Venetian Fountain, Spili, a photo from Rethimno, Crete

Photographer's Note

Just today our friend Silvio posted a photograph of a beautiful water fountain in Asissi, Perugia. That fountain was decorated with six lion heads. And so I remembered having seen a similar fountain in Crete during a holiday in 2009 and so decided to have a trawl through my archives.

And so here it is - the famous "Venetian" fountain which lies in a little square in the small village of Spili in Rethimno - and it has a total of nineteen lion heads, each spewing water. Whether this actually dates from the era when Crete was under Venetian rule (1205 - 1669), I am not sure. But apparently this fountain underwent a less than sympathetic restoration some years ago, the original stonework being covered with tiles, as you see here.

I know many people don't like photographs like this which don't include any people - so I shall add in the workshop a picture of Spili's main street with restaurants and bars and a garage and also one of a pretty girl taking a photo of the fountain.

ISO 100, 1/100 sec at f/6.3, focal length 20mm.

This is the link to a larger version of this photograph as I couldn't manage to add a link in the usual way today:

https://i1.trekearth.com/photos/48186/img_21529.jpg

pajaran, COSTANTINO, papagolf21, jemaflor, holmertz, jean113, Royaldevon, jhm trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

Gerrit (62042) 2020-04-07 14:13

Hello John,
Beautiful fountain taken in a good corner with the diminishing lion heads. The sunlight on the wall is very pittoresk too.
Thanks and regards,
Gerrit

Nicou (193806) 2020-04-07 20:01

Hello

fantastique vue et composition quelle perspective et image tout ces bouche de fontaine avec l'eau qui sort superbe recherche de représentation et effet de l'eau
Bravo et amitié
Nciou

SteveH (8220) 2020-04-07 21:02

Hi John, great use of your wide angle lens in composing this image. i very much like this approach, getting right in close to a detail in one corner and showing the scene fading into the background. Good lines formed by the trough and fountain top too. Cheers, Steve

COSTANTINO (116490) 2020-04-07 23:22

Hello dear John and have a nice time
and a happy new day
original version
interesting capture of these fountains
taken from the best chosen point of view
worthseeing view
regards
Costantino

papagolf21 (152607) 2020-04-07 23:47

Bonjour, cher John,
Trois belle prises de vue qui font plaisir à voir et à contempler.
Le choix de cadrage est fort bien pensé;
Très bonne journée confinée.
Amitiés.
Philippe

jemaflor (147128) 2020-04-07 23:48

Hi John,
Well framed, interesting subject with these fountains and great depth effect, light capture is well managed, tfs.

Energysavingelk (7832) 2020-04-08 0:50

Thanks for sharing, John!

My wife and me have been there during our honeymoon in April 1987, and the fountains were very refreshing.

Two days to go, and we will be married for 33 years.
Stay at home, and take care!

Sven

holmertz (102700) 2020-04-08 1:05

Hello John,
This photo made me briefly confused. I thought it was the same fountain that Silvio had shown, but where did you find so many more lion heads? :-) From this angle you used the long line of jets of water to create a strong sense of depth. I don't dislike photos that don't include people, but I think you agree that people often make a nice contribution to most pictures, otherwise you wouldn't have taken that additional photo of the lady in red. But however nice that photo is, I actually prefer this one, thanks to the fine composition.
Kind regards,
Gert

Silvio1953 (221593) 2020-04-08 3:04

Ciao caro John, great perspective on fantastic fountain, splendid light, wonderful colors, excellent clarity and fine details, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

jean113 (27853) 2020-04-08 4:28

Hello John, what I find fascinating about this fountain is the number of lion’s heads, and that it goes further, round the corner and out of our sight!
This is an excellent point of view where you have actually included so many of the lion’s heads. I like the sunlight filtering through the vegetation onto the wall.
Two excellent extra shots. This one is the best; I like the light as it highlights the spouts of water.
Kind regards, Jean.

Royaldevon (85932) 2020-04-08 5:25

Hello John,

This was a well spotted opportunity to create an interesting photograph, with so many lion heads, spouting water, and at the same time, creating a wonderful sense of perspective. It's something I have never seen, though I have visited the town!

The f/g details are crisp and sharp, with light reflecting on the cascading water.
I like how there is an excellent sunlight/shadow contrast on the back wall, a feature encouraging us to explore the b/g, too.

I hope you and Yvonne are keeping safe,
Bev :-)

jhm (211736) 2020-04-08 6:49

Hello John,

You chose a nice angle, this create depth and perspective
The water out of the fountain makes your picture attractive.
Nice panoramic view with excellent depth image.
Very well done, TDS.

Best regards,
John.

macjake (98456) 2020-04-08 7:50

Hi John
I must say, I now feel a little remorse for my comments on yr photo of the homeless man. Please try to understand where I'm coming from. We try to help the homeless with addiction issues, yet about 75+% of them do not want help and refuse our offerings for stable housing...my comments yesterday were out of pure frustration, sorry for that. As we look at this photo, it recalls memories for me when I travel across Europe. We dont really have such pieces of architecture like this around here, wish we did. Our fountains aren't so historic looking :) a fine shout out to our dear friend Silvio, who I hope is keeping safe. Same to you John, I'm sure yr missing yr long walks with friends, but in time it will all be back to normal. Take care. Craig

Tue (92360) 2020-04-08 9:56

Hello John,
I saw Silvio's photo with all the lion heads also. This is a wonderful fountain as well with a great repetition of all the round, white lions and the water streams coming from their mouths. You chose a good view point and composition. Also the soft light was very pleasant, the place probably offers some coolness on hot summer days.
Lars

lousat (139266) 2020-04-08 13:25

Hi John,i have been one year before you and i remember well this lovely fountain from Creta. In fact there is something that reminds the fountain of Silvio,i like a lot the original perspective and the perfect sharpness everywhere,useful WS too. Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

emka (158156) 2020-04-08 22:46

hello John, I have just seen the Silvio picture. This fountain is similar and even you show it in a similar way. But here the row of lions' heads is much longer, not only along the diagonal but I see them also in the corner. Impressive composition, with great depth.
Take care

MAlgo

Photo Information

Copyright: John Cannon (tyro) (30513)
Genre: Lieux
Medium: Couleur
Date Taken: 2009-07-11
Camera: Canon EOS 20D, Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di-II LD SP AF, HOYA 67mm HMC SUPER UV(0)
Exposition: 1/21 secondes
Map: view
Versions: version originale, Workshop
Carnet de voyage: Crete, July, 2009.
Date Submitted: 2020-04-07 13:40