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Raynov
@doblife
Best of the week 39 at #nomadict 2021
I’m from Bulgaria, a beautiful country in the Balkans, and grew up in Ivaylovgrad, a small city at the foothills of the most mysterious and beautiful mountains in Bulgaria, the Rhodope mountain range. As kids, we used to go and play in the mountains, explore the caves, and visit the forests where we would be building our hidden houses, swim in the rivers, fish with our hands, and jump around with endless happiness.
So maybe, it was my inner child and forgotten playfulness that came out again when the pandemic arrived and there was nothing more to do than traveling, exploring the outdoors, enjoying nature, and of course, documenting these beautiful places with the DSLR and my drone.
When we were kids we used to shoot with tape cameras, then I had a Sony 5MP camera that I still keep somewhere in my home, and afterward the phone, of course. But it was just something fun until my passion for photography was unlocked when I was learning graphic design and had a photography course. They gave us an exercise to do some light painting photos, and when I tried it and saw the shot, I was like… Wow, did I just do that?! From that moment on it was practicing and shooting and learning. I also watched and analyzed a lot of photos from other photographers on Instagram, especially the German photographers.
"Looking at one of my photos, the winning shot, it's one that I am proud of and had envisioned creating for a very long time."
With a friend of mine, we wanted to go and have a cup of coffee at the mountain and maybe shoot some foggy conditions there. On our way to the mountain, we saw a fox crossing the road. We stopped the car and to my surprise, the fox was still there, next to the road watching us, so we tried to get closer and get some shots. Of course, the fox jumped into the bushes, but luckily, I had the 18-135 mm lens and I was able to find her, looking straight at the camera through the bushes. It was just perfect!
I always wanted to take a shot like this so it is really strange; I went to shoot some foggy landscapes in the mountains and then I got the chance to take a photo that I always wanted. I was really happy that I finally made it. For the final result, I wanted to achieve that moody feeling through the desaturated green tones and the popping orange color of the fox. I think I managed it, but it took a while before I was satisfied with the greens.
"I have some kind of obsession with the greens; I can spend more than one hour just adjusting the greens, moving the sliders again and again."
This is a perfect example of why I enjoy being in nature so much and taking photos because you never know what you will encounter. You can go to the same place 10 times, and you’re gonna have 10 different experiences. With this photo, I want to show that nature is so amazing and so beautiful with these creatures that can show up out of nowhere.
"Bulgaria is very special in many ways, but especially in terms of nature."
It is one of the oldest European countries established in 681 AD and ranks third in Europe for the number of its valuable archeological monuments after Italy and Greece. Bulgaria ranks third in Europe in biodiversity as well: almost one-third of Bulgaria is covered in forests, and it has several rare and endemic species.
Some other curious nature knowhow about Bulgaria is that it is the second country in Europe with the highest number of natural mineral springs. Bulgaria is heaven for SPA! And last but not least, the highest peak in the Balkan Peninsula is the Musala peak; it is located in the Rila Mountain range where you can also find many lakes, rising at 2925m above sea level. The mountain range that gave the Balkan Peninsula its name, the Balkan Mountains, runs through the whole width of Bulgaria. The former name of what we now call Stara Planina (literally: Old Mountain) was Balkan. It stretches from Serbia, divides Bulgaria into Northern and Southern, and kisses the Black Sea at Cape Emine.
I don’t want to give you any specific locations or places because I’d like to invite you to come and explore my beautiful country, perhaps after you’ve gotten to know your own. There is one quote from one of the greatest Bulgarian writers and founders of the Bulgarian Tourist Union, Aleko Konstantinov, stating: “Get to know your motherland and you will fall in love with it!” This is what I’m doing right now; I am exploring my motherland and I am enjoying it a lot!
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