Yes the weather really sucked during my time in Oia, it was freezing cold and very overcast. I waited there for about 3 hours to get this shot.
Steve, I really like what you did with the image, I will have to play around with the levels and saturation a bit. This was one of my 1st major shoots with my new 20d so dealing with the digital darkroom is a bit new to me.
Your composition is spectacular, Adam. I love the colors and clarity. I think that rather than applying a filter to create a sunset effect, it might be better to drop the "sunset" part of the title. For one thing, the sun appears to be too high in the sky to have "sunset" be accurate. Rather, what I think you should do is to play with the tonality and saturation to more accurately reflect the scene at the time it was shot. The photo has a slight murkiness to it that I think can be approved upon.
I took the liberty to mock up a rough idea of what I think can be achieved that I've appended below. You've got the makings of a first rate photo, because you're already starting out first rate. Steve
First, it doesn't appear to be a sunset shot, so I would add a warm gradient to the sky. Taking shots from the promontory by the old castle facing the town is really an exercise in patience. The best spots are actually scouted by Greek stock photographers and they tend to go places you aren't actually allowed to go. I had to set up my tripod 4 hours before sunset to get the right spot and secure position for the descent of the sun into the sea, which is very dramatic if you happen to get clear skies, please see: http://www.usefilm.com/Image.asp?ID=987440 and http://www.usefilm.com/Image.asp?ID=805798 to get ideas as to how this shot should be colored, and the drama that is possible. If you notice we are in about the same location, just I had better weather :))). I took 1300 shots in 3 hours to get those shots, since the lighting and position of the sun changes every 30 seconds as it approaches the horizon. I realize that everyone's stay in Oia is a short time, so I understand the constraints upon you... perhaps you were just a little unlucky with the weather. Thanks for sharing.