The Tied and The Free
Small village Marina near Trogir (mid-Adriatic, Croatia).
The sound of the anti-mosquito-spraying airplane. woke me up.
I've managed to shoo...
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Small village Marina near Trogir (mid-Adriatic, Croatia).
The sound of the anti-mosquito-spraying airplane. woke me up.
I've managed to shoot two or three frames, and had to run back inside, because the breathing air was not exactly at its best...
Read less
The sound of the anti-mosquito-spraying airplane. woke me up.
I've managed to shoot two or three frames, and had to run back inside, because the breathing air was not exactly at its best...
Read less
Jul, 2020Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
Photo was made in Marina, a small coastal village near Trogir, (mid-Adriatic, Croatia)Time
I think it was around 6AM (no Exif!) on some early Summer day in 1984.Lighting
The lighting is pure daylight which is almost always something special around the Adriatic, especially at dusk and dawn moments. And it was all the light that was needed.Equipment
If memory serves, the camera was Minolta Dynax 7000i + 35-80mm Minolta Rokkor lens, and loaded with Fujichrome Sensia (100ASA) roll, which was my favorite slidefilm, equally for underwater use (in Nikonos cameras) and also for allround purposes. Shot out of hand with no add-ons.Inspiration
The sunrise colors and reflections in the glass-calm sea, with the airplane and the smoke it was leaving behind, that was inspiration enough. This was an occasion of anti-mosquito spraying, a smelly but unavoidable business. The village is in the bay where small freshwater streams join the sea, and there is a swampy area deep in the back of the bay which simply needs the treatment. I was lucky the plane roar woke me up to see it, but I've had to hold my breath for as long as it took to shoot several frames and then had to run back inside... Later in the day, the mistral managed to do away with the awful chem stench.Editing
Of course, the slide frame had to be scanned to arrive at its digital form, and the scanners of those times were not nearly as efficient as today's. So the finished JPEG had to be cleaned and denoised, with an occasional cleanup of dust... In all, I did what was possible to render the view as accurately as I remembered it! As the color goes, it is pretty much as it was to my eyes.In my camera bag
For decades already I find it easier to carry a photo vest than any photo bag. So I load my photo vest with whatever I might need for my photo session, walk or trip. My photo bags usually stay home or in the car to keep the equipment I'm not using at the moment. The vest's many pockets usually contain two cameras, spare batteries, ND and CPL filters, and one small photo clamp instead of a tripod. Sometimes I'll include a small action camera, mainly for its wide field of view and resistance to water and weather. The vest has pockets for big lenses that can hold a small water bottle, a sandwich, or a bar of chocolate if I plan on being out for the whole day. I always add about three meters length of paracord or similar strong, thin rope, one hefty pocket knife, and a lighter. With these, much can be "mcgyvered" along the way, so that's all I need. Recently I make it even more comfortable for me, and take the essentials along in a waist pouch; a variable-volume McKinley. Simplicity and comfort; two best qualities for the most situations!Feedback
It is difficult to envision similar situations, since every new occurrence will be different. Anyway, the sure-fire advice would be the same: ALWAYS have your camera (ANY camera) at hand, ready to be employed in seconds. And then listen to the airplane noise, wake up, see what goes on and react! A bonus in such situation would have been a gas mask, but it depends on the prevalent wind and action proximity. If it is very intense, do care to not spend much time breathing the hellish chemicals. If you get sprayed on, make sure you shower immediately and clean your camera thoroughly. The concoction that kills mosquitoes can be harmful to the skin, and also damage the plastic and the lens coating. Otherwise... enjoy! :)
