A story halfway between life and photography lesson. Today I will tell you about my experience at Breslau Poland when, under a rain storm, I photographed the night special stage adapting to the extreme conditions that raged on that night.
Photography and story by Paolo Baraldi
It was one of those nights to stay at home, although it is difficult to call a tent home. At the time, however, it was the only "roof" that I had over my head. It was pitch dark outside, it was raining heavily and the wind was blowing hard. At 11.00 pm, Didier, French photographer, calls me: "Paolo, tu es pret?" Honestly I was not ready and I had no desire to go out under that storm to photograph the Breslau Poland night stage. But ... "the show must go on" and the words "must go on", tattooed on my fingers, imposed it on me. I couldn't hold back! "Ok Didier, J’arrive".
I get dressed, I take my equipment and I go out to get on the off-road vehicle that was waiting for us to take us to the chosen point to photograph the race. We arrive just in time; few minutes before the start. A boisterous handful of Polish guys were already there to watch the race. They were soaked, cold and bloody noisy. Only thanks to a few glasses of "Bimber", a kind of home-made Polish grappa, could they withstand those weather conditions.
Didier and I we look around; even if there was not much space left for us, we find our ideal position to photograph the cars near a river crossing. "Putain .... est tout noir! " Didier tells me. We were actually completely enveloped in the darkness of that fucking Polish night and we had to find a solution to take good pictures. The background had to be illuminated in some way. The only possibility was to use the headlights of the organization's 4x4s. We call the drivers and explain to them how to position the cars. Perfect! With just a few maneuvers the trees in the background are perfectly illuminated. We arrange large umbrellas to protect ourselves, at least in part, from the rain that shows no sign of stopping and we position ourselves waiting for the first competitors.
I have to decide how to shoot the night stage. I take one, two, three sips of Bimber and here's the idea! I adjust the exposure of the camera manually with a time of 1/10 of a second, aperture 5.6 and ISO 3200. I turn on the flash and set it with the flash synchronized on the second curtain. And ... panning either! In photography, the term panning refers to that particular technique which, thanks to low exposure times and following the movement of the subject with the camera, results in a sharp and focused subject while the background is blurred. Particularly appreciated solution to make the sensation of speed. Mine is a bit particular panning not only because it is done in the night but above all because I also use the effect of the flash to better illuminate and freeze the movement of the vehicles in the race. One of Giac's teachings, Giac Casale was my great Maestro, which I will never forget was: "learn the photographic technique, make it yours and then forget it!".
Another sip of Bimber from the bottle of my new friend Pawel and I was ready! It will be the almost pure alcohol of the slop I am drinking, it will be the concentration in photographing Breslau but I almost no longer notice the rain and the wind. Seconds, minutes and hours pass ... Didier and I snap, snap and snap again as if there was no end. Exhausted and I don't deny a little bit, at 03.00 in the morning we go back to the camp. In the car we begin to feel tired and cold ... Fortunately on our return the kitchen is still open! A dish of a sort of stew with potatoes and a hot coffee help us to feel better. It's 04.30, it's time to sleep! In a few hours everything will start again because "the race must go on!".
