Headwaters by Christos Zoumides

Headwaters by Christos Zoumides

Pedieos is the longest river in Cyprus that flows from north-eastern hillsides of the Troodos Mountain to the Mesaoria plain. It’s the river that crosses Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. The presence of the river is intense in the history of the city, it’s the source of life in the plains and the raison d’etre of the Engomi harbour from where copper was exported. Many of the settlements built in antiquity and the development of Ledra – one of the ten kingdoms of ancient Cyprus – are also due to the water of this river. Most importantly, Nicosia was chosen as the capital and administrative centre by the Byzantines precisely for the rich waters of Pedieos; paradoxical for an island having a capital inland instead of the coast! The photo was taken at Machairas forest right after an intense rainfall event at the source of Pedieos River. The waterfall is well hidden and it’s accessible after a pretty risky hike. I came across this location in 2013 and this year I rediscovered it with a couple of friends. For those interested in technical details, this is a single shot captured with Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens. Framed at 24mm and exposure for 2.5s, f/7.1 and ISO 100. I used the Lee SW150 circular polarising filter to cancel out some of the reflections on the wet stones and to enhance the saturation of the autumn colours that dominated the scene. Thanks a lot for stopping by, your likes and comments are very much appreciated!

Christos Zoumides: Photos