Marcella Giulia Pace captured Karol Spiteri’s “ball of balls” as it closed Vampa’s spectacular aerial fireworks for Gozo’s Santa Marija feast on Friday from Sicily.
Photographer Daniel Cilia said that he is pretty sure that no one has ever photographed fireworks from 104 kilometres away. “This must be a world record!”
Marcella and Daniel were in touch by telephone between Gozo and Modica. Daniel was in the fields by the Triq il-Sellum between Victoria and Xaghra and Marcella’s exact location in Modica is shown here https://maps.app.goo.gl/pCgCBLEnFbYe1Tx57?g_st=ipc [1]
Daniel said that his ‘ball of balls’ photo as seen above was photographed simultaneously in Gozo and in Sicily, at a distance of 104 kilometres.
He explained that the August heat generates heavy sea haze, obscuring Gozo entirely. The coloured ‘ball of balls’ appears red through this haze, similar to when the sun takes on a reddish hue at sunrise or sunset.
Daniel said that by 10pm Marcella could already see the lights of the aerial fireworks with the naked eye as the bright murtali (petards) were being fired. “Naturally, she did not see them in such close detail without optical aid, that is precisely the purpose of a telephoto lens, to bring the subject nearer. Yet the metadata seen here shows she did not even use the full extent of her zoom.”
He added that “by including the buildings of Modica in the frame, she ensured the photograph retained its full impact.”
Daniel noted that “this was Marcella’s third attempt to capture the shot during the feast of Santa Marija, and this year she finally succeeded.”
Photos: ‘Ball of Balls’ top by Marcella Giulia Pace and below by Daniel Cilia