Marko's Work Placement on the Croatian Coast

Upon arrival, the hotel manager and staff welcomed me with a warm reception. First, they kindly escorted me to my room, where I took a moment for myself, took a breath and realised that a wonderful two-month adventure awaited me. On the very first day, I discussed the strategy and work for the coming weeks with the hotel manager. More specifically, that it was necessary to photograph the hotel's architecture, food and hotel staff. What I found very interesting was that I was selected based on a portfolio that includes mostly portraits. Needless to say, I was very excited and ready to work.

In general, the hotel staff were incredibly supportive. Throughout my entire stay and photography work, they provided me with all the help I needed with equipment, supplied me with food and drink, and took care of every need I had. Most of them spoke perfect English and even those who didn't, I understood everything, as our languages are not so different. I would like to give special praise to the head chef, who is an absolute master of his craft.

The main challenge I faced was photographing the new menu they had designed for the upcoming season, which comprises around 25 new dishes. Food photography is incredibly difficult if you want to do it properly, as you need a lot of equipment, especially in terms of lighting. I couldn't bring all the necessary tools with me, so I had to resort to more creative and improvisational techniques to get the shots I wanted. Fortunately, a member of staff served as my assistant and used a diffuser to soften the sunlight from a nearby window. Without her, the lighting would have been very poor. Photographing the interior and exterior of the hotel was easier with the help of a mini tripod, which I fortunately brought with me. The additional stability allowed me to photograph some areas at night, which was a nice bonus. Photographing the staff working and the guests dining was the easiest, but just as enjoyable as the rest.

The entire stay was phenomenal. The hotel looks wonderful and minimalist from the inside and out, and is located literally by the sea, which meant that the view from my room was stunning. The food was also incredibly good, as were the staff and their service, which was spot on. The hotel manager and her team are ambitious in terms of improving the hotel and everything surrounding it to its full potential. Culturally, I didn't discover anything new, because I had been to Croatia before, but that doesn't mean my stay was any less interesting.

Because I primarily photograph portraits, I was constantly working outside my comfort zone, which meant I had to adapt to numerous new styles of photography. Although this was a challenge for me, I think I did a good job with everything I had to do. Over the past two months, I have gained a great deal of new knowledge and invaluable experience.

I would recommend this destination to all future Erasmus students, because the entire experience was fantastic. I would also like to give some advice to potential candidates. It's good to have at least some basic knowledge of the language of the country you're travelling to, as this will enable you to adapt culturally more quickly and easily. Make sure you are well equipped (photographically) for any challenge you may encounter. Bring all tripods, C-stands, flashes/video lights, and top-quality cameras and lenses, as this will make your work easier. And finally, don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try new methods of photography that you're not used to, as it will force you to adapt, overcome and grow, regardless of your actual field of photography.

Looking back on everything I experienced in Stacija, I had a wonderful time and I hope to go there again in the near future.

Source: Academia (12. 6. 2019). Fotografije: arhiv Academie.

This English summary was produced automatically from the Slovenian article and is pending editorial review. Slovenska različica