петък, 6 декември 2019 г.

Sea views - Happy Saint Nicolas day!


The story behind the shot:
This shot is one of my favorite examples of why one shoudl take pictures until the last second available. There are people who have a specific shot of mind, shoot it and then put the camera away. I'm not like that. In my opinion, pictures are taken all the time, until there is virtually no way to do it. Until the last possible moment, because a you never knows what's waiting a few meters away. Now that's a wonderful example.

This shot is the last of a very long series. And captures the last rays of sun of a very long day. We got up early so we can go to Chora Sfakion (the biggest town in a pretty remote area of Crete) and be able to see the Samaria Gorge. The didn't see gorge, unfortunately, but I almost ran out of memory cards. Simply because the views were amazing. So at the end of the long day, with dying batteries and a pretty full memory card, I had already quite tired.

This shot was created shortly after the ferry sailed back to the port and we disembarked. Then I just couldn't help but take a few pics of the sunset. I have a whole series, of course, but this one is maybe one of the most interesting shots I made that day.

So don't put the camera away when you decide you've found the shot you need. You never know what you'll find just round the corner.

And to all who celebrate today - happy name day 

More information about the place - on the Culture Crossroads project page.


четвъртък, 5 декември 2019 г.

Djavola varos


Silent witnesses
The Devil's city (Djavola varos), Serbia

The story behind the shot:
The Devil's city is one of the popular places for a trip in the country of our western neighbors. The place is about 300 kilometers from Sofia and looks quite like Melnik or the Stob pyramids phenomenons.

The Serbians have taken care of the visitors and you can find almost anything in place - from a toilet (don't laugh, this is something you cannot find at each and every rock formation you visit) to cafes and small chapel. The walk to the place is also quite pleasant. The rock phenomenon itself is not particularly big, but it is worth it. The catch? That it's not quite easy to shoot. For the sole reason that there are not many opportunities to shoot the place from more than one angle. If you don't want to break your neck, that is. Otherwise, people made trails and places to relax, made the place safe for even very young children, basically did their best.

The place itself is known for its poisonous water. I'm not kidding, the concentration of heavy metals in it is so big, that it is not potable, nor fit for washing and kills everything in its path. Even the trees around her are very strange, like enchanted monsters. The place looks like an haunted forest, indeed. 

The Legend of the place invented by the locals is also not to be missed. Followers from Bulgaria can see it in the video (I decided to play the tour guide, so it's better to hear it from me). English-speaking fans can read it on the Culture Crossroads project page. 

Photoadvice:
Wear sturdy shoes (I almost always say it, but there is no way to avoid this now). As for lenses - I always say it again, but the wider, the better. Otherwise, this place can be shot with almost anything. This is one of the few shots from the place that is interesting to me. The other will go at some other time.

More about the place itself, the rock phenomenon and few links and tourist information, on the page of the Culture Crossroads project.