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Italy Positano

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This is a photo of the Italian city of Positano. It was taken during sunset in July of 2017. Positano is one of the coastal cities which resides along the Amalfi Coast area.

The spot where this photo was taken was featured on Fstoppers "Photographing The World 3 with Elia Locardi" trailer which was posted in September 2017.

Photography Tips

The spot faces west, so I would recommend waiting for sunset. When the sun goes behind the mountain the city will become dark, and the lights begin to turn on, yet the sky will be beautifully illuminated.

This is an HDR photo composed of 3 bracketed shots. The final image was created with the EasyHDR program. The details of the nominally exposed photo are below:
Camera: Nikon D7200
Lens: Tokina 11-20 f/2.8
Shutter Speed: 8 secs.
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 16mm on a Nikon crop sensor. So about 24mm full frame.

Make sure to use a tripod for longer exposures. You can rest the tripod on the concrete walls as shown in the Fstoppers video. Also consider to apply a CPL filter or ND as needed.

Travel Information

There is a ferry which connects to all the major towns along the Amalfi coast (listed east to west): Positano, Amalfi, Minori, Maiori, Cetara, and Salerno. The cost ranges from 3-12 euro for a 1-way trip. Tickets are available at booths near piers in each of those town. You can find the schedule and cost at http://www.travelmar.it/en/hours

If you're in / around Naples you can take a train to Salerno.

I very highly recommend to take the ferry because you can get awesome coastal views and photo (take a look at my photo of Minori)

However, the ferry does not operate late at night. If you're staying in another town you'll have to take the bus. I think the bus costs about 2 Euro. Conveniently there is a bus stop 150 meters east at the fork in the road. It will probably be crowded late at night as everyone tries to get back to the town in which they're staying. Be careful because the road is very narrow here and there isn't much space on the sidewalk.

Do not attempt to drive through Positano if you're unfamiliar with the area. There are many 1 way streets and they are super narrow with motorcycles flying by.

My Opinion:
Positano is the "nicest" of the Amalfi Coast cities. By that I mean it feels a little more upscale, less run down, and not too "gimicky." For example, the town of Amalfi to me felt like a cruise ship gift shop (unfortunately). If you stay in Positano be prepared for a lot of ascending / descending. DON'T BRING TOO MUCH LUGGAGE!!! Your arms will hate you!

Also, if you do stay in / around Positano I would recommend to plan a day trip to Capri. I personally did not do this but talked to many people who did and it was universally praised.
Spot Type Outdoor
Crowd Factor A decent amount of people
Best Timing Sunset
Sunrise & Sunset 07:21 - 16:40 | current local time: 06:25
Photo Themes Amalfi Coast coastline Sunset

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Spot Comments (3)

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Robert Dettman
Robert Dettman 05.06.2018
Thank you for your thoughts Eric. I consider myself to be an enthusiast too. Regarding graduated filters, mine have been gathering dust for years. Although there is an argument that they can reduce processing time their use in the field is fiddly and time consuming. I'm always nervous about finger prints, or worse, dropping one. Also, for an image such as this one of Positano, the non-straight horizon can not be accommodated by the straight edge if a grad filter. One filter whose effect that can't be replicated by software is the circular polariser. These are just my thoughts. I think your use of HDR in this image is excellent. It has a natural look which in my view is the true aim of the HDR technique. I look forward to seeing more of your work on Locationscout.
Robert Dettman
Robert Dettman 04.06.2018
A beautiful photo Eric, and thank you for such a comprehensive description.
Eric Helligrath
Eric Helligrath 05.06.2018
Hi Robert. No problem. I'm happy to help anytime. Thank you very much for the compliment - I sincerely appreciate it. In the future I'd really like to get away from HDR and use a graduated filter. I learned from another photographer while photographing Vernazza how useful the graduated filters may be, especially how they may reduce post-processing time. Relying on the varying results of different programs is oftentimes frustrating, despite how far they've come in recent years (easyHDR, Aurora, Adobe, etc.). Nonetheless I consider myself a novice traveler, and an "enthusiast" level photographer. I hope to help novice photographers who are still learning the basics... And travelers in general to reach wonderful destinations. By the way, I checked out your profile on Location Scout and am completely impressed with your style and photography skill. It really makes me appreciate the compliment even more! Your contribution to this growing site is fantastic and I really appreciate all the effort which you've put forth.

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Thank you Eric Helligrath for creating this photo spot in Italy and Ali Dawi, Dino Bramanto, Jimmy Kohar for improving it with additional photos or content.
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