A Black Castle upon a Barren Landscape

A Black Castle upon a Barren Landscape
A Black Castle upon a Barren Landscape
A Black Castle upon a Barren Landscape by Mike Jackobo

I chose to title the photo as “A Black Castle upon a Barren Landscape” because this is the feeling I get by looking at this image. The reality is a lot different; it is a fertile land, next to the sea, which extends inwards towards the centre of Peloponnese. This is the result produced by the effect of black and white infrared.

One of the characteristics of infrared, which software cannot replicate, is the clarity of the far background in landscapes. Normally, there is haze produced by the reflection of ultraviolet light on particles in the air. Infrared cuts through this haze and for this reason the image has a clear and detailed representation of the far distance.

For this reason, the mountains in the back are clearly visible; compare this photo with the one of Penteskoufi Hill. At the same time, The large scale of the castle in the foreground, makes everything to the back appear tiny, so there are not a lot of visible details in the background. As a result, everything looks flat as if the land is barren.

The shadow that covers the castle gives an ominous atmosphere in the photo. In fact, some friends even commented that it brings Mordor -from Lord of the Rings- to their mind. So, I feel that the title “A Black Castle upon a Barren Landscape” describes the photo perfectly.

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