The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple nunnery.

Weather conditions like that must always be avoided, but unfortunately there was no alternative on my way back from Tervenichi. Let's play with contrasts, if we have no other option. An old Nikkor worked its best here. 

Northern view from a river bank. Kit 24-85 mm lens, f14, 1/50s, CPL filter.

The old Nikkor works as usual, featuring fantastically deep space. The trick here was in a closed aperture. I'll make no secret of that: f16, 1/60 s, CPL filter. 

Another view from a stream flowing into the river. Not the best one, since absence of clouds resulted in polarization circles that couldn't be removed. Kit lens, f14, 1/40s, CPL filter.    

A view from the western gates. Kit lens, f14, 1/60s, CPL filter. A strange yellow smoke is seen here. Do nuns use sulfur additives or a cheap coal?

 

 A general view of the nunnery from chapels situated near a water well. Nikkor AIS 28 mm, f16, 1/80, CPL filter.

Winter in Tervenichi. Pastel-like views.

Meteorologists, as I had expected, made a mistake with their forecast both in terms of place and time. A partly cloudy sunny gap that I had hoped for passed west of Tervenichi. Nevertheless, the shooting result proved more than satisfactory, especially taking into account inclement weather conditions. A dominant colour had to be shifted to ochre, red ochre and umber, but, as can be seen, all elements of landscape whether they be bare forest, last year grass or low-flying northeastern clouds predisposed to that colour scheme option. 

Equipment: as usual, D750 with a standard 24-85 lens and an old AIS Nikkor 28 mm. CPL filter was used everywhere. 

Waiting for sunrise. Kit 24-85 lens, f9, 1/4s, CPL filter.

The moment of sunrise. Nikkor AIS 28 mm lens, f8, 1/4s, CPL filter.

The nunnery hill panoramic view. Nikkor AIS 28 mm lens, f8, 1/4s, CPL filter.

Two minutes after sunrise. Nikkor AIS 28 mm, f11, 1/2s, CPL filter.

Gloomy sunrise. Kit 24-85 mm lens, f11, 1/2s, CPL filter.

Gloomy sunrise. Nikkor AIS 28 mm lens, f11, 1/3s, CPL filter.

 Chapels. Kit 24-85 mm lens, f11, 1/6s, CPL filter.

Chapels. Nikkor AIS 24-85 mm lens, f11, 1/5s, CPL filter.

 Stairway. Nikkor AIS 24-85 mm lens, f11, 1/5s, CPL filter.

 Looking eastwards, the stairway and chapels. Nikkor AIS 28 mm, f11, 1/8s, CPL filter.

 Geometry. Nikkor AIS 28 mm, f11, 1/13s, CPL filter.

 Lake and chapels. Nikkor AIS 28 mm, f11, 1/6s, CPL filter.

 Looking downstairs. Kit 24-85 mm lens, f11, 1/6s, CPL filter.

 The same view, a bit different processing.

The same view, a bit less shutter speed. f11, 1/10s, CPL filter.

 The day has begun. Kit 24-85 mm lens, f11, 1/13s, CPL filter.

Ochre-like sunrise.

Heavily shopped (to make it more correct, it was Corel, not Photoshop), of course. Clear weather is unfavourable to landscape photography, the only option it leaves us is applying several tricks with optics and software.

Waiting. f13, 1/3s, CPL + gradient blue.

Just before the sunrise. f13, 1/4s, CPL + what? I don't remember, it looks like gradient grey. The next one was taken with a skylight as sky looks more violet.

Glimmering light.  f13, 1/4s, CPL + skylight L1A. A violet spot on the top is the skylight filter's effect. I hope, it will work better with a full-frame camera, so everything will be taken again next winter. 

First sunrays. f14, 1/2s, CPL + gradient grey.

Day has begun.  

An adjacent spot, here shooting conditions are obvious to have been extreme. Too bright and totally empty sky. f14, 1/8s, CPL + gradient grey.

Pink sunrise.

Actually that didn't look so pink as here, filters, especially skylight produce this effect.
f11, 1/5s, CPL + gradient grey.

f11, 1/2s, CPL+skylight L1A.

 f13, 1/3s, CPL + gradient blue.

Umber-like dawn.

Let's make like that. A couple of filters and a bit of skills.

f11, 1/3s, CPL + gradient grey.

 f11, 1/3s, CPL + slylight L1A.

 f11, 1/5s, CPL + gradient grey.

The latter one is obviously gloomy. Quite correct, like everything here.