: Andros is the capital town of the island of Andros which is situated in Cyclades, a complex of Greek islands.

Click photo for a larger view.

Andros: 26/03/2012, photo © Tony Taglides

Nafpaktos

4781-3 [Nafpaktos Panoramic]

Nafpaktos: 26/11/2008, photo © Tony Taglides

Click photo for a larger view.