Naxos island Photo

Photographer’s Note

Naxos island

Naxos (in Greek, Νάξος) is a Greek island, the largest island (429 km² (166 sq mi)) in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture.

The island comprises the two municipalities of Naxos and Drymalia. The largest town and capital of the island is Hora, sometimes called Naxos City, with 6,533 inhabitants (2001 census). The main villages are Filoti, Apiranthos, Vivlos, Agios Arsenios, Koronos and Glinado.

Naxos is a popular tourist destination, with several easily accessible ruins. It has a number of beautiful beaches, such as those at Agia Anna, Agios Prokopios, Alikos, Kastraki, Mikri Vigla, Plaka, and Agios Georgios, most of them near Hora. Naxos is the most fertile island of the Cyclades.

It has a good supply of water in a region where water is usually inadequate. Mount Zas (999 metres) is the highest peak in the Cyclades, and tends to trap the clouds, permitting greater rainfall. This has made agriculture an important economic sector with various vegetable and fruit crops as well as cattle breeding, making Naxos one of the most self sufficient islands in the Cyclades. Naxos is also known within Greece for its potatoes.

According to a story in Greek mythology, the young Zeus was raised in a cave on Mt. Zas ("Zas" meaning "Zeus"). Homer mentions "Dia"; literally the sacred island "of the Goddess". Karl Kerenyi explains (speaking as if he were an ancient Greek):

“ This name, Dia, which means 'heavenly' or 'divine', was applied to several small craggy islands in our [ Aegean ] sea, all of them lying close to larger islands, such as Crete or Naxos. The name "Dia" was even transferred to the island of Naxos itself, since it was more widely supposed than any other to have been the nuptial isle of Dionysus. (Kerenyi 1951 pp. 271–272) ”

One legend has it that in the Heroic Age before the Trojan War, Theseus abandoned the princess Ariadne of Crete on this island after she helped him kill the Minotaur and escape from the Labyrinth. Dionysus (god of wine, festivities, and the primal energy of life) was the protector of the island, met Ariadne and fell in love with her. But eventually Ariadne, unable to bear her separation from Theseus, either killed herself (according to the Athenians), or ascended to heaven (as the older versions had it). The Naxos portion of the Ariadne myth is also told in the Richard Strauss opera Ariadne auf Naxos.

The giant brothers Otus and Ephialtes figure in at least two Naxos myths: in one, Artemis bought the abandonment of a siege they laid against the gods, by offering to live on Naxos as Otus's lover; in another, the brothers had actually settled Naxos.

jhm, holmertz, TopGeo, yedirenk, danyy, siamesa, paololg, paura, papagolf21, belido, jlbrthnn, Budapestman, bobocortis, polpo56, AiresSantos, Truja, lucasgalodoido, JorgeCK, isabela_sor, dareco, xuaxo trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

izmirli (3267) 2008-05-09 7:21

kalimera my friend costantino
excellent beach and waves.excellent landscape and depth.good naturel colours.well done.
friendly greetings from Istanbul.
gürkan akçakır.

rodgerg (24773) 2008-05-09 8:25

Hello Cosatnatino,

A superb composition very well balanced with a good propsect, a superb foreground and the beautiful small houses on the side.
Regards,
Roger

holmertz (9901) 2008-05-09 9:16

Hello Costantino,
It's quite impressive that you managed to find a view of Naxos, at the hight of summer, that looks like it was taken years before the tourists came rushing to Greece. You achieved a good composition too, with rocks and waves going diagonally across the picture and a typical Greek white village on the hillside in the background.
Have a nice weekend,
Gert

TopGeo (22121) 2008-05-09 9:49

Gia sou Kosta
Katapliktiki stigmi i eikona soy apo tin Naxo!
Oniremeni lipsi kai kali thea! Poli omorfo to plano se fernei se epafi me tin thalassa kai me to kima se paei sto vathos, Epitichimeni lipsi, Bravo!
Georgios

denizler (4506) 2008-05-09 10:14

Merhaba Costantino :)
Wonderful compo.Very beautiful place and tones.Congrats !!!
Greetings from Istanbul,
Deniz:)

okahraman (4576) 2008-05-09 11:31

Hi costantino ;

çok güzel bir kare elinize sağlık renkler ve netlik harika

Önder Kahraman

yedirenk (7523) 2008-05-09 12:21

Hi my Friend,
Superb composition with perfect waves.excellent light and very nice blue tones of sea.very well done.TFS.
Best regards

Cevdet

cirano (1283) 2008-05-09 13:17

Slav Costantino,
Compozisyonek rind e.Nexasim jî kefa spehî ya li ser pêlên bahrê ku xwe diavêjin bejahîyê li xweşiya min çû.Pêlên bahrê bi avahî û çiyayên paş hev temam kirine.Wêneyek pak e.
Dûrzan.

paololg (14083) 2008-05-09 15:40

Ciao Costantino,
oltre che ad uno stupendo colore del mare sei riuscito a fotografare la natura incontaminata di questa isola. Sembra quasi di sentire il rumore delle onde che si infrangono sugli scogli. Veramente bella.
Ciao
Paolo.

danyy (69319) 2008-05-09 15:43

Bonjour Costantino,
les côtes grecques avec leurs petits villages ne manquent vraiment pas de charmes. Une photo avec des couleurs séduisantes, une mer azur pour un ciel bien plus pâle. Une mer qui apporte aussi de la fraicheur.
Regards.
Daniel.

siamesa (13195) 2008-05-09 15:43

Hi Costantino,
I have seen some islands in photos from Greece. This is more one marvelous island. Excellent picture and beautiful colours.
Abraços
Maria

paura (39036) 2008-05-09 17:13

Constantino,
Very beautiful coastline photography, with excelent lighting and colors. Very well done.

Abraço

Paulo

dip (12792) 2008-05-09 22:23

Geia sou Costantine,
oraia i prooptiki kai ta xromata,
mia fotografia pou mas anoigei tin oreksi gia to kalokairi pou erxetai,
Xaireto,
Dimitris.

berek (28989) 2008-05-09 22:58

Hi Costantino,
i miss the Summer. lovely atmosphere my friend. have a nice weekend.
Burak

bostankorkulugu (33888) 2008-05-09 23:19

i saw the hora of naxos only from the boat on the way to santorini from mykonos... i was impressed... i dont know where this is but looks like a very nice village on the rocks... i should go there one day...

ta leme file mou...

korkut

jhm (83161) 2008-05-10 0:34

Hello Costantino,

The waves with white foam give a excellent long and perspective.
Also the typecal white houses on the mountain hill care for depth and light in background.
An beach without people my friend, or have you this people giving a good glass Greek wine for take this picture.
Very well done, thanks for sharing.

Have a nice Pentecost weekend,
John.

papagolf21 (56623) 2008-05-10 1:05

Bonjour, cher Constantino,
Excellente création ! la présentation est parfaite pour donner envie de se rendre immédiatement sur place pour découvrir ce paysage empli de beauté.
Un grand merci du partage ! pouvoir rêver devant un tel spectacle c'est un véritable cadeau.
Amitiés.
Philippe

aadilj (17950) 2008-05-10 1:40

With an image so wonderfully composed as this one, I cn almost hear the waves crashing against the sands. The beaauty seems to be alive. Very well composed indeed.

jurek1951 (26072) 2008-05-10 4:02

Hi Costantino,
this is a fantastic landscap photo. the color and the composition of the picture was successfull. congratulation to this photo,
Georg

belido (16757) 2008-05-10 4:26

Hi Constantino,

Man, I need to go to Greece!!! Every single shot from there makes me think about that. This is such a beautiful beach and you found a very nice pov. Exquisite shot!
Regards,
Carlos

claudeD (11422) 2008-05-10 4:35

Hello Costantino,

I like your picture here very much.I think holidays will come soon.Very good composition and colors.Well done.

With regards from Luxembourg

Jean-Claude

jlbrthnn (38727) 2008-05-10 6:11

Hello Costantino,
A the sight of this image, the desire takes to me to go on holiday, far, in this kind of enchanter place. I hears the noise of the sea, and I feel the wind which attenuates the bite of the sun. Good framing, it is an image of animated nature, coloured very well and perfectly carried out. Very beautiful work.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

Budapestman (42660) 2008-05-10 6:25

Hi Costantino,
Beautiful and romantic place, indeed, I was here in 1993. The composition is very fine and the colours are beautiful too. Very well done! Have a nice weekend
George

tolis68 (2006) 2008-05-10 6:31

Γεια σου Κωνσταντινε.Εξαιρετη γωνια ληψης,αποτυπωσες πολυ ωραια την στγμη και την εδεσες σε ενα τραχυ συνολο που ταιριαζει απολυτα με την ενταση της θαλασσας.

Nicou (45523) 2008-05-10 9:30

Hello,

Très beau captage de cette mer, avec ces vagues, cette écucme blanche qui, ces beaux rochers qui ressortent, de toute beauté.

Bravo et amitiés

Nicou

bobocortis (14144) 2008-05-10 12:45

Ciao Costantino.
Bello questo mare agitato e questa costa tormentata.
Le onde che avanzano in diagonale danno un grande senso prospettico.
Ciao, Bobo.

polpo56 (8076) 2008-05-10 12:50

Ciao Costantino,
un bel posto ben valorizzato dalla tua foto. E' sempre bello vedere le montagne che sembrano gettarsi nel mare.
Ottimo POV.
Buona domenica
Ludo

Clementi (44919) 2008-05-10 12:50

Ciao Costantino ,
meravigliosa vista di questo stupendo mare , viene voglis di farci il bagno .Molto bello il paesino con le tipiche case meditterranee.
ben fatto
Giorgio

gracious (20017) 2008-05-10 16:56

Hello Costantino,
great pov to have the island well captured!
good depth with nice fg perspective and a beautiful distance view of the Island!
well done
greeting
Tony

AiresSantos (42750) 2008-05-10 18:46

Hi Costantino
lovely view of this beach in the Naxos island. Nice waves and details. Excellent depth and colours.
TFS and have a nice weekend
Aires

hatti52 (12654) 2008-05-11 1:36

Hello Costantino,
wonderful image with low POV
very nice colours and light
congrats

Truja (4948) 2008-05-11 6:49

Kalispera Constantino,
wonderful view of marine landscape with the surge in the border of the sea.
The depth is excellent and formidable colors that print brightness to the composition.
Excellent quality of the image and a photography that transmits serenity and calm and is fresh.

Salut and regards,

Jordi

lucasgalodoido (16723) 2008-05-11 7:10

Olá Costantino,
uma ilha bem bonita essa, com águas limpas, uma pena as pedras atrapelharem um mergulho nessas águas. Gostei de ver essa vista, belo trabalho.
Parabéns e Abraço!

Silvio1953 (42579) 2008-05-12 5:52

Ciao Costantino, bellissima vista del mare della tua grecia, meravigliosi colori, bravo, ciao Silvio

pablominto (41148) 2008-05-12 6:08

Hello Costantino,
The fine point of view capture the characteristics of the beach well!
The white surf washing the sand and the beautiful blue of the water...
A balanced composition with fine details, good lead-in to the residential units in the back!
Greetings,
Pablo -

JorgeCK (2598) 2008-05-12 14:32

Hi costatino,
Beautiful place to go for vacation and thanks for the informative notes. NIce composition
and excellent DOF. Colors are amazing
Bravo!!
saludos desde NY joRge

isabela_sor (42349) 2008-05-14 12:21 [Comment]

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mauro61 (16152) 2008-05-24 0:43

ciao Costantino ,bellissimo scorcio e ottima luce di una delle piu' belle e selvagge isole greche.
maurizio

dareco (17104) 2008-06-12 0:27

A very beautiful scene, interesting as well. Your colors and the lighting are very nice. I also like this pov. TFS and have a great day!

baddori (4555) 2008-07-04 23:52

bella foto e luoghi meravigliosi, fedelmente documentati, è documentato inoltre, ma non per colpa tua, che le cementificazioni selvagge sono presenti anche da voi.
Fotografiamo il salvabile per i nostri figli a futura memoria.
Baddotri (baddori quando ha bevuto un po di vino)

xuaxo (5815) 2008-07-11 7:29

Hello Costantino,
Beautiful contrast between the sea and the dry land. The dry landscape, with sea, seems a little bit like some parts of Cape Verde: for example in São Pedro village.
Regards,
F