Tellaro, nestled between the cliffs and the sea | Liguria, Italy by Kilometer 120 | René Metzinger

Nestled between towering cliffs, the historic coastal village of Tellaro lies directly on the Ligurian Sea. The colourful houses and the Church of San Giorgio provide a tranquil contrast to the rugged rocky coastline in the foreground. Above them stretches a dramatic evening sky, whose warm patches of light still reveal the day’s final rays of sunshine.

In this photograph, the foreground plays a particularly important role. The rocks were deliberately included in the composition to give the image depth and to guide the viewer’s gaze step by step towards Tellaro. At the same time, it was necessary to wait for the right moment when the warm evening light fell on the village and the clouds still retained sufficient texture. Light, sky and coastline came together in this way for only a brief moment.

The photograph was taken with a 15 mm focal length, ISO 100, an aperture of f/13 and a 3-second exposure time. The long exposure makes the movement of the sea between the rocks appear soft, whilst the rocks themselves retain their distinct structure. The short focal length and the narrow aperture create a strong sense of depth from the immediate foreground right through to the church. During post-processing, the high contrasts between the bright sky and the shadowy rocks were deliberately balanced without losing the natural character of the scene. The portrait format has a particularly intense effect because the rocks occupy a large part of the image, making Tellaro behind them appear almost like a hidden coastal village.

As a wall hanging, this version is particularly well suited to narrow wall spaces, entrance areas, stairwells or smaller sections of wall. The motif also works very well in cafés, restaurants, hotels and holiday flats. In a larger format, the textures of the rocks and the sense of depth are shown to particular advantage.