From Russia with...

[Reiska]

I too some snapshots on my visit in the isle of Valamo. It is roughly in the middle of Lake Ladoga.
It was Finnish territory before WWII but is now in Russia. The Greek Catholic Monastery was moved to Finland but some things were to difficult to move.

Many buildings are now restored. Potato cellars and dancing halls are turned to chapels again.





That black boat is donated to the monastery by V.P. .
He has also a Datsha on the island but it is a secret forget what you see.







On the mainland I detected traces of the Finnish tank barriers.

[jack]

I think the first shot is the best, The flowers add interest and color which draws you into the photo.

Jack

[nikonbob]

Reijo

It looks like they spent a lot of time and money to restore things on that island. From your photos it seems to have worked and been a worthwhile effort. I have to agree with Jack that the first photo has great compostion.

Bob

[Reiska]

Thanks for the feedback!

The first picture is my favourite too. Second and third are shot on a bumbing speedboat (see the pic.) and more or less informative.

They really have spent quite a lot money for the restoration. This Island is a kind of display window and a resort for the domestic (Russian) tourists. Putin has sent money from Moscow to his hometown, St. Petersburg.

[mickeyobe]

Reijo,

That first picture is stunning.
I think if you could induce PhotoShop to eliminate the boat it would be even better.
True, it adds a human touch to the picture but in this case I don't think that is desirable.
Just my opinion.

Mickey

[mickeyobe]

Reijo,

That first picture is stunning.
I think if you could induce PhotoShop to eliminate the boat it would be even better.
True, it adds a human touch to the picture but in this case I don't think that is desirable.
Just my opinion.

Mickey

[PeterW]

Nice set of pictures, Reijo.

Mickey, you commented:

I think if you could induce PhotoShop to eliminate the boat it would be even better.

Sorry, Mickey, but I can't agree. I tried covering it up, but then the picture became 'just another pretty scenic', with nowhere for your eye to go. As it is, the boat provides a focal point for your eye - all the lines of view lead to it.

Reijo,
If I may make a few comments, I think I would have trimmed a little off the bottom, say to the top of the rock on the left, to get rid of all the distracting rocks in the foreground. They don't really add to the picture.

Trimming the bottom would also mean trimming something off the top - say to the top of the uppermost horizontal streak of blue sky on the right - to avoid putting the horizon in the middle of the picture. To my mind this would give the picture a better balance.

I know this means that the boat which Mickey isn't fond of, but which to me makes the picture, wouldn't be at one of the 'Golden Means', but then I put balance in a picture higher than composition 'rules'.

I don't know who first said it, but it was used in the film about Douglas Bader; "Rules are for the obedience of fools, and the guidance of wise men"

I also like the composition in the fifth picture. Everyone's head is turned towards the main point of interest, the priest (Patriach??). So that's where your eye naturally goes, almost a single-point perspective. I love the air of peace and calmness he radiates.

I think maybe I would have trimmed out the figure on the extreme left. A question of balance again.

In the second set of pictures I like the goat best. I like the way it leans its head over, and the wonderful inquisitive expression!

PeterW

[Reiska]

Thank you all for your edifying and competent comments !

The first picture is resized straight from a 2448x 3264 to 600x800 but some others are more or less cropped and shopped.
The iconostasis, pic.4. is a photomerge.

Peter,
The priest is Igumen, same as an Abbot in Roman Catholic cloister.