This is a photograph taken in the central Alentejo, in the southeast of Portugal. The Alentejo is arid, sparsely populated
and one of my favorite regions in Portugal. The central plain is largely flat with expansive grasslands, dotted by the occasional cork and holm oak.
I took this picture close to sunset. I didn't have a tripod or any of my lens hoods with me and asked Paulo, my husband, to come with
me to shade the lens. Unfortunately, he suffers from hay fever. Unfortunately for him, that is, because I still needed the shade. He was sneezing
profusely and, mean as I am, I told him to just hold still. I named the picture espirro, which is Portuguese for sneeze.
The image was developed and partially bleached, to only affect the highlights. Toning in thiourea converts the silver cations in the bleached
image highlights to silver sulfide, which is brownish. The exact image tone depends on the alkalinity of the toning solution and can vary from
yellow-brown to a deep purple brown. Julia also had something to say about this picture. Chronologically, this
was the second story she wrote for me.
