Valle dei Templi – Valley of the Temples

The so-called Valley of the Temples near Agrigento in Sicily ranks among the most significant archaeological sites of ancient Greece and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. Several temples were built on a ridge in the fifth century BC, some of which survive to this day and offer a remarkable glimpse into the height of Greek civilisation in the Mediterranean. The question remains: how can you best photograph such a site?

With around 300 days of sunshine a year, light is not generally a problem, but the opening hours of 8:30 to 20:00 limit the available timeframe. I chose the morning hours, partly in the hope of encountering fewer visitors. The site has entrances to the east and west, so you have to decide which direction to approach from. I opted for the eastern entrance, which gets you to the temples more quickly. During my visit in mid-February, the almond trees were in full bloom, a welcome bonus I had deliberately factored into the travel plans.

On the day of my visit, the southern light was at its best. This is fantastic for holidaymakers, but a cloudless sky and harsh sunlight are far from ideal for photography. So I fell back on a classic compositional technique – natural frames. Trees, branches, rocks and cacti were incorporated into the compositions so that the eye is drawn deliberately towards the main subject while at the same time concealing parts of the unattractive sky, the sun itself or other visitors. To photograph the Temple of Concordia entirely without people, I chose an extremely low shooting position. The steps of the temple and the rocks in the foreground hid the other visitors, while the temple itself appeared all the more imposing for it. Through these compositional tricks, the resulting images evoke the feeling of discovering the site for yourself when you look at them.