Val d'Orcia Green, a photo from Siena, Tuscany

Photographer's Note

The lush green fields of Val dOrchia are overlooked by the dormant volcano Monte Amiata.

Monte Amiata is a volcanic cone that rises 600 m about the surrounding plateau to reach a total height of 1732 m, making it the second highest volcano in Italy. Mt Etna, the highest, rises to 3315 m. Monte Amiata is the northernmost of a string of volcanoes along the west cost of Italy and divides the Val dOrcia from the Maremma, and dominates the landscape of southern Tuscany, Italy. Monte Amiata last erupted about 180,000 years ago and continues to fuel many thermal springs (terme) around its base

Here is a larger version

This photograph is copyright of Rosemary Walden - Š Rosemary Walden 2014. All rights reserved. Any redistribution or reproduction of the image in any form is prohibited. You may not, except with my express written permission, copy, reproduce, download, distribute or exploit the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in any other website or other form of electronic retrieval system

ikeharel, fds, snunney, ourania, siudzi, annjackman, tyro, williewhistler, trevormoffiet, timecapturer, Cricri, pamastro oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

fds (9963) 2014-08-17 6:16

dear friend rosemarie fantastic countrysife from my Tuscany i love very much this landscape and val d'orcia i worck i tacke photo i tacke the fantastic chesee of Pienza

lousat (139332) 2014-08-17 6:19

Hi Rosemary,absolutely beautiful this country scenery from Tuscany,a spectacular green carpet typical of the season,a large view caught in a great quality as usual,and a great advertising for my country.Have a nice Sunday and thanks,Luciano

dta (98848) 2014-08-17 6:34

Hello Rosemary ,
The wonderful carpet of greenery of the tuscanese countryside in springtine !
Regards

No_One (4) 2014-08-17 6:34

Hi Rosemary,
The subtle purple tints to the sky are beautiful, especially against the wonderful vibrant fpgreens of the land, not a color combo I see often, but one which works so well. Lovely idea to compose this as you have, the lines in fields lead the eye perfectly into the shot. Thereis a magical feeling to this view. Very nicely done.
I hope all is well.
Cheers
Noel

Sergiom (117241) 2014-08-17 6:37

Bonjour Rosemary,

Seule la Toscane peut nous offrir d'aussi beaux paysages. Le vert est vraiment vert et les traces de tracteur mčnent toutes dans la męme direction donnant de la profondeur ŕ l'image.

Bon dimanche

Serge

Nicou (193806) 2014-08-17 6:38

Hello

quelle vue et image quelle compo avec ces traces sur le champs vert quel graphisme et effet superbe et la maison avec les cyprčs au sommet de la colline superbe image.
Bravo et amitié
Nicou

snunney (130967) 2014-08-17 7:05

Hello Rosemary,
The epitome of the Tuscan landscape with its undulating hills and cypress tress. Divine light and colours and superb clarity. Marvellous!

holmertz (102774) 2014-08-17 8:26

Hello Rosemary,
Being dormant for 180 000 years sounds like a fairly long time, even geologically, and still this volcano is not dead. Let's hope anyway that the next eruption is another very long time off. The mountain looks more nice than threatening in the afternoon haze and it just provides a nice backdrop to the beautifully undulating green field, where the tracks of tractors have made very nice unevenly diagonal lines. I like the tones of green with touches of yellow here and there. The two small farms and the trees brek what could have become a somewhat monotonous view.
Kind regards,
Gert

jemaflor (147224) 2014-08-17 9:44

Hi Rosemary,
beautiful landscape with these green fields, lovely light capture, good result with these lines.

ourania (51103) 2014-08-17 9:47

Hello Rosemary,
a very fine minimal composition, most appropriate to the elegant and calm scenery. The fine curves and diagonals set a delightful rhythm, describe the landscape and its sweet, peaceful atmosphere. I like very much how subtly the two farms attract our attention and give us a sense of scale. Both the shifting green tones and the soft lavender ones above enhance the sense of timelessness and tranquility. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great evening,
Ourania

siudzi (34141) 2014-08-17 10:09

Hi Rosemary,
Wow! What a beautiful landscape post! The view fully filled by the vivid pastel tones made the scene so unique and stunning. Love it! Very well done work.

Best wishes,
Gosia

annjackman (23019) 2014-08-17 10:44

Hello Rosemary,
This green landscape couldn't contrast more with the arid landscapes of Namibia. There are of course similarities in the graceful curves of hills. Love the lines leading the eye towards the distance. The shadow areas really help to give detail in the form of the undulations. Classic Tuscany, beautifully taken.
Kind Regards, Ann

rbassin (27472) 2014-08-17 11:03

hello Rosemary
un superbe paysage, j'aime bien la simplicité de la photo, les traces dans le champ et le contraste des couleurs.
Bonne soirée
Roland

carlo62 (81265) 2014-08-17 16:18

Ciao Rosemary
splendida la luce che colpisce i campi, il verde prende diverse tonalitŕ e le linee lasciate dai trattori sono perfettamente posizionate nella tua composizione. Un paesaggio a cui sono abituato, ma che apprezzo ancora molto.
Saluti
Carlo

PS il cinghiale č un piatto molto comune in Toscana e ricordo bene quando lo abbiamo mangiato insieme.

tyro (30513) 2014-08-17 16:34

Hello Rosemary,

An interesting note and a very fine photograph to illustrate it.

If your camera's "clock" is correct (and I assume that there's not much of a time difference between Italy and Namibia) then this photograph was taken in the morning and the low oblique sunlight has cast shadows which bring out all the textures of the lush crop and the undulations in the landscape beautifully. And the vibrancy of the foreground is in fine contrast to the haze which softens the view of the distant mountains.

And what innocent mountains they appear to be too - who could imagine that this highest peak was a dormant volcano?

Gorgeous light and colours, fine simple composition and exquisite details and sharpness.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

abmdsudi (95869) 2014-08-17 22:07

Hi Rosemary
Such a wonderful and tranquil landscape with the extensive field of depth. The luminosity of the green is quite stunning where the fields vibrate a green that is almost other worldly. The little houses on the horizontal line give good balance and inviting us to look deeper and subsequently to the misty background. A very cleverly composed shot and I love the subtle shades and mild shadows too, indeed a delightful spectacle so delicately shot, Congrats
Best regards

jjcordier (79299) 2014-08-17 22:52

Rosemaru
Une campagne typique de la Toscane que tu as remarquablement photographiée. Trčs belle composition.
Amicalement
JJ

photographer_sg (6059) 2014-08-18 1:22

Hello Rosemary
This is a fine depiction of the peaceful landscape with lovely colours and beautiful soft light. The accents provided by the houses and the trees across the field act as perfect points of interest and make the image very attractive.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful picture.
Have a great new week ahead.
Satya

willperrett (14215) 2014-08-18 1:29

Hello Rosemary

Beautifully composed minimalist photograph, exploiting the rule of thirds for much of its impact. You're at it again with the saturation! Brian Denton (Timecapturer) is another regular contributor who prefers heavy saturation, and I have had several conversations with him about it. And of course we agree to differ. I see that Noel refers to your sky tones as subtle...

But really: warm regards.

Will

williewhistler (16606) 2014-08-18 1:39

Hello Rosemary ,
a classical view of the rolling Tuscany landscape with the added bonus of a lovely low light and the patterns created by a tractor I guess,the cypress trees and buildings are nicely balanced in a most appealing photograph.
Have a great week,
Regards Les.

dekanski (9365) 2014-08-18 4:26

Hi Rosemary,

almost unbelievable how much green color can change the overall impression of the landscape. I do not know whether because of that or whatever yours photos are much better, but my photos with similar motifs in a similar place to not be so noticeable on the TE.

I'd made a little brighter photo.

All the best,

Saa

timecapturer (49288) 2014-08-18 4:50

Hello Rosemary
semi-minimalist this shot and I love the effect. Simple elements all perfectly balanced and placed within the frame beautifully. It is a compelling and superbly artistic landscape shot, that you have seen and executed supremely.

Enjoy the week ahead - B.

trevormoffiet (3112) 2014-08-18 4:54

Hello Rosemary,
A beautifully presented scene. I love the undulating rich green fields of the foreground with the pastel sky and mountains in the background. The tracks through the fields towards the farm houses in the distance cap off the image. I agree with your message about interpretation of a scene. I also rarely saturate deliberately. I now check my images for saturation of reds greens and blues after I have altered contrast and other 'sliders' available in lightroom. I deliberately desaturate reds if skin tones had been affected. I also deliberately desaturate blues to bring the sky back to a colour similar to what you show here in your photo. Greens are not as critical to me. I will though check the saturation of greens by desaturating first and then bringing the saturation back up to my level of taste. I adopted this process after having been accused of having a nuclear power plant nearby when I take my images (that TE critique was very useful to me but my greens will still err on the rich side). I like to see photographers develop their own style.
Regards,
Trevor

Cricri (176) 2014-08-18 10:01

Hi Rosemary
Un contraste des couleurs entre l'avant et le fond comme voiler par le soleil, j'aime le jeu ombre, les traces, l'équilibre ajouter par les maisons, un bel endroit , merveilleusement présenter
Belle soirée
cricri

photoray (13981) 2014-08-19 6:58

Howdy Rosemary,

Interesting pastoral scene, shadows and light highlighting the dense green field, wagon tracks crossing, houses on the horizon with the Monte Amiata backdrop.

Well done,
Cheers,
Ray

mkamionka (74535) 2014-08-20 5:31

Hi Rosemary,
in black and white one could argue it is a photo of a desert ;) Similar geometry :) What mainly differs is the fresh green color.
Beautiful scene well spotted. I like the trails of the tractor which add more interest and of course the farm buildings on the horizon with the pointy trees.
Excellent work!
M

PiotrF (54788) 2014-08-20 13:05

Hello Rosemary,
nice scenery from Tuscany, a spectacular green carpet , nice landscape.
Good framing, clarity and sharpness.Very well composition, lovely presentation.

Regards
Piotr

Tue (92470) 2014-08-24 2:45

Hello Rosemary,
I love the contrast of the green fields with the silhouettes of the mountains in the background. Great composition, especially because of the two groups of houses and trees. Thanks for sharing!
Lars

pamastro (7296) 2014-10-07 18:01

Beautiful colors and beautiful landscape. The way you've captured the layers, the deepest green in the foreground, the yellow green in the next plane and Monte Amiata in the next based on colors and tones and then the sky is well done. It's like a stage scene. This capture does justice to that beautiful area.

Robert1969 (7160) 2014-10-19 9:50

Hello Rosemary,

A picture with a beautiful "game" between layers,
space and lines and this is in a great balans.
Also great is the light management.

Friendly regards,
Robert