Last exit: Leper Colony Photo

Photographer’s Note

This is one of the exits of the Venetian castle of Spinalonga* to the sea. It is located on a small island at the entrance of Mirambello Gulf, very close to the famous resort of Elounda . Its construction started in 1579. After the Turkish occupation of Crete, in 1669, Spinalonga was one of the very few castles of Crete (the others were those of Gramvoussa and Souda)that remainded under Venetian Rule for about half a century more. The islet and the castle, were finally occupied by the Turks in 1711.

When the last Turks left the island in 1903, the islet and the castle were converted to a Leper Colony, till 1957, and it was one of the last leper colonies in Europe. The last inhabitant, a priest, left the island in 1962. He had stayed there because according to the Tradition of the Greek Orthodox church, a burried person has to be commemorated 40 days, 6 months, 1, 3 and 5 years after their death.

If you want to read more about Spinalonga, CHECK HERE.

*** IN WORKSHOP 1 THE ORIGINAL COLOUR VERSION.

*** IN WORKSHOP 2 , ONCE AGAIN A COLOURED VERSION, ONLY THIS TIME USED A "FILL IN" FLASH TO ENLIGHTEN THE WALLS.

***HERE***, a partial exterior view of Spinalonga.

*ABOUT THE NAME (FROM WIKIPEDIA):
"According to Venetian documents, the name of the island originated in the Greek expression "STIN ELOUNDA" (meaning "to Elounda"). The Venetians could not understand the expression so they familiarized it using their own language, and called it SPINA (thorn) LONGA (long), an expression that was also maintained by the locals. The Venetians were inspired for this expression by the name of an island near Venice called by the same name and which is known today as the island of Giudecca."

Gessle, portmanndominic, bobocortis, patshoo, niphredil76, bema, delkoo, TopGeo, kpav, jafadabret, tomescuc, Kielia, dareco, vixchris, Budapestman, stelli, tpstrek, AROBN54, lc4giala has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

atif_ge (660) 2008-09-17 5:54

what a meaningful capture of history. nice shot.

Gessle (70) 2008-09-17 5:54

Hej Hercules!
Great photo!
I looked at workshop versions - this one - B&W - s the best for me. Great POV and stunning light.
Great job.
anna

portmanndominic (2388) 2008-09-17 6:09

Irakli geia sou

from the dark to the light , a nice BW pictures for a place who have a lot of history
superb framing , useful note
Filika
Dominic

Hunkar (4639) 2008-09-17 6:09

An good composition with the castle door..
Good perspective..

bobocortis (14136) 2008-09-17 6:12

Hello Hercules.
An excellent graphic artwork.
A surprising B&N, with greath depth and good contrast, thanks to the perfect exposure.
Well done.
Best regards.
Bobo.

patshoo (944) 2008-09-17 6:17

Impressive scene,Outstanding shadow line and light line that lay down on the floor not only the focal point but also the lead line to made the depth too,Clear and crisp sharpness with well exposure control,I love both sepia and color in WS1.Good work,TFS.

Flavia (10202) 2008-09-17 6:18

Hi Hercules,

Verfy strong composition. The light is amazing beautiful and you managed so well the exposure. Great work!

Regards,

Flavia

bema (8619) 2008-09-17 6:58

Geia sou Hercules,

one more time a stunning capture, lokking at your WS i would prefer the colored versions, but it works also very well in black and white.. interesting note too..
Great job as ever..

Jassu Bernd

niphredil76 (684) 2008-09-17 6:58

Ciao Hercules,
great composition including the whole shadow of the gate, giving depth to the shot and suggesting an idea of two separate worlds and of desire of liberty.
Great light management and perfect sharpness, I perfectly agree with you with the B&W choice!
TFS
Laura

delkoo (34140) 2008-09-17 7:17

hi hercules
according that you are the best ambassador of your island, i am amazed one more time by the variety of photos That you present every day.

lovely b&w with great sense of depth and very interesting note.
ta leme
didier

mark_mk (246) 2008-09-17 8:06

Hi Hercules,
I love that one! It ahs such a special atmosphere with the long shade of the door, while the other one`s open. The exposure is perfect and this sepia tone suits the image well. Great one, thanks so much for sharing!

Take care
Mark

gilou530 (34999) 2008-09-17 8:24

salut hercules
magnifique gestion de la lumiére avec les jeux d'ombre de la grille sur le sol, j'aime bien les deux versions N&B et couleurs
amitiés
gilbert

TopGeo (21617) 2008-09-17 9:22

Geia sou Hrakli
Kalitexniki paroysiasi, enos thematos me noima kai kali apodosi!
Epaino
xaireto se
Georgios

kpav (5023) 2008-09-17 9:25

Γεια σου Ηρακλή, καταπληκτική εικόνα με απίθανες εναλλαγές φως-σκιάς. Το ασπρόμαυρο λειτουργεί εξαιρετικά εδώ και η σκιά της πόρτας έχει γράψει υπέροχα. Τα ws επίσης καταπληκτικά και πολύ ενημερωτικά ως προς τις τεχνικές. Σε χαιρετώ,
Κώστας.

jafadabret (39323) 2008-09-17 9:30

Γεια σου Ηρακλη.
Cette photo est très belle grâce au graphisme de la grille prolongé par celui de l'ombre portée. C'est une photo très symbolique de l'accès à la liberté. J'aime également les versions couleurs.
Jacques

tomescuc (2837) 2008-09-17 10:42

Nice long shadow, moody feel, and a very interesting story to go with.
cheers,
CT

okahraman (4576) 2008-09-17 10:58

Hi hercules ;

güzel gölge ve grafikler elinize sağlık

Önder Kahraman

Kielia (8373) 2008-09-17 11:53

Hi Hercules,
fantastic composition and a great note! The capture of the light is absolutely marvelous! tfs!
Warm regards
Harriet

barrufeto_77 (25687) 2008-09-17 15:01

Hola Hercules.

Arhhhhgggg...esas sombras...qué grandes tio! Qué grandes!

Cuídate!

dareco (17104) 2008-09-17 17:17

As always your posts are very interesting, and I have enjoyed all of these pictures. The sepia really adds mood, but the colors in the others are awesome. Very beautiful lighting and shadows in all. TFS

ElAprendiz (7370) 2008-09-17 19:16

Hola Hercules:

Una gran imagen, que encuadre y que gran dinamismo le das a la sombra de la puerta enrejada. Una toma que tiene la esencia de la simplicidad, pero la belleza y calidad de la originalidad.

Felicitaciones mi amigo, John

vixchris (277) 2008-09-17 23:56

Μια σκηνή που δεν άλλαξε για χρόνια, φαντάζομαι. Υπέροχη τεχνική εδώ, με τη σκειά να πέφτει αρμονικά στο έδαφος,
Βίκυ

Budapestman (41530) 2008-09-18 4:27

Hi Hercules,
Great shot from this particular place with interesting note. The composition is very impressive and the lights and shadows are magnificent. Great atmosphere once more, Congratulations.
Have a nice day
George

stelli (2941) 2008-09-18 5:55

Superb presentation of the exit that caught your eye and your interest! I like all versions but this one has artistry and mystery the others don't!! As of the exterior, looks splendid and inviting!!! Thank you for sharing! ΦΙΛΙΚΑ Στέλλα

luighi (4060) 2008-09-18 6:25

Me encanta el B&W y tambien me gusta mucho el color , aqui nos dejas tres versiones distintas para que hagamos comparacion y tengo que decir que las tres me encantan , enhorabuena amigo griego.

Un abrazo.
Luis

clio (22544) 2008-09-18 10:20

Geia sou Hrakli,
I like seeing the shadows which stretch out as here. The roundness of the arc is very beautiful also. A kind of inverted perspective. Your choice to publish in black and white is excellent. It is very well with the austere atmosphere of this door.
Bravo,
Filika
Artemis

masquerade (0) 2008-09-18 12:42

Very informative note and atmospheric shot!
I think I prefer the coloured version though-the lighter one...

giorgimer (20990) 2008-09-19 3:13

Hi Hercules,

excellent shot (I know it's obvious with yours). I like a lot your POV and the long shape of the entrance painted by light.

TFS

Gio

marietom (31796) 2008-09-19 3:24

hello Hercules,

très bien vu, ce jeu d'ombres et de lumière. Très belle composition.
Bonne journée
Marie

smarcell (14257) 2008-09-19 5:12

Ciao Hercules, very nice these shadows going towards the eye.
A simple but very nice composition
CIao Stefano

syrus_persia (2140) 2008-09-19 22:28

Salam Hercules
great idea,great subject,it's very nice that you showed this
historic place.
Bravo
cyrus

kdialyna (3068) 2008-09-21 1:00

Ακόμα μια εξαιρετική ασπρόμαυρη φωτογραφία στην συλλογή σου, φίλε Ηρακλή.
Πολύ καλή και πάλι η διαχείριση των φωτιστικών συνθηκών, έδωσε άψογο αποτέλεσμα, με την αντίθεση μεταξύ των φωτεινών και σκοτεινών σημείων να δίνουν ένα αίσθημα περάσματος από την σκιά στο φως, κάτι σαν ένα δρόμο προς την ελευθερία, πράγμα που κάνει ακόμα πιο έντονο η πολύ σωστή χρήση της ανοικτής καγκελόπορτας.
Χαιρετώ
Κώστας

tpstrek (1855) 2008-09-25 21:14

Hello Hercules,
Excelent composition with an outstanding scharpness: the sephia ads an extra dimension to your photo.
Well done,
Henri

AROBN54 (10721) 2008-10-08 16:05

Hello, Hercules,
even if your photos weren't as great as they are, you write wonderful notes to accompany them. I love the light and shadow in this and the view beyond the gates. It looks terrific in B&W, too, that was a good choice. Very well done! Many thanks and warm regards,
Shelly

lc4giala (2186) 2008-10-20 8:48

Kalispera Irakli
mia poli wraia matia kai diaxeirisi fwtismou stis symetrikes kai asymetres skies pou dhmiourgountai apo tin eisodo enw ta ligosta kladia gemizoun poli omorfa to thema,einai apo tis poto pou latrevo na vlepo idietera se ayto to xwro opou vomvardizomastai apo genika topia xanontas poles fores tin ousia ..vazo kai ton eayto mou mesa opou polles fores parasyromai:)
eyge!
George