Hi, I'm Doug McKinlay and you're watching AdoramaTV.
Now I'm in the capital of Malta - Valletta,
also the European Capital
of Culture 2018, and as such this
whole year is going to be chock-full of events
throughout both Malta and Gozo, the
the Sister Island.
Now I've been commissioned by a glossy
London magazine to do a photo spread
on the events that are happening
when I'm here. So I can really
touch on things that are happening
around me, but I can give a flavor of
what's going to happen throughout the year.
So my brief is pretty open-ended. It's
basically what I think is interesting. So
I can get the shots of what I see. I do
have to think of the layout a little bit.
I want a big holding shot of course, some
portraits and some drop-ins, and little
detail pictures etc. Now the weather is
looking a little iffy. It's up and down,
and all over the place, but that's part
and parcel of shooting these kind of
gigs. I have no control over that.
I'll have to try and work with it, so I've
only been here for a couple hours. I'm
hoping tomorrow to get involved in all
the Carnival festivities that are
happening around town. That includes all
the floats etc. Lots of people in costume,
music, dancing, and lots of food.
I've arrived here in Valletta at the
perfect time. The most opportune time,
it's carnival season, and as such all
these great floats are being put
together by local people representing
sports teams in clubs, etc. Now for me, as
a photographer. I couldn't ask for much
more. The colors here are fantastic now.
What I really wanted to try and get out
of these pictures for these, of these
folks, is a center spread. I want that big
DPS picture. Now I'm fighting with the
weather, and it's been raining off and on
in the clouds, the sun's been popping out
between the clouds. So I'm not exactly
sure what I'm going to get.
But it's bit of patience, which is a real
big part of photography. So I'm gonna go
at it, and try and get these images.
Now even though Valletta, the Capital of
Malta is the European Capital of Culture
for 2018. It's not the only thing on
offer in Malta.
It's a small island nation, in the middle
of the Mediterranean Sea, and therefore
has some stunning coastlines, like the
one behind me. Now I'm up here in a
headland with lots and lots of wind, and
I'm having to tuck in behind this tower.
It's an old observation tower, from
Napoleonic days. Just to try to record
this without too much wind blowing
through the microphone. No one able to
hear what I say, but there's some
great views up here, and all along this
coast, all the way down south, and all the
way to north as well. Now after I finish
this. I'm going to move on down a little
bit, and try to find a little more
secluded spots. Now there's one thing I
cannot control, and that is the weather.
Now I've been dodging the rain all day
today, but I'm on good, I've been told
that by this afternoon, the clouds should
break, and I might get some more chances
of some more shooting down in Valletta,
because the carnival is still going on.
I shot a lot of it yesterday, so all these
big colorful floats are pushing through
the streets of that small narrow town.
Now they can't run the floats through
the town if it's raining, because they're
all made of paper mâché, they'll fall
apart. So at the moment, they're all
covered in tarpaulins, and they're all
sitting around waiting and hoping that
the sky will break for them, and me too.
Because I'm not quite finished I think
down there, and getting some still shots
from my, my magazine piece, but
nonetheless. This is a great spot, I love
the action on the coastline, the water
slamming against the rocks, the offering
is great. Big spouts of water, and it's
only gonna be greater when I head down
south, so hoping the weather will get
better and I'm out of here!
So I'm sitting here in the dome of Mosta
massive big Church, one of the most
impressive in all of Malta and Gozo.
It was built around the 1830's to 60's but it
really reminds me of the Pantheon in
Rome. The one of the last of the Roman
buildings in that city. But I'm quite
lucky because they're allowing me to use
my tripod in here, which it doesn't
happen normally, for instance in the
Cathedral st. John in Valletta the other
day. No tripod, so everything was hand
held - meaning I had to shoot really
high ISO's. So I'm probably gonna run into
some noise problems there. Now there's
about 360 + churches in Malta and Gozo,
so that means about one per day for the
year. So if that's what you're really
into.. well go for it. Now from here, I'm
gonna go to Mdina, which is a medieval
city sitting on top of a hill, not far
from here, and I've been there before, and
it's pretty impressive. Yeah the weather
is playing its part on me. I'm getting
skunked here and there by the weather.
Actually it's getting a little annoying!
However I do have an ace up my sleeve...
I've been here before, and therefore I've
got a pretty good selection of images
from the last time. Now the, the
designation of European Capital of Culture
for 2018 is a year long thing, so even
though those other, those other pictures,
are from the summertime, they can still
play their parts. It takes a little bit
of the pressure off to try and get every
single picture.
Now this is my fourth day
here and I've had to add an extra day
because I know I'm not getting what I
need, and I need to try and get a little
more. The weather says it's gonna be
better tomorrow, and let's hope so.
So I spent about an hour hour and a half
at this old wreck of a ship here, that's
been piled up on the rocks in a storm
the other night. Now it's been quite
interesting. I've never really shot stuff
like this before, so different angles,
different lighting conditions, because
the Sun is popping in and out constantly,
so it's a bit of a challenge at times,
but the sea spray is great too. I just
like that way it's... the, the, the water
splashing up against the side of the
ship, and we're on the rocks beside it, so
it's been an interesting thing to do. Now
if I probably can't really afford the time
you do this, because I'm supposed to be
shooting this story about Valletta and
the European Capital of Culture, but hey,
it's a wreck ship, why wouldn't you look?
What a difference eight hours can make.
Last night before we went to bed the
wind was howling so hard, that I thought
the trees were gonna come down. But not
this morning. It's nice and calm, which is
fantastic, because today I want to go to
the sister island of Gozo, which is
separated by a small channel of water.
But the winds have been so heavy the
last few days that the ferry has been
very intermittent, maybe once or twice a
day. But today though I think it's on a
regular schedule which is fantastic..
because I'm going to get over to Gozo,
and I'm going to get some great images!
Well so much for a nice clear day here
in Gozo the Sister Islands of Malta.
It was nice and sunny this morning, but this
big storms have blew in, and it's
completely soaked me. Now I completely
anticipate getting wetter as the day
goes on, but nonetheless even though the
weather's really kind of, really, really
blustery. I am getting some nice
atmospheric pictures, which I'm quite
happy about, because it's adding to the story,
adding to the layers of the story. Now as
you can see behind me, we're right in the
middle of the Mediterranean Sea. That's
nice blue Azur water, a great sea cave in
behind me. So it's great. I'm really happy
with the pictures I'm getting. I just
wish I wasn't quite so wet! I've just
finished at Mdina. This was the medieval
capital of Malta until it moved to
Valletta and then the city emptied out,
and then since then, they've sort of
called it the Silent City because
there's no voices apparently, but there's
lots of tourists here now, but still it's
a stunning place, fantastic for pictures.
The light is fantastic, the stone, the
colour coming off the stone in this
bright sunshine is amazing. Now the
weather gods are cooperating with me
right at the moment, but the wind is
still pretty incessant, so that's causing
slight problems for the recording, but
I'm getting my pictures now. I'm almost
in my head, I'm almost finished with the
layout section of it now. The only thing
I'm thinking about now, is how it's gonna
work with with the guys on the desk you
know. The not.. just the editors and the
layout guys, but also the the ad sales
guys. Which is something that you have to
take into account, because these guys
have to sell ads in order to produce the
magazine, and therefore sometimes our
pictures are pushed to the side a little
bit because of the ad space.
So hopefully that won't happen too much
to - to this piece, but who knows it's
been really good so far. Apart from that,
kind of fighting with the weather the
whole time, but it looks like it's
turning good and tomorrow is supposed to be a
great day. Tomorrow going to a place
called Birgu, which is part of what they
call The Three Cities near Valletta, and
I'm hoping to finish up there tomorrow
again with nice sunshine one hopes,
and we'll see what we get, and I think
that's what we're gonna end it.
I'm in Birgu, it's the end of this job
and the weather it's finally cleared up.
The wind is gone, the clouds are gone, the
rain is gone, and this is making things
so much better for us, for me, for this
last day. It's been a really great trip, a
really great job. I think I've got most
of what I need. Of course you know, you
never get a hundred percent, that's just
the way the nature of this work. I've
covered, the progress has been good. I've
covered I think, most things I'm going to
need for a magazine spread. From the big,
the big shots to the drop in pictures, to
the little detail shots of the more
interesting pictures, to really tell the
story of this, of this country, and this
city. The.. it's no wonder that Valetta
has been named the European Capital of
Culture for 2018. So that's it for me I'm
Doug McKinlay for Adoramatv.
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