Dubrovnik, Croatia, Revels in Flashy Success of Latest RIT \'Big Shot\' Event

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RIT School of Photographic Arts and Sciences

The 2007 Big Shot photograph of Pile Gate, in Dubrovnik, Croatia, captured on April 12.

Rochester Institute of Technology has added another remarkable photograph to its growing Big Shot portfolio. Today, the historic city wall of Dubrovnik, Croatia, became the latest subject of RIT’s “painting with light” photo project.

With clear skies and temperatures in the low 60s Fahrenheit, weather conditions were perfect for the 23^rd Big Shot. Nearly 500 volunteers, including many tourists and Dubrovnik residents, joined RIT faculty, staff and students to make this year’s project a reality. The volunteers, armed with flashlights and camera flash units, helped bathe the area in light during an exposure period of 90 seconds.

Students, faculty, staff and alumni from RIT’s sister college, the American College of Management and Technology, played a major role in organizing and participating in Big Shot. ACMT, nestled in the heart of Dubrovnik along the Adriatic Sea, is home to more than 600 students from Croatia and neighboring countries. The school is celebrating its 10^th anniversary.

This latest Big Shot image highlights the entrance to Dubrovnik’s Old Town at Pile (pronounced “pee-lay”) Gate, built in the 1400s. The stone bridge, the high fortress wall with its turrets, and the Croatian flag flying above the wall are featured in the background. In addition, costumed guards and other models dressed in Renaissance-period clothing appear on the bridge.

“What an awesome sight,” states Michael Peres, RIT photography professor and Big Shot co-coordinator. “It was complicated with people coming across the gate, but everything came together—the people, the costumes, the lights, the crowd—even the weather. This was a homerun. We really did something really special here tonight.”

Dubravka Suica, mayor of Dubrovnik, says the photograph presents her city from a new and refreshing perspective. “It is a welcome addition to the dynamic lifestyle Dubrovnik has to offer,” she explains. “This photo is also a message for everyone that young people are the spirit of the future, and they represent a united front that fits in well with the present motto of the European Union: ‘United in Diversity!’”

RIT’s Big Shot began in 1987 as a way to teach students about electronic flash photography. Since that time, the event has traveled around the world, capturing images of such notable landmarks as The Alamo, the USS Intrepid, the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, and George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film.

NOTE: Rochester Institute of Technology is internationally recognized for academic leadership in computing, engineering, imaging technology, and fine and applied arts, in addition to unparalleled support services for students with hearing loss. More than 15,500 full- and part-time students are enrolled in RIT’s 340 career-oriented and professional programs, and its cooperative education program is one of the oldest and largest in the nation.

For nearly two decades, U.S. News & World Report has ranked RIT among the nation’s leading comprehensive universities. The Princeton Review features RIT in its 2007 Best 361 Colleges rankings and named the university one of America’s “Most Wired Campuses.” RIT is also featured in Barron’s Best Buys in Education.