There is no doubting the beauty of Croatia, but after thousands of images captured here, it takes someone truly special to make us stop and lose ourselves... Enter Jona Christina Davis, from Forever Photography.
Croatia; the second I arrived here I instantly fell in love, little did I know that this is where I would find my husband and eventually move my life. And so, here I am and, after five years, I am still mesmerised by the many hues of greens and blues of the Adriatic, the way the light dances across the sea underneath the summer sun, the lush pine and palms lining the coast, the enchanting sunsets, the beautiful madness of a country still figuring itself out…
Over the weekend I organised a day boat trip on Polaris from Split for friends and colleagues, our own sort of midsummer break and Ultra escape. As we began anchoring in a bay on the coast of Brač, I pointed out to everyone – ‘oh my god, just look at the colour of the water!’ – as if I were seeing it for the first time. Someone turned to me and said, ‘you still get THIS excited?’ And the short answer is – yes. This country and nature still continue to blow my mind; there is not one day I take for granted how fortunate I feel to be here and so, my love affair continues.
So, you can excuse me for continually gushing over the coast. I still stop and catch my breath, or lose myself in the water…
I am bombarded daily with photos and videos of Croatia, so you think it would be easy to become desenstitised and while I still appreciate spending time in nature and wandering the streets of coastal Croatia, it's true; it takes something or rather someone truly special, to show Croatia from a new perspective, to capture her essence.
I saw Jona Christina Davis's photos and portfolio, a long time before I met her in person and was instantly enchanted. A Texas girl who also fell in love with Croatia and so travels in and out with her equally talented husband Jerry Blackwell (together they are Forever Photography), leaving a trail of magic where they tread…
Then, I got to meet her in person and gosh darn it, she isn’t just talented and gorgeous, she is an incredible human too (so are you Jerry, but this one is about Jona). I will write about our day on Polaris soon, but first I wanted to share a few of her photos from our trip that made me fall in love with Croatia that little bit more. Now, less talk from me and I am going to quote Jona before I lead into her pics…
“From this day forward, when we think of Croatia our minds will instantly be saturated with recollections of warm sea breezes, strangers who greet you with a heartfelt hug, cool, crystal clear blue water calling your name, miles and miles of pristine, uninhabited beaches, the taste of organic, freshly prepared olive oil, and a warm fuzzy feeling that can only be described with a laugh and the phrase – ‘is this real life?’
Polaris - Split Boat Excursions
Stomorska, island Solta
Seriously - how insane is this water??
And now I will finish with words from Jerry because I think it is one of the sweetest things I have heard in a while, plus it also rings melodically true.
"Jona is without a doubt the most beautiful person I know inside and out, so it's not surprising that when she shares how she sees the world it's impressively breathtaking."
To see more by Jona and Jerry, check out Forever Photography here or Like them on Facebook.
And stay tuned for the report of a day on Polaris...