Looking at Snowy Egrets in breeding plumage.
Cropped from the right and top, tripod mounted 100-400mm GM set to 400mm and A7rIII, silent shutter.
ISO 100, f5.6, 1/125 second.
May 11, 2019
At Gatorland, Orlando or Kissimmee, FL.
A trip during COVID-19 lockdown. It is now 4th week of partial lockdown in the Czech Republic. Schools closed, restaurants only open only for take out, shops closed except for groceries, pharmacies and a few more types that reopened last week. Travel can be for essential things. Borders are mostly closed. Outdoor sports with limitations are now allowed for last few days. Visit in nature and to city parks (assuming distance from others) were allowed all time. Also wearing face masks is mandatory outside of home for 3.5 weeks. It is not that face mask would protect you significantly against inhaling the virus but they protect others if you are infected and shedding the virus which you might be even without symptoms. The motto is "my mask protects you, your mask protects me".
Nature trip is allowed as long as you go only two persons or a family of people living together. I went alone and did not meet anyone at few meters except for few cyclists passing by during all 15km of it.
I have selected pretty quite and slightly unremarkable place except for it being part of protected area called Bohemian Karst (Český Kras).
I think it would be just a trip and not a photography trip if I had kept my Sigma 100-400 Contemporary home. That focal range proved excellent here as it is flat part of region and I had it on camera all the time (except fist picture in album link which is from 24-105 at 86mm). Adapter used is MC-11, camera is A7iii.
126mm
227mm
279mm
176mm
400mm
100mm (castle in background is Karlštejn, town is Liteň
I am not sure about the Mask Carnival next year, at least for me... but it was fun while it lasted. Although I left Venice a week before the lockdown started but a lot of participants got stuck there. Two ladies in costume would like to be photographed while I was photographing a friend of mine, Paolo Favalesi, in the evening in front of the famous Basilica. Hence this image...
AGeoJO wrote:
I am not sure about the Mask Carnival next year, at least for me... but it was fun while it lasted. Although I left Venice a week before the lockdown started but a lot of participants got stuck there. Two ladies in costume would like to be photographed while I was photographing a friend of mine, Paolo Favalesi, in the evening in front of the famous Basilica. Hence this image...
So beautiful, Joshua!
Do you mean to say there is a chance the festival is becoming cancelled, or that this was possibly your last attendance? Either would be a shame, as you take some amazing photos there.
Do you mean to say there is a chance the festival is becoming cancelled, or that this was possibly your last attendance? Either would be a shame, as you take some amazing photos there.
Thank you very much, Jim! I am convinced that the official carnival festivities will take place. But my photographing the event is not about the official portion. It is more about people that come from all over the world on a personal basis. The vast majority of my images are of those folks and not from the official carnival events. We have developed a friendship with each other and I could take pictures with them on a personal basis and not with 30 other photographers crowded around, at least not all the time.
You may not guess it but the largest contingent of participants come from... France. Of course, there are people from Italy, too, from Germany and even from the USA. Most of these folks make their own costumes and that takes months to do, depending on how much details they want to incorporate. Normally, these folks start making them right after they have come home from the carnival. Some got sick while there , I understood.
Based on the sentiments I heard on various FB groups and from a few personal friends, the enthusiasm has declined significantly. Plus, as we can imagine, some lost their jobs over there as well as over here. Paying for the trip, the accommodation, the meals for 10+ days, etc. is not inexpensive. They put their priorities on other more important aspects of life, I guess. Some will skip a year and some say, they will probably wear the old costumes again, and that, if they go. Things may change for the better though depending on how fast the world will recover from the pandemic. Chances are, I will sit out the event next year.
AGeoJO wrote:
Thank you very much, Jim! I am convinced that the official carnival festivities will take place. But my photographing the event is not about the official portion. It is more about people that come from all over the world on a personal basis. The vast majority of my images are of those folks and not from the official carnival events. We have developed a friendship with each other and I could take pictures with them on a personal basis and not with 30 other photographers crowded around, at least not all the time.
You may not guess it but the largest contingent of participants come from... France. Of course, there are people from Italy, too, from Germany and even from the USA. Most of these folks make their own costumes and that takes months to do, depending on how much details they want to incorporate. Normally, these folks start making them right after they have come home from the carnival. Some got sick while there , I understood.
Based on the sentiments I heard on various FB groups and from a few personal friends, the enthusiasm has declined significantly. Plus, as we can imagine, some lost their jobs over there as well as over here. Paying for the trip, the accommodation, the meals for 10+ days, etc. is not inexpensive. They put their priorities on other more important aspects of life, I guess. Some will skip a year and some say, they will probably wear the old costumes again, and that, if they go. Things may change for the better though depending on how fast the world will recover from the pandemic. Chances are, I will sit out the event next year....Show more →
Thanks for the interesting and informative background on the "players". I've seen similar happen in competitive shooting sports, especially the international and national competitions where participants pay their own way -- personal/family needs offset against personal desires.
It is certainly a wonderful privilege to have such interesting friends, and we have all benefited from your amazing images of the costumed individuals -- art recording art! Thank you.
AGeoJO wrote:
I am not sure about the Mask Carnival next year, at least for me... but it was fun while it lasted. Although I left Venice a week before the lockdown started but a lot of participants got stuck there. Two ladies in costume would like to be photographed while I was photographing a friend of mine, Paolo Favalesi, in the evening in front of the famous Basilica. Hence this image...
I can only imagine the work and expense that goes into these costumes. Truly Spectacular!
, I understood.
