A different view of the iconic Saint Thomas church.
The view across the hills to west of Skofja Loka in Slovenia to the iconic Saint Thomas Church backed by the majestic Kamnik Alps is one that, although not easy to find, is very well-known among photographers. Although the church itself is easy to find, the viewpoint lies further away on a hillside village called Rantovše. I was given the co-ordinates by Slovene photographer Luka Esenko, owner and founder of Photohound. But sometimes it’s good to find a different perspective.
The vast majority of photos are taken from this exact same place, and for good reason. It is the perfect viewpoint when the mist forms in the valley below, and the sun rises off to the right in winter illuminating the church and hills with beautiful side lighting. In spring and summer the sun moves north and the church is then backlit. This can be great also when the conditions are right.
However, on this morning there was no mist and barely any clouds, but I knew the sun was going to rise over the far right side of the Kamnik Alps, so I decided to try a perspective I’d scouted before when shooting something else nearby. It’s just a little way down the road from the classic viewpoint, but makes a world of difference, especially in spring.
I found this beautiful tree in bloom and knew it would look great backlit, so setup my composition, put on a 4 stop hard grad and waited for the magic moment.
Sometimes it’s good to take a break from the usual.
Other photos from the morning
Always good to look around you also
