"Sometimes I have a strong need for... Shall I say the word? Religion. Then I go outside at night and paint stars."-Vincent van Gogh
About the author:
Branko Nađ was born February 25, 1977 in Čakovec. Graduating the ‘Josip Slavenski’ high school in Čakovec, he enrols journalism at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Zagreb. Finds a job in the county’s weekly ‘Međimurske novine’, which starts his journey in journalism and photography.
He is currently editor-in-chief of University of Zagreb’s Universitas portal, and for a few years now his passion as a photographer has been directed to landscape astrophotography.
He has had several exhibitions in Čakovec and Zagreb. Uses Nikon cameras and Sigma lenses.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION:
When was the last time you went to a dark place, in the woods, on a mountain or a meadow outside the city, away from light pollution, and just looked at the stars, enjoying the night sky? Unfortunately, we rarely get such opportunities, stuck as we are to the city asphalt and omnipresent screens. Screens on mobile phones, tablets, or computers. Fortunately, there are photographers who bring nature’s beauty directly to our mobile phone screens, social networks or in public spaces we visit. While exhibitions of daytime landscape, nature and animals photography are relatively common, one can rarely encounter night time astrophotography. When they do appear, it happens in specialized astronomy exhibitions, of the so-called deep space.
Exhibition "Croatia under the stars" presents photographs of night landscapes, shot at well-known Croatian tourist and historical sites, such as Plitvice Lakes, Cetina’s spring, Jasenovac, Cape Kamenjak, Motovun or Pag salt flats.
Branko always takes pictures of the night sky in RAW format, choosing moonless nights and, of course, keeping track of weather forecast. He uses applications that can predict setting and rising of the Sun, as well as the Moon, position of the Milky Way, meteor showers, etc.
It takes will, knowledge and a bit of luck. Imagine, plan and shoot. That is how he compiled "Croatia under the stars".
- Branko Nađ is from Čakovec but has been living in Zagreb for many years, and he often spends his free time traveling around-throughout Croatia, recording our starry sky’s beauty with his camera. Branko is, actually, one of our best landscape astrophotographers who do not only capture beauty of the night landscape, but also give his night landscapes a personal touch with photo processing.
There still is some, preserved, real, dark starry sky left in Croatia, though less and less due to increased light pollution, so Branko diligently records this beauty for future generations. He promotes beautiful night views of Croatia and the need to protect true darkness and starry sky. Exhibition "Croatia under the stars" presents extraordinary, one might even say fairy-tale night views of Croatia and its sky covered in stars, that is night landscapes of natural, historical and cultural monuments.
Dorian Božičević, Croatian Astronomical Union’s head secretary