Sometimes I like to wait a little longer before raising the camera. In this case, I was just leaning against the stone wall, watching how the cliff face and white buildings lined up perfectly through the archway. That framing didn’t need much—it was already doing most of the work. The real challenge was managing the light. The foreground was in shade, while the distant rock and sea caught the full midday sun. I exposed for the highlights, letting the shadows fall naturally, which helped emphasize the tunnel effect and draw the eye through. I also liked the way the layers stacked: the rough bricks of the arch, the turquoise sea, the textured cliff, and then those blocky white rooftops glowing quietly. Everything lined up in this still moment, like the town was revealing itself piece by piece. The pop of blue from the ocean felt like a reward once you looked past the darker frame. Compositionally, it’s all about patience here—waiting for people to clear, waiting for the clouds to shift—and knowing when to let the architecture guide you.
Welcome to my world of photography. I am Martijn Jebbink, born in the Netherlands and living in Rome.
I grew up in a small town, surrounded by an impressive forest. In that environment I developed my own way of looking at the world. At first, I didn’t see..
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