This fall I guided a travel photography in Bulgaria with a group of American and British photographers. We spent 14 days traveling around Bulgaria visiting some of the most photogenic sites in the country. The timing was aiming to coincide with fall colours and we had a superb time photographing these. We visited several monasteries, ethnographic sites, natural landscapes, monuments and not to forget the small villages steaming with typical countryside life and its very photogenic people. Our timing was just superb and we got to photograph a wedding with traditional clothes, an engagement in an ethnically remote “pomak” village and an “All souls” day in a local village where all the old ladies gathered in the church. Stay tuned to see which subject was voted for the most favorite to photograph.
Travel photography trip in Bulgaria: itinerary
Our itinerary started from Sofia and we headed towards the famous Veliko Tarnovo. On the way we stopped at Glozhene and Troyan monastery and spent a night at Lukovit. This stop gave us enough time to explore the adjacent natural caves and meandering river.
Veliko Tarnovo is one of those must visit sites in the country. Although very touristic, it has a superb charm and it is all a matter of a specific approach to look at some of those sites. We stayed at a superb hotel in a prime location without feeling a touch of the busy tourist life. We photographed the Tsarevets fortress and the local market street where artisans showed us their crafts. Something you may not be able to experience in a big group.
Travel Photography in Bulgaria: Cityscapes
After Veliko Tarnovo we crossed the mountains and arrived in Plovdiv. On the way we stopped at Etara ethnographic complex where we witnessed a traditional wedding of people dressed in traditional clothes. What a fantastic timing! These people were very photogenic! The site impresses with well-preserved buildings and craft shops.
Another highlight of the day was a stop at the well known UFO looking communist building at Buzludzha followed by the “Russian church” at Shipka. What an intense but very productive day.
At Plovdiv some of us visited a photogenic waterfall while the rest of the group explored the town. All of us had fantastic time and we all had superb evening walk and blue hour shoot overlooking the town.
It was time to head to the mountains and start exploring the remote parts of the country to enjoy the natural landscapes and photogenic people. We spent several days in the Rhodope mountains visiting sites like Devil’s Bridge, and Shiroka Laka Village to arrive at the very special Pomak village. This is a place where a local religious minority lives. They have a very special tradition in weddings and we were about to see that.
Travel photography in Bulgaria: Portraits
We spent the next several days photographing mainly people in their environment. I think this was the most favourite part of most participants. We had this real engagement party at the Pomak village and our trip coincided with the All Souls days, when all the old ladies gathered in an old village church. It was truly intimate and touching to witness the traditional life in its real shape.
Landscape photography
After the villages with people, we spent the last few days of the trip photographing stunning landscapes with sand pyramids and tasting wine. What a superb end of the trip. From here, some of us headed onto another trip to Northern Greece and some went home.
People photography was voted for the most intimate session of the trip. Everybody enjoyed it!
Gallery
Here are some of the images I managed to take during this fantastic trip!
