Vineyards around Spitz

Let’s continue with a photo of vineyards from the Wachau Valley in Austria. This is actually a view from the top of the Hinterhaus Ruins, in the town of Spitz, on the Danube River. It’s actually one of my recommended spots for photography in the area, as are many spots on the hill you can see in this photo. There are almost no fences around, so it’s overall a very nice area.

I took this panorama on a very hot summer day. I was there to get a photo of a passing ship (similar to one I posted a few days ago) so I could not choose a better time. I had to follow the schedule. But one has to make the best of what one got :).

This is a three-shot panorama, each shot blended from two exposures in Photoshop.

Cruising through the Wachau Valley

Have you ever been cruising on a cruise ship? I have many times. On a river cruise ship, never been on an ocean one. Due to working for a cruise ship company in the past, I have been on many of them, even on the one in this photo. It’s really an enjoyable time. You can get a drink, sit on the deck, and enjoy all the castles and beautiful nature surrounding the Danube River. And almost every time you wake up in the morning, you are in a different country.

So let’s stay in sunny Austria for one more day. Especially in the beautiful Wachau Valley. You can check my recommended spots to visit there in the Top photography spots – Wachau Valley list. This photo was taken from one of the spots mentioned there, from the top of the Aggstein Castle ruin. The ruin is high up over the lake, but you can get to it by car, so no walking is required. But to get a shot like this, you will need a longer lens. I did use the 70-200mm here.

This is a single exposure, edited in Photoshop.

Maria-Theresien-Platz in Vienna

Back to editing photos from my archive today. This time, it’s one I took already 8 years ago, at the Maria-Theresien-Platz in Vienna. As you can see it was a really nice sunny day, with a lot of people walking around the area. And as for other photos I posted recently, that was the reason I never edited this photo. But again, Generative Fill really helped here.

This is a blend of 3 exposures, done in Photoshop. I did not remove the highlights here, as I really wanted to preserve a bright look, with the white statue almost glowing in the midday sun.

Vineyards in Austria

Let’s do a more sunny photo today. I took this one already few years ago, but since I never edited or posted it, I’m doing so today. There are still thousands of photos I taken over the years I never posted. My photo library is really quite big.

This photo was taken from the top of the Durnstein castle in Austria. I used the 200mm lens to zoom in on the area on the other side of the Danube river, with all the vineyards around. The result made for a really hazy photo, as the day was very hot and sunny. I’m including a comparison to the original image, just so you can see the difference here.

This is a single exposure, edited in Photoshop.

And here is also a comparison to the original RAW file.

Lit up clouds over Hainburg

Sometimes the clouds can be so low, that they can reflect all the light from the ground. Like that, you get clouds that look much warmer than the rest of the sky. Same in this panorama taken from the hill above Hainburg in Austria. The clouds were so low, that when town lights changed their color completely.

I think I mentioned this before, but this one is one of those, unplaned panoramas. I mean, I took the photos as two separate shots, not for a panorama. But, since they were taken close after each other, with similar settings, I could still fit them together. I find I do this quite often. Sometimes it easier to see something when you calmly think about it while editing, instead of being in a hurry in the field when you are losing the light.

This is a two-shot panorama, each shot blended from three exposures in Photoshop. Combined into panorama also in Photoshop. If you want to know how that is done, check the guide here.