Hrvatska astrofotografija u časopisu National Geographic
2017. godine posljednju plaću na tadašnjem poslu uložio sam u svoj prvi DSLR fotoaparat, početnički Nikon D3300, kojim i danas fotografiram. Odbio sam ponudu za novi posao i u potpunosti se posvetio projektu astrofotografije Odiseja Brač – More zvijezda. Tog ljeta napravio sam radove, moje prve astrofotografije, koje će već godinu dana kasnije, glavni urednici prestižnog časopisa National Geographic iz Washingtona pohvaliti i objaviti kao najbolju priču izdanja za mjesec studeni 2018.
Usudio bih se reći da je to svojedobno bila najznačajnija međunarodna promocija hrvatske astrofotografije. Krajolik i prirodna baština otoka Brača prvi su put predstavljeni na takav način, pod zvjezdanim tamnim nebom, a projekt je pridonio i podizanju svijesti o problemu svjetlosnog onečišćenja. Za mene je to bio i ostao najponosniji trenutak fotografske karijere.
In 2017, I invested my last paycheck from my previous job in my first DSLR camera, an entry-level Nikon D3300 that I still use today. I turned down a new job offer and dedicated myself entirely to my astrophotography project, Odyssey Brač – Sea of Stars. That summer, I captured my first astrophotographs, which just a year later were recognized by the editors in chief of National Geographic in Washington and published as the featured story of the magazine’s November 2018 issue.
I would argue that this was, at the time, the most significant international recognition of Croatian astrophotography. For the first time, the landscapes and natural heritage of the island of Brač were presented beneath a pristine star-filled sky, while the project also helped raise awareness of the growing problem of light pollution. It was, and remains, the proudest moment of my photographic career.
Unfortunately, as of 2023, it is no longer on newsstands. I am glad that I managed to be a part of that story and brought the island of Brač and landscape astrophotography to the pages of this legendary popular science magazine: the church of St. Mikule (Selca), Emperor Franjo Josip bridge (Ložišća), Petrinović family mausoleum (Supetar), lighthouse of St. Nikola (Pučišća), the relief of Hercules in Rasoham (Splitska), Koloč (Nerežišća), Vidova gora and the small church of St. Jadro (Škrip).