Roofs (and walls) of Siena, a photo from Siena, Tuscany

Photographer's Note

I think many of you found my last photo rather unpleasant. Most of the critiques I received were polite, rather than enthusiastic. To make up for that I give you now a more conventional photo that shouldn't provoke anyone.

This is a view from somewhere in the central part of Siena, a beautiful city in Tuscany and to my mind far nicer than nearby Pisa. I took this photo almost 25 years ago and can no longer identify the major buildings, although I am sure they are well known to many others who know the city better.

Will (willperret) kindly explained that the big brick church is the San Francesco, the dome on the right is the Insigne Collegiata di Santa Maria in Provenzano and the steep street is the Via del Comune.

Thank you Will.

Here is a larger version.

Another view of central Siena, with an identifiable tower, can be seen as a workshop.

Both photos were scanned from Kodachrome slides.

ikeharel, papagolf21, cornejo, PiotrF, alvaraalto, danos, Fis2, Royaldevon, COSTANTINO, ChrisJ, macjake, ourania, ktanska, adramad, PaulVDV, Gigidusud, adores, mcmtanyel has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ikeharel (105953) 2016-04-09 6:47

Hello Gert,
First, I did not find the ducks picture provoking by no means, though I made my mind not to post such stuff by myself. Nothing was wrong, my friend.
As for this "conventional", it shows Siena from long ago, but as I remember this town - had not change much since. Light was very favorable, brought out best colors, and you did a wonderful scanning on a relatively old photo. Enjoy nice weekend,
Ike

Silvio1953 (205826) 2016-04-09 7:04

Ciao Gert, great POV on fantastic city, beautiful parade of roofs, splendid light, wonderful colors and excellent clarity, very well done, my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

emka (152314) 2016-04-09 7:36

Hi Gert,

Photo from Italy! What a surprise. It was nothing wrong with the ducks, and you got quite many points :). I am afraid that Carlo, who lives close to Pisa, will not be pleased with your word, haha. But he likes Siena as well. Wonderful photo, again, incredible quality after 25 years. Not difficult to identify the place. It is the church San Francesco. We do not see the street, it is too narrow, but it goes along this diagonal. I think, I went this street. Via del Comune maybe. I loved Siena. The Workshop photo with Torre di Mangia is also nice, but I like this one much better. You can see this church here on the left of Torre di Mangia. After all these years the colours (siena!) are the same.

WArm regards
Malgo

SNOOP_Chan (4377) 2016-04-09 7:48

Hello Gert, very nice image here. Always a great idea to use the high vantage point. Interesting formation in the center with the roofs converging in. Well done!

papagolf21 (152599) 2016-04-09 8:28

Bonjour, cher ami Gert,
Cette repr廥entation par dessus les toits est bien repr廥entative des villages Italiens, des maisons qui se fr犨ent, qui se touchent, comme un besoin de sentir une 滵e proche et puis ces 嶮ifices importants qui 幦ergent au loin.
Tr鋊 belle composition.
Amiti廥.
Philippe

rychem (72179) 2016-04-09 8:29

This is an impressive photo, I like your high POV and perfect composition, I dont know Siena but I noticed this huge church and the amphitheater location of houses
regards Ryszard

willperrett (14029) 2016-04-09 9:00

Hello Gert

I reckon you were standing atop the Porta Ovile: Malgo's right about the big brick church being San Francesco; the dome on the right is the Insigne Collegiata di Santa Maria in Provenzano, and the steep street in front of you is the Via del Comune. Hope that's sorted your geography! By the way, even though a veggo, I wasn't put off by your last posting!

Regards

Will

P.S. Sorry to hear you couldn't make the tutorial work. Tell me where it all went wrong, and I'll see if I can make it clearer.

rbassin (27464) 2016-04-09 11:12

hello Gert,
une tr鋊 belle vue sur les toits de Sienne.
Belle observation de cet ensemble architectural.
Bon W-E
Roland

pajaran (102720) 2016-04-09 12:02

Dobro vece.
Lep pogled, dobar tekst, lepo secanje ...
Dobar rad skeniranjem slajda, lepo pokazani krovovi, dobar kontrast i perspektiva, lepe boje.
Lepi krovovi i deo grada.
Prijatno vece i sve najbolje za vikend, srecno.
Paja.

Good evening.
Beautiful view, good text, a beautiful memory ...
Good work by scanning slides, beautifully displayed roofs, good contrast and perspective, beautiful color.
Handsome and roofs of the city.
Good evening and all the best for the weekend, good luck.
Paja.

cornejo (61504) 2016-04-09 12:03

Hello Gert, very good view of this interesting and beautiful villa, very well composed and captured in this good and beautiful photography. An interesting image with good sharpness, depth, light, color and quality. Very good and nice work perfectly realized, my congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this interesting work.

Good night and good Sunday.
All the best from southern Spain.
Angel.

jean113 (22077) 2016-04-09 12:42

Hello Gert, I have a similar shot looking across to the large church.I like your point of view with the parallel rows of houses, all slightly different in style,catching the evening light(?)Perhaps today there would be satellite dishes!
Regards Jean.

GyurMaster (21375) 2016-04-09 12:52

Dear Gert,

We both provoked or fellow Trekearthians with our last pictures and learnt that this doesn't always pay of. :) Regarding the present picture: if I want to be frank, I like your WS picture better as it compresses the essential of this town better. I can imagine see it as an individual picture.

Best Regards,
Gy.

carlo62 (81265) 2016-04-09 14:51

Ciao Gert
confermo quello che ha detto Malgo, sono molto arrabbiato ;-)
Si tratta effettivamente di San Francesco sulla sinistra.
Amo molto Siena, ma non sono d'accordo su ci� che di solito si pensa su Pisa. Il problema nasce dalle guide turistiche e dalla famosa Torre, i turisti vanno a Pisa solo per la Torre, senza considerare il resto della citt�. A Siena, come a Lucca, non esiste un monumento talmente famoso da oscurare il resto della citt�, per cui i turisti non si fermano in un solo luogo, ma si godono le strade della citt�.
In ogni caso rimango a disposizione per farti fare un tour accurato di Pisa.
Buona domenica
Carlo

lousat (130033) 2016-04-09 15:44

Hi Gert,i never been in Siena and your old post are very useful to me..ehehe....2 beautiful pics,different view of this city in a great quality,and the typical color of the kodak film,interesting memories from my country! Have a nice Sunday and thanks,Luciano

PiotrF (52330) 2016-04-09 16:34

Hello Gert,
Interesting view of Siena. I like nice composition and high POV here.
Good work, fine presentation.
Regards
Piotr

alvaraalto (42318) 2016-04-10 0:37

Hello Gert,
I like your conventional work, like I like our unconventional work. Learning about the world can㦙 be done with just beautiful and pleasant picture.
Fortunately we can also learn a lot with lovely pictures like this one of Sienna.
Have a nice Sunday, groet Rob

Nicou (193806) 2016-04-10 0:53

Hlelo

Merveilleuse image il y a une g廩m彋rie des maisons qui s'嶰artent et le regard va vers la belle 嶲lise quel rendu sur les toits avec la couple sueprbe compo.
Bravo et amiti�
nciou

Tue (82306) 2016-04-10 1:41

Hello Gert,
Such a lovely view over the roofs of Siena, the soft light touches the fine and natural colours of the city so nicely. The composition is perfect and I particularly like the diagonal that is formed by the houses in the middle.
Lars

danos (110407) 2016-04-10 2:53

Hello Gert,
nice the view of this old photo from Siena,with the lot of houses to are found on the hill.The church dominating on the left of the frame with the pale light to spread on the houses.The trees between the do the image even more effective.

Regards,Danos

berek (50518) 2016-04-10 5:04

HI Gert
created a great image listed roofs Sienna . I love the similar repetitive images. I really liked you other view of Sienna.
Best wishes.
Burak

Sergiom (117241) 2016-04-10 6:27

Bonjour gert,

Peu importe l'殟e de la photo, Sienne restera toujours belle, construite autour de sa belle place avec des maisons � l'ancienne qui semblent s'appuyer les unes sur les autres, comme pour mieux tenir debout.

Bon dimanche

Serge

Fis2 (155699) 2016-04-10 8:32

Witaj Gert!
A very nice view.
Very impressive roofs.
Good POV and composition.
I like colors and light.
Nice sunday afternoon.
Krzysztof

Royaldevon (75510) 2016-04-10 11:22

Hello Gert,

Yes, Pisa has an interesting tower and associated buildings and Carlo picks some interesting aspects to share with us but I'm sure he finds it easier and more interesting to photograph Siena.

It is so interesting to see the city from this viewpoint. We can see the narrow, straight lines of the streets and the curved orientation in the f/g. We see patterns like this in some towns in England, often it is because they follow the lines of ancient field boundaries.
You have achieved a fine dof, with good colours, and I like how the green shuttered house in the f/g, balances the church in the b/g.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

COSTANTINO (104245) 2016-04-10 13:20

Hello dear Gert and have a nice time
I love Italy so this photo was a present
for me great pov on fantastic style
a real impressive photo for me
no more comments
regards
Costantino

kasianowak (15848) 2016-04-10 13:48

Hi Gert
I like the fact that you post images like the last "public hanging" one. I found the hanging ducks a saddening sight but that's the reality and without photos like that the image of the location is not full, even if the photo was taken long time ago. TE was once meant to be more than just a post-card gallery. It would be like watching B class movies with cheesy endings without a break to see something more ambitious... Anyway, I may show solidarity with you by posting an image of ram heads I took in Erbil bazaar (without the vendor's consent, which makes it even more naughty...). ;-)
Having said that, I really like this image of Siena rooftops. It's not just lovely but very well executed with the rule of thirds, balanced composition, diagonal lines... What really makes it is a sense of peace and the beautiful warm light.
Iyi hafta :-)
Kasia

ChrisJ (160104) 2016-04-10 15:38

Hello Gert,

The red brick facade of the bg cathedral at top left contrasts splendidly against the blue sky to give a wonderful warm vs cold color contrast. Good sharpness and the dome of yet another church at right counterbalances the composition. Tfs!

abmdsudi (88597) 2016-04-10 19:58

Hi Gert
Good use of perspective, nice depth and contrast between light and shade, but the rustic colouring of the architecture lends the charm. Well done shot.
Best regards

macjake (96157) 2016-04-10 22:47

Hi Gert
Siena is a town where I wish I had more time to explore, we spent only 1 day there, actually only about 5 or 6 hours.

I kinda get the feeling not much has changed here in 20 years, but i could be wrong.

you've got the classic Italian scene down pat, the old buildings and homes with rooftop views overlooking the city.
a little postcard-ish...but hey, i love postcard views!
they're postcards for a reason, bc they're good views.

certainly more tasteful than your last post, but i like that rough city look, so that photo didn't bother me.
post whatever your heart desires, looks great.
cheers
craig

jhm (203085) 2016-04-11 4:45

Hello Gert,

A pleasant panorama view about the area, with all the roofs and the churches in background
Wonderful picture with a sharpness and clarity taken.
Composition and presentation are perfect.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

saxo042 (38078) 2016-04-11 8:28

Hej Gert,
Intressant att se lite andra bilder fr幩 denna stad, klart annorlunda 鄚 alla vanliga turistvykort fr幩 Piazza del Campo etc. Den enhetliga byggnation skapar fina m霵ster.
H鄟sningar
Gunnar

ourania (51103) 2016-04-11 9:48

Hello Gert,
Siena is a city I love, I stayed there for a week once and visited a few more times after that. I appreciate the architectural masterpieces and landmarks, of course, but i also love its antique, picturesque details, its History and its mystery, (especially for a person having orientation difficulties like myself:) The view you are presenting in this picture brings my personal impressions of Siena back to life, the details and the colour palette are most pleasing. I appreciate the same qualities in the workshop picture. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great evening,
Ourania

ktanska (40125) 2016-04-11 10:46

Hej Gert,
Beautiful high viewpoint for showing all those old buildings. Church made of bricks is quite surprising in Italy, and also the design is fairly simple. But it's big for sure.
Kari

Cricri (176) 2016-04-12 8:30

Hi Gert
Excellent POV, la vue de ces maisons qui semble coller l'une a l'autre, la l嶲鋨e mont嶪 avec l'嶲lise d'un c矌� et la coupole de l'autre, beau rendu des couleurs et nettet�
amiti廥
cricri

adramad (67044) 2016-04-12 9:47

Hello Gert.
A lovely panoramic, over the rooftops of Siena, which stands on the left side of the image, the perfect line of houses, which correspond to a street very straight up the hill, the large brick building, stands out from everything else its proportions.
Very effective colorful, highlighting the details of the image.
Good management of both the brightness and sharpness.
Very well done. I like it.
Enjoy a good day.
My best wishes for you.
Luis.

jmdias (102982) 2016-04-13 2:35

gert

I had few time in the town and I walked in its mais attractions. nice this view with many roofs and some important monuments too. here we can see how the aerials were in that time.

hugs

jorge

PaulVDV (54909) 2016-04-15 11:09

Hello Gert,
Even more than the big church and the dome I like the view of the two long rows of houses with mostly an ocher facade and with the dark red tiles on the roof.
This picture actually shows a bit of a messy Siena. When viewing the picture I got the impression that it was taken much earlier than in 1991.
Disorderly but very charming.
Best regards, Paul

claudeD (47754) 2016-04-16 0:57

Hello Gert,

very fine view over the roofs of Siena. I think that the view will not have changed very much in the last 25 years. Very good contribution to TE. TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

JC

Graal (103040) 2016-04-17 2:50

Hello Gert,
interesting view of old Siena. Amazing look on the roofs, fine high POV you had. Good quality of scan. Photo I like.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

mkamionka (61306) 2016-04-17 11:44

Hi Gert,
nice documentary photo. I haven't had a chance to visit this beautiful town yet.
This is a less popular, quite original view I suppose. I like the stylish houses.
Interesting geometry of the composition. I like the repeated motif of the roof.
Great scan quality as usually,
M

Gigidusud (21679) 2016-04-18 1:14

Hello Gert,
A nice view of the Siena roofs illuminated with soft light. The superb 嶮ificent emerging in the distance, a nice perspective. Well done!
Have a nice week.
Gigi

Periko (8387) 2016-05-21 21:41

Hello Gert
Nice display of roofs, softly lit and showing the beauty of the Italian cities.
Before reading your note I thought this picture is digital. Good quality.

TFS & regards
Pedro

fabianoleite (13575) 2016-05-24 7:10

I passed in this great town very quickly, on my way to Montalcino, but it really impressed me. This is an original view from another side, showing the great palaces and the simple houses in a nice contrast. The composition became interesting, with good light and framing. Well done, congratulations!

adores (46979) 2016-06-10 15:33

Hi Gert!
The kind of places that I like, looks like travelling back in time. Great pov and good light also. Don't know this city yet,but I guess I should go there :)!

mcmtanyel (58830) 2017-12-02 22:11

Hello Gert,
I have a feeling Sienna has not changed since 1991. A well preserved slight scanned competently showing a well composed timeless photo.
Regards,
MT