Borut tried newly acquired Voigtländer lens but we did not get good results. The portraits we made were not sharp and we decided to try with much smaller (still very big though) camera Kodak Brownie. With this camera a large format film can be used but we wanted to stick with the 19. century techniques so we used aluminium plates and a wet collodion technique called ambrotype or collodion positive. The difference is that you get a positive image as an end result and not negative as with glass plates.

It took us about four hours to set up everything and to make three portraits. The exposure time is very hard to determine as there is no light meter in the camera and the sensibility of the wet collodion is approximately 8-12 ISO equivalent. It also depends on the thickness of the layer you put on the plate itself and on the development of the photo in the darkroom. For these three photos below the exposure time was around 4-5 seconds at f11. You can notice Borut’s dog is all blurry cause he moved during the exposure. it gives the photo even more vintage feel.

We were both pleased with the results and somewhere in the future I might even try this technique myself – it’s quite addictive! Below you can check out few more shots from that day.

To read more about these cameras and techniques visit Borut peterlin’s blog where he describes his experiments in 19.century photography.

Kim kindly sent us a testimonial that you can read below and allowed us to post some of her best shots from the September tour.

Booking the tour with Adriatic2Alps was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Initially, I had my concerns. While I had a desire to develop my photography skills, I had very limited experience. In fact, I only owned a point and shoot and didn’t have any clue about how to take my camera off the automatic settings when I sent in my trip deposit. I managed to procure a new DSLR, a new lens or two and some filters, but I was a long way from being proficient, let alone skilled, with a camera. I was worried that other more experienced photographers on the tour would be annoyed and that I was in over my head. As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about. Luka brought me up to speed on the use of my new camera so much quicker than I expected. It certainly didn’t hurt that the tour provided the opportunity to focus on photography without the distractions of everyday life. The trip was a transformative two weeks for me and gave me a solid base of knowledge to start a serious photographic hobby. The other photographers on the tour were also generous with their time and happy to share their expertise with me; I could not have asked for a better group of travel companions. Then there is the gorgeous scenery: colorful coastlines, dramatic waterfalls, lush river valleys and the rugged Alps. You could not ask for more engaging subject matter. In addition to being a wonderful photography teacher, Luka conveys a love for Slovenia and Croatia and a passion for nature and architecture. He has a way of instructing that is accessible and never preachy. We learned about photography, but also about the history of the region and each of the sites we were visiting. Luka certainly has a gift with organization and seamlessly transported the group from one magical location to another. The accommodations, a mix of bed and breakfasts, hotels and apartments were unique and charming, adding to the overall quality of the tour. The restaurants, cafes, teahouses and even the ice cream stands where Luka took us were all exceptional. There was no aspect of the tour that I would change. There was time to see all of the popular locations, time for special requests and even plenty of time set aside for everyone to explore on their own. In addition to the photography, I was able to swim in the Adriatic, walk the city promenades at night and even to engage in one of my personal passions…shopping! I returned from my trip with wonderful memories, thousands of the best pictures I have ever taken, and new skills that I look forward to sharpening.
- Kim Allegretti, Denver, Colorado.

Thank you Kim for everything! It was a pleasure to travel and laugh with you!

What can we say Donna? Thank you so much for writing this article and for giving us a credit!

Open the images below to read the article (to view full size click on the icon at top right corner of the image):

If you are interested in photographing Fall colors in Slovenia, check out our Slovenia in Autumn photography tour!

Season of 2011 is well over now and most of us are already thinking about next vacations in 2012. Here at Adriatic2Alps we have set the tour dates for 2012. You can check them out on Photography Vacations page or click on specific tour on the list below:

• Slovenia Photography Tour; May, July, October
• Adriatic2Alps Photography Tour; June, September
• Balkan Photographic Adventure; August

And because there is a very special day coming in the next two days we offer a very special discount on any of the scheduled tours listed above. 11% discount on all bookings made on 11.11.11. (Nov 11th 2011). You don’t need to do a final booking – its enough to contact us saying you are interested and if you confirm your place on our tour by the end of the month the discount will be taken into account.

And tell your friends about it – share this information on Facebook or via email!

From the first moment I disembarked in Dubrovnik I was in love with the Adriatic. My breath was taken away with the sheer beauty of the city and the coastal landscape. This was the first of many times that my breath was taken away on the Adriatic2Alps tour as Croatia and Slovenia are some of the most spectacular countries that I have visited. From swimming in the crystal clear Adriatic, to eating ice-cream watching the sunset over the ocean, to climbing hills and mountains to discover hidden waterfalls, this trip has it all.
Luka was the perfect host sharing both his love of these places and his love of photography. His enthusiasm was completely infectious and was a joy to be around. There were photo opportunities everywhere I looked and Luka was there to help me make the most of these. Lukas intimate knowledge of the region allows you to maximise your time in a place to get the most amazing shots in the best possible light. With his passion and natural teaching ability, Luka helped me improve my skill, knowledge and photography dramatically during this trip.
I feel privileged to have met Luka and I look forward to planning my next trip through the Balkans with Adriatic2Alps.

All above images by Debbie Watson.

Thank you Debbie for sending your testimonial and hope to see you next season on our Balkan Photo Adventure!

For all of you who are interested in travel with us next season a short notice; tour dates and prices will be announced in the beginning of November. Stay tuned!

We stayed at Virpazar, a town by the lake which has a good location and everything a traveller needs; accommodation, restaurants, shops, boats to rent, even wi-fi is available. Its a tiny little town but it has a nice vibe and locals are super friendly. On our first morning we arranged a boat ride from Vranjina town, where the National Park HQ are. Nice. Birdlife is abundant, ruined castles on small islands, water lilies form a green carpet over the waters, fishermen at their daily routine….

In the afternoon we drove the scenic route from Virpazar to the Albanian border and then on to the Coast. The vistas the road is offering are stunning and well worth driving on curvy mountain road, not wide enough for two cars to meet. Even if its only about 40 km long it takes forever to drive it – stopping for photos or to avoid cars driving the opposite direction. Almost at the Albanian border there is mountain pass which offers excellent views on both countries, the lake, mountains surrounding it and even to the Sea.

Next morning I woke up at 4.30AM to do some serious bird photography from a hide. My boatman of course did not wake on time so I had to find him and throw him out of his bed. There must be some truth in the jokes about Montenegrin being lazy:). Well despite small delay and the fact that our motor broke three times before getting to the location I managed to set up a hide and spent there three hours. That was an awesome experience – listening and watching this display of nature – there must have been more than twenty different bird species and some of them got pretty close to me. Most importantly – I managed to get some excellent shots that you can see in this post…

• Balkan Photography Adventure 16th – 27th Aug 2011 – Two places available
• Adriatic2Alps Tour17th Sep – 1st Oct 2011 – Three places available
• Adriatic2Alps Tour9th – 22nd Oct 2011 – Two places available

Our testimonials page is updated with two nice testimonials by Donna & Jody and Robert & Beverly.

And lastly, new photos have been added to our Slovenia and Croatia galleries. All photos of 2011 are newly added.

Good light, great shots and don’t forget to “like us” on FaceBook!

If you are thinking of heading to Bella Italia and seeing all that these classic beautiful locations have to offer for photographers, we have negotiated a 175 € (EUR) discount for all Adriatic2Alps clients, fans and followers. And Capture Italy also have a special offer on their September tour departing Rome 12th September – for any bookings made by 30th June, they will double the discount!

For more information you can visit the Capture Italy website: http://www.captureitaly.com/ or you can jump straight to the itinerary: http://www.captureitaly.com/itinerary.html.

Buon viaggio!