Konstantin,
Actually I think I spend about 15 minutes on that spot for the good subject to arrive. I had spotted the cross, the steepy street and the general atmosphere, I just needed something to happen. When I saw the man coming I waited for him to be right in front of the slope to get a sense of depth. I was a bit lucky on the focus, not easy to do when someones arrives perpendicularly.
As for the ND filter question, I use 0.6 ones which reduce light by 2 stops. With a top speed of 1/4000 on the M9 it is usually enough for very bright light. I sometimes have to stopped down to 1.7 or 2.0 but usually it is enough. 3 stops ND filter would be safer, yet remember the downside if suddenly you get in the shadows and have no time to remove the filter …
The picture was taken at around 14H00 I believe, the sun was strong.
