DANIEL PAVLINOVIĆ “My passion is bad weather”

INTERVIEW
pag bridge bura

Daniel Pavlinović is a weather and landscape photographer based in Dubrovnik, Croatia with many photographic and meteorological achievements. Weather conditions have fascinated him since the early childhood, and today he is a board member of the Crometeo association, and a member of the Croatian Meteorological Society.

Photographing various weather conditions and the weather changes is a risky business. Can you share with us the process?

This process depends on the expected weather conditions. I select locations and methods depending on the weather and the direction from which the change will come. Almost every time the thunderstorm is different and the result unique. Firstly, I analyze the results of various numerical weather predictions models and there is also a need for a specific experience of local weather characteristics.

bura croatia

Could you tell us more about “weather photography” and your passion for this kind of work?

I would say that it is a part of landscape photography but focused on recording dramatic weather processes like lightning, waterspouts, waves, etc. I truly enjoy observing such weather processes and additional passion lies in understanding these phenomena. I started to photograph them so that I could enjoy some of the most interesting weather changes, and then it quickly slipped into the photo passion. Weather plus photos – an ideal combination for endless fun and pleasure.

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You work throughout Croatia, what is your favourite place and why?

I work mostly on the Adriatic, especially in Dalmatia, but also in the inland and mountain regions. It’s hard to say what’s my favourite place because every part of Croatia is different. But if I have to decide… it`s Dubrovnik.

You also visit Lika and the surrounding area. 

Honestly, I was there a few years ago. Several times I visited Plitvice, Velebit area and some of the islands. I love the frozen landscape at Plitvice Lakes and the strong Bora wind in the sub-mountainous area. In general, this part of Croatia is rich with many natural beauties and in the photographic sense, it is a poorly exploited part.

plitvice winter

When were you the most scared?

One of my favourite ‘chases’ was the Bora on the island of Pag in November 2013, when we had Crometeo team members from Dubrovnik, Makarska, Zadar and Split and Slovenia there. It was one of the strongest Bora that could occur anywhere in our area, and with manual anemometers, we measured 218 km/h, while on the bridge the wind speed was up to 230 km/h!

pag bura

Everything was covered in salt, so the photo and video material were spectacular!

The greatest fear for me is the stormy sea. As much as it seems unreal good, the thought of being inside causes anxiety. I approach every new adventure with caution so I rarely get caught in a situation that would provoke fear. Maybe in a few occasions when the lightning struck close enough, but it could happen to anybody.

You are a member of the Crometeo Association, what are your mail goals?

Crometeo is an association of meteorologists, amateurs and professionals who work on the popularization of this science in Croatia and the surrounding area. We started in 2003 as a small meteorological forum, and with the significant increase of the participants, we opened the association in 2005. Crometeo is working on the popularization of meteorology through photo and video reportages of interesting meteorological events, in which we explain the processes and various meteorological phenomena such as waterspouts, waves, clouds… They are presented to the public mostly through photo exhibitions.

wind croatia
The Crometeo photo exhibition “Meteorological Contrast” has been travelling throughout Croatia for years. Also, we have been developing a network of wireless meteorological stations throughout Croatia. These stations provide data about the current weather in various parts of Croatia via the Pljusak.com website.

sea croatia storm

I would add that we`ve also opened the Crometeo partner association Storm chasers Dubrovnik. With the help of that association we are trying to promote meteorology, for now mainly by setting up meteorological stations and photo exhibitions.

We`ve managed to set up five meteorological stations in the area of Dubrovnik, and the data can be accessed through Pljusak.com. We have also become a part of Blitzortung’s network for lightning detection and we have set up a Blitzortung sensor in Dubrovnik, which helps to precisely detect lightning flashes in the Adriatic.

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