Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/07/03

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Subject: Re: [Leica] travel to Greece in September....advice?
From: "Alan Hull" <hull@vaggeryd.mail.telia.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Jul 1998 12:24:38 +0200

 Fr=E5n: Francesco Sanfilippo=20
>=20
> What are the attitudes toward tourists and photographers in Greece?
> Is this a place you can take photos of people on the street without
getting
> into trouble?  Are there fees for shooting at archaeological sites,
etc?
- --------------------------------
I spent three years cruising the Greek Islands in my boat ... all
seasons.  The lighting in Greece is special.  Many poets have attempted
to define it, Wine dark sea and all that.  The houses are whitewashed
with (usually) dark blue doors and window frames, so you have a
contrast problem especially with the cloudless blue sky.  This can be
alleviated by a heat haze that fills in the shadows a bit, but in Sept
the Meltemi could still be blowing which hardens the light and blows
the haze away. =20

As for the attitude of the Greeks towards tourists and photographers.=20
You will have absolutely no problem at all.  They do tend to treat
tourists as a walking wallet though,  My only warning would be to
purchase your film in a photo shop, if you can find one,  Most film is
sold in kiosks and is BAKED by the sun, so make the effort and locate a
good source.  Greece is so photogenic, that if you decided to take your
own supplies, you would need a truck (or a boat) to carry enough.

Forget the architecture, unless you visit the sights at dawn,  Picture
of ruins crawling with tourists simply dont make it.  Buy postcards.=20
Greece has excellent photographers supplying really good views without
the hordes, you could NEVER better them.

Enjoy yourself
Alan