Waiting for the light

One of my favorite photographers (well actually I believe, one of your favorites as well) has a famous book called under the same title, I named this one not by accident, but because I had that book in my mind when I captured this shot!
It was a lovely weekend (with the addition of an extra day) the combination was fantastic, getting to spend 3 days in one of the most wonderful (and unfortunately distant from Athens) places in Greece, with a lovely company of friends, and having God arrange the 3 days for you!
So we headed towards Papigko, one of the most magical spots of Northern Greece, travel for 6 hours till you reach it, stop 15 Km's before the Village because the snowfall is so thick that the car can not move anymore without the use of chains! Try to put chains on the tires when a herd of cows (and I mean lots of them) pass through the snow storm heading towards the unknown, and not minding where they are stepping (now you wouldn't be lying on the ground and getting stepped by something like that!) suddenly a granny appears from nowhere, telling us that the snow storm has started since yesterday and that conditions are...white over the village...well that was what we where waiting for! Chain installation just got quicker! and soon we where entering the village, snow is still falling thick and actually you can't see much, it's from the moments where I want to scream, I am over at one of the most magical places in Greece, yet I can't see or shoot sh*t (pardon my language). I decide getting mad and bitching ain't going to change anything, so I prefer to put the AW of the Lowepro, pick my tripod and just start acting as a tourist.
So after a few hours of walking around (and it was hard since everything was covered in snow and even walking was tough) the friends propose we go and eat, hell why not, the weather is bad, and literaly I can't see anything in front of me...so the only shooting I would be doing, would involve animal tissue...(e.g steak).
But...yes there is a but...until a few meters before the tavern (not a restaurant, mind you people) when the snow cuts a bit off -still snowing though, but really light- I get the camera out of the bag, prepare the tripod (hell Benro f*ck*ng rocks! How the hell was I missing such a tripod so long?) place the camera on it, and start composing, I get a few shots, revealing the atmosphere of the moment, but yet the atmosphere is lacking, so I say to myself wait a bit longer (friends have already entered the tavern, and probably they are paying the tribute to the local farmers...but something tells me to stay a bit more) a glimpse to sky reveals a short hole, the clouds are spreading, and yes...God is loving me, the storm is breaking and the sunlight breaks through the clouds creating a...heavenly atmosphere! This is what "waiting for the light" is all about, it's the gift for waiting patiently, for being on the most magical place in Greece and yet again not been satisfied until you see those rays of light "painting" on the surface, ipod is playing Elysium by Hans Zimmer, nothing more to ask...

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Canon 5D
Canon 70-200 f/4
Filters: B+W Circular Polarizer
Shutter: 1/13sec
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 126mm
Tripod: Benro C169 + Vanguard SBH-300
White Balance set through a Whibal
Date / Time: 13/02/2010 16:40pm
Location: Megalo Papigko / Epirus / Greece