This image cost me $4,000.
There was a huge forest ablaze in nearby Bordeaux when these beautiful vintage super scooper planes headed towards the Mediterranean to gather water to fight the fire. I saw this scene, ran into the water with my Leica Q held over my head, and waded chest deep as waves threatened my camera held above the spray. To my right, the planes were circling in to skim over the ocean and then taking off again. To my left, I saw a young mother with her son taking in the panoramic burnt sunset scene in awe.
I captured this image just after droplets from a wave landed on my very not-waterproof Leica. My first thought was that no matter what happened to my camera, it would be worth it somehow. I knew this shot was special. Soon after that, the telltale signs of water damage showed up…screen glitches and artifacting. 24 hours in rice allowed me to use it for the rest of the trip but it was corroding internally and could die at any moment. So, I sent it back to Leica and replaced it with a Q2 with their little-known exchange program. Then, some months later, I entered the image into the prestigious American Photography 39 awards and it won a spot in the Best Photographs of 2022 publication. That was truly a full circle moment and made it all worth it to me.
What a great shot! love it!