Vesuvius, the destroyer!, a photo from Naples, Campania

Photographer's Note

Good Morning Everyone,

Today, I will post my last three photographs from Herculaneum, which I hope you will enjoy.

Please click on Vesuvius, the destroyer! to see the photograph much bigger, clearer and sharper.

My main photograph is like a precis of the site's history. In the foreground are the ruins of the once prosperous city, destroyed by the volcanic eruption in AD79. In the mid-ground is the modern town of Ercolano which has been subsequently built over much of the ancient ruins and, in the background, is the source of all the destruction, the mighty Vesuvius.

AS workshops, I will show some of the discovered horrors of that fateful time, nearly 2,000 years ago.

I do have more photographs from this exciting excavation but, maybe, I will post them much later.

Have a great day, Bev :-)

snunney, papagolf21, ikeharel, ChrisJ, jhm, holmertz, PaulVDV, ktanska, Cricri, jean113, macjake, cornejo trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

snunney (130967) 2018-11-26 1:50

Hello Bev,
Interesting composition that sets the story of the destruction in context. You had the ideal vantage point here. The whole is well exposed with excellent colours and sharpness. Cold and grey here today. I would really love to go somewhere warm but no time and my wife has just had a knee replacement.

papagolf21 (152605) 2018-11-26 1:58

Bonjour, chère Bev,
Les images les plus marquantes sont celles présentées en atelier, là, nous touchons du "doigt" une triste réalité.
Les prises de vue sont excellentes.
Merci de ce partage.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Fis2 (169659) 2018-11-26 2:12

Witaj Bev!
Interesting view, curious architecture.
The volcano in the background adds to the charm of this composition.
Excellent POV and composition.
I like colors and sharpness.
Well done.
Nice day.
Krzysztof

ikeharel (112397) 2018-11-26 4:52

A picture with a time-scale,Beverley, from the old excavation sight to the newer town and the mighty volcano rising on the far side. Obviously, not far enough for a Lava eruption speed, as happend.
Found an excellent point for this scene.
Good afternoon,
Ike

ChrisJ (171172) 2018-11-26 5:23

Hello Bev,

I really enjoyed Herculaneum. I also did a night tour, as well as a more in depth daylight exploration. I like the yellow fg flowers here which contrast well with the bg blue sky and add depth and layering to the composition. Did you know that Naples has an even more dangerous volcano to its west known as the Campi Flegrei. It is also partially submerged in the Tyrennian Sea and would cause massive tsunamis around the western Mediterranean if ever it were to erupt again. Tfs.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/naples-supervolcano-campi-flegrei-eruption-dangers-risk-caldera-italy-hot-zone-magma-pozzuoli-a7959046.html

jhm (211734) 2018-11-26 5:27

Hello Bev,

According to the teeth were young people, see this on your additional picture.
Very sharpness and nice clear picture.
But the flowers and vegetation are a nice addition.
Composition and presentation are very pleasant.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

Silvio1953 (220525) 2018-11-26 5:48

Ciao cara Bev, fascinating view of old ruines and fantastic Vesuvio, wonderful colors, excellent clarity and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

Sergiom (117241) 2018-11-26 6:28

Bonjour Bev,

Bien qu'il détruise régulièrement tout ce qu'il y a autour, irrémédiablement, les gens reviennent toujours. Les fleurs à l'avant plan, pour moi, c'est toujours gagnant et la ville est belle en passant du vieux au neuf.

Amicalement

Serge

holmertz (101946) 2018-11-26 6:29

Hello Bev,
The lower area looks pretty much like any not so well maintained town in a poorer part of the world, so it's stunning to realize it's more than 2,000 years old. Herculaneum and Pompeii have to be among the more important places to visit in Europe, so it's quite a disgrace I haven't seen them. I will have to do something about that. Today's three photos are all fascinating, and all could have been main uploads. Maybe you chose this one because of the flowers? "People" found in Pompeii are usually plaster casts from the cavities made by the bodies, but these seem to be the actual skeletons?
Kind regards,
Gert

Tue (91526) 2018-11-26 7:54

Hello Beverley,
A great photo of the old, excavated city, the modern city and the volcano in the background, which actually make quite a peaceful impression on a calm and sunny day like here. The composition is excellent and well-balanced. I also like the orange flowers in the foreground.
Lars

Nicou (193806) 2018-11-26 8:19

Hlelo

mervielleux le Vésuve en fond quelle forme de ce volcan tout en noir et ce contraste avec ces maisons cette barrière le belle fleur quel ensemble sueprbe.
Bravo et blele osrée
Nicou

mesutilgim (0) 2018-11-26 11:40

Hello Beverley,
Very nice capture taken with good pov and ligth management. Perfect sharpness.Nice framing and interesting notes.
The orange flowers in the bottom part of the compo creates a perfect eyecatching effect.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

PaulVDV (62790) 2018-11-26 12:09

Hello Beverley,
You searched for a great point of view to present the ruins, the contemporary city district and the mighty volcano nicely behind each other on one picture.
The colourful flowers on the foreground show that life goes on, even after the terrible destruction of the city and its inhabitants as well demonstrated in the WS.
Excellent clear shot with perfect sharpness. The volcano makes a splendid background, not showing how dangerous it really is.
Best regards, Paul

tyro (30513) 2018-11-27 1:40

hello Bev,

As soon as I saw your picture and read the first few lines of your note, I was reminded of the words of Robert Oppenheimer, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of Worlds" - but that, of course, was a reference to man-made destruction. But this destruction brought about by the immense powers of Nature, though far less impacting from a global point of view, is nonetheless horrendous: and the horror is brought home to us most strikingly when we see your two workshop photographs of the distorted skeletal remains of those unfortunates who died under awful conditions in the boathouses of Herculaneum.

An superb trio of photographs, very well presented and with a fine descriptive note.

Excellent!

Kind Regards,

John.

ktanska (44446) 2018-11-27 10:11

Hi Bev,
I like all the layers of this view. Foreground flowers, ancient city and more modern further back. And Vesuvius, the destroyer.
But the skeleton WS, is even stronger picture. It clearly shows how the eruption created time capsule of this town.
Kari

Cricri (176) 2018-11-28 2:37

Hi Beverley
Vous avez bien cadrer les ruines entre la ville, le volcan et les fleurs qui adoucit
le gris des ruines, très intéressante vue sur les maisons en WS, très dur de voir les squelettes , ces pauvres gens et enfants ont connu horreur !!!
Bonne journée
cricri

jean113 (27613) 2018-11-29 8:33

Hello Beverley, an excellent view where we are able to see 'Vesuvius, the destroyer' dominant in the background,
and the ruins that are Herculaneum, backed by more modern buildings.
I wonder what it is like to have the view of the destroyed town every day as you look out of your window?
Your extra shots give us a real insight into this place of such tragic events.
Super sharp.
Regards Jean.

macjake (98260) 2018-11-29 12:17

Hi Bev
excellent WS photos, they really do tell the story, as heart breaking as it is. That is one of the similar aspects with Pompeii, seeing the skeletons in their natural state at the time of death. Its hard to imagine what they went through. As for you photo here, i like seeing the way the more current homes and buildings have sprouted up. and thats even more so because of the horizontal layering of them, situated up top. once again, wonderful lighting and exposure, perfect. cheers
Craig

cornejo (61504) 2018-12-06 11:12

Hello Bev, very good photograph of this interesting composition with the old city, the new one and the famous volcano, very well captured in this interesting image with good sharpness, light, color and quality. Very good and interesting work perfectly done, my congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this beautiful work.

Good night and happy weekend.
Best wishes from the south of Spain.
Angel.