My name is Valentin Patsov and I am a Bulgarian photographer based in Germany. Funnily enough, I thought photography was something unreachable for me – something I was not supposed to be good at. Maybe I was being too critic with myself, or perhaps I didn’t think that I had any artistic talent. Years went by and I kept shooting with my phone, simply capturing moments with my friends and family.
Eventually I found myself traveling around the Dolomites. This was an important tipping point in my life! On this trip I learned a lot about building friendships while my interest for photography grew enormously. The Dolomites amazed me, I could not believe such a beautiful place actually existed! As a result, I began to connect more with photographers in order to explore the most special regions in Europe.
But please don’t get me wrong, travel and landscape photography are not just about having fun. I remember my last night in the Dolomites when I was forced to face my fears. I miscalculated the weather conditions and I ended up running for my life in the middle of a thunderstorm! This was a valuable lesson. Nowadays that moment reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: “Everybody has two lives. The second life begins when you realize that you only have one.” This unfortunate event helped me overcome my fears, remain humble when I am outdoors, and challenge myself to step out of my confort zone more often.
As I began to step out of my confort zone I found myself hiking huge peaks at night to contemplate the sunrise. It may sound easy, but if you try it I can guarantee you that you will face some challenging moments and thoughts! Yet, if you overcome those negative feelings and you make it in time to see the sunrise at a glorious peak you will be rewarded with an amazing moment and wonderful photos. Hard work quite often beats talented people, and with landscape photography that also happens!
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