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Galin Wasilew
@gwartmotion
Landscape photographer based in the Netherlands
From an early age, frequent trips with my family to different parts of Bulgaria triggered a great desire within me not to stay in one place. At the beginning of my photographic career I had not yet discovered travel – I was mainly engaged in portraits and personal projects. In 2016, while studying photography at the New Bulgarian University, I had the opportunity to go on a work and travel program in Alaska.
"This region is certainly the place where I learned a lot about myself as well as nature."
The scale there often makes you think about how small you are in the face of nature. There I also realized that no one is bigger than nature, that it controls our lives and we must always comply with it. This changed not only me, but also the way I see the world as a person and an artist. It made me look for those moments when nature has something to show us and make us think about who we are and our place in the natural world.
Witnessing amazing, breathtaking views in Alaska, and letting myself be guided by personal reflections and new world visions, I started shooting mostly landscapes. Around this time, I decided to get my first drone (which I still use today), which finally steered my photography in that direction. Going back to Bulgaria I already knew that this was the style of photography that I wanted to pursue. This prompted me to start my constant travels to different parts of my home country.
"Bulgaria has a great position having both beaches and mountains - a real treasure."
I had the opportunity to live in one of the big cities on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast – Burgas. In the beginning I did not realize what a big plus this can be for my art, but after each subsequent trip to a different bay or some protected area I realized that I am in a place near where I can find untouched places and also commercial locations to rediscover. Certainly I can’t find a single word to describe the numerous places on the southern Black Sea coast, because it must be seen. And to be honest, this goes far beyond the Black Sea coast since Bulgaria is a country filled with diverse and surprising landscapes.
In addition, there are many national parks and protected areas. Pirin National Park in the southwestern part of Bulgaria is one of them. This is where the third highest peak of the Balkan Peninsula, Vihren, is located. It is the second highest peak in Bulgaria and Vihren was the main reason I went to Pirin for the first time in 2019. I had seen a lot of photos from there, so my girlfriend and I decided to pick a route and go. This was our first serious hike, so we didn’t know what to expect.
"Reaching one of the other peaks in Pirin, Bayuvi Dupki, which for me certainly has the most beautiful view in Bulgaria, I rediscovered the mountain landscape."
The moment I sat on top was one of the most memorable in my life. Probably because I had never witnessed such a mountainous landscape before from such altitude and perspective. Also, the effort I made as an inexperienced hiker to get to the top, had a big impact emotionally. This first hike I experienced something unreal and intense that will always bring me back there – it is hard to give words to such a feeling. After a few more treks on the mountain, including the Koncheto ridge, I am ready to reach every single remote peak!
"Seen from above, the world offers views that we are not used to seeing in our daily lives."
We get this when hiking to a summit, but drone photography gives a new dimension to this which is why aerial photography is definitely my favorite. Thanks to the drone, I became much more disciplined in the whole shooting process and started experimenting more. I would definitely like drone photography to play a major role in my brand because I have the most experience compared to other styles. I even graduated from my studies in Photography at university with a drone project called: “The Symbiosis”.
"This project is probably the most successful one I've ever realized."
In its original form, Symbiosis contains 30 frames of earthy textures that represent the interaction of man and nature. Its main purpose is to pay attention to what the individual pieces of land look like under the influence of human intervention or in their natural state. Some of the shots are easily recognizable, while others are shot in a way that doesn’t give the viewer a starting point, which was important to me. This, in my opinion, mystifies the image of the viewer and adds emotional value to the project. The shooting lasted about three months and I had to travel around a large part of Bulgaria to be able to collect different types of textures and images. After graduating, in addition to graduating with honors, the university decided to hold an exhibition with my footage on the university grounds. After uploading it to social media, the project appeared both in leading photography platforms and in various online publications.
"Over these years of studying and experimenting, photography had become the only thing I wanted to do."
This project and exhibition was only the start of many great projects and creations I would like to realize toward the future. Nowadays I often work on commercial projects that help me pay the bills. In my free time I work on personal projects, as well as maintain my Instagram and Facebook pages. Editing is of course also part of my daily life, but I prefer my photos to have a certain feeling than just being edited for the sake of it. I want to convey the emotion of the place as I felt it while taking pictures. Sometimes I edit my images so that the colors I emphasize are related to their emotional significance. Though in other cases, when shooting sunsets or sunrises for example, I am guided entirely by light and the way it illuminates objects in focus. When I shoot my frame correctly and the scene is dramatic enough, I don’t need to do much in the subsequent editing. In other words, if the shot is good enough, I prefer not to edit it at all.
"The biggest reason for my development are all the obstacles I have professionally."
They often put me in situations which I struggle through and leave me with much more experience and, most importantly, help me look at the world differently – again. My faithful companion in this continuous learning process is my girlfriend, who is also an artist. Her critical thinking often puts me in moments of long reflection, both professionally and personally, which certainly gets me searching, experimenting and developing myself. The support of my friends is also indispensable, I can always count on them whether that is to go on an adventure or to give their opinion on a photo they received at 3 o’clock in the morning. Wherever all this learning will bring me, I am enjoying the ride. Although, if I have to reveal my biggest wish or goal, it would be to see my photographs being printed and used in homes as decoration, given away as gifts and most of all, being appreciated as art.
"Given the digital age we live in, having your photography printed is the greatest wealth."
To create constantly is what guides me through life. This inevitably means new journeys, emotions and situations that certainly enrich me as a person and an artist. And to me, this means happiness.
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