Caption:

Statue detail of Petkov Slaveikov in Sofia.

Description:

Petko Rachov Slaveykov (1827 – 1895) was a noted nineteenth-century Bulgarian poet, publicist, public figure and folklorist. His son Pencho was also one of Bulgaria’s most famous poets.

They are both commemorated in Bulgaria with statues like this one and also in Slaveikov Square in central Sofia where the booksellers stalls and public libraries are situated.

If you want to use this photo of Petkov Slaveikov, go to Photographers Direct.

Photo Comments:

Every country has its famous men and women and many are commemerated in statues in the squares and parks of the main cities.

This statue is in the largest park in Sofia, the Boris Gardens.

Some of the challenges of taking a photograph like this are the same as for human portraiture.

Some are different.

For example:

The statue cannot move or be directed, the position is fixed.

Statues tend to be rather larger than life and this effects the height and angle of the camera.

While the eyes are still important they cannot react to the light and will not close in bright sunlight.

For this picture I decided to wait until the lighting was bright but diffuse – ideal for portraiture as it provides good modelling without harsh shadows.

I used a telephoto lens (75-300 Canon IS zoom) so that I could keep some distance so as not to be looking up at the statue and to throw the background of green leaves and foliage out of focus.

As the statue was not moving and the light was fairly constant I decided to use a tripod.

I set up my Canon 5D Mark 11 on my Benro Traveller Tripod.

I then locked up the mirror on the camera, switched to self timer so that I could press the shutter release and leave the camera to settle down and then I framed the statue carefully using liview and manually focussed the image concentrating on the eyes.

I wanted to capture the maximum detail.

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Rotunda of Saint George Church in Sofia

Description:

The Church of St George is an Early Christian red brick rotunda that is considered the oldest building in Sofia.

It is situated behind the Balkan Sheraton Hotel, amid remains of the ancient town of Serdica.

It was built as a Roman temple in the 4th century AD.

After being attacked by the Huns it was rebuilt by the Emperor Justinian in the 6th century.

It is now mainly famous for its exterior appearance and the 12th and 13th century frescoes inside the central dome.

These were painted over during the period of Ottoman Occupation when the church was used as a mosque.

The frescoes of 22 prophets have now been restored.

The cupola shows a 14th century portrait of Christ the Pantocrator, surrounded by four angels and symbols of the Evangelists.

If you want to use this photo of  the Saint George Church, go to Alamy.

Photo Comments:

In many ways this is a straightforward photo.

My main considerations were:

Choosing a time of day when the sun would bring out the texture of the ancient brickwork.

Shooting from a low angle to include the sky rather than the hotel as background, emphasising the curvature of the roof.

Not going so low as to distort the basic shape of the building.

I also wanted to include the cross.

For this type of shot overall sharpness is important.

To ensure this I used a good quality lens – Tamron 28-80 SP

I mounted my Canon camera on a tripod – Benro Traveller.

I used liveview to aid composition and careful manual focussing.

I set the camera to self timer mode to eliminate any vibration from pressing the shutter button.

I often use this procedure.

(It’s an alternative to even more careful techniques such as combining mirror lockup with a remote trigger which I would use for longer exposures.)

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Caption

Iron Table and Shadow

Description:

Iron Table And Shadow In Sofia The Capital Of Bulgaria

If you want to use this photo of an Iron Table, go to Alamy.

Photo Comments:

Some photos are carefully planned – this one was not.

My view of photography includes the view that many of the best pictures are made from the changing nature of life itself.

Shadows come and go and photography can capture the fleeting moment.

It’s important not to lose your vision in everyday affairs.

I was sitting having a beer in the cafe outside the Art School in Sofia when I realised that the ironwork of the table and the shadow would make a dramatic composition.

I looked carefully before deciding that a diagonal approach would give me what I wanted

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Caption

Boat And Beach

Description:

Boat And Beach On The Coast Near Varna In Bulgaria.

If you want to use this photo of a boat and beach near Varna, go to Alamy.

Photo Comments:

Varna is Bulgaria’s coastal capital with a fine position on the Black Sea.

In summer I decided to try to capture not just the beaches but some of the activities on the sea.

I used  the 200mm end of my 80-200 Canon lens to frame the action.

I noticed that people were diving from the boat so I used a fast shutter speed both to prevent camera shake and to stop the movement.

It’s a simple picture but it needs careful timing.

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The Russian Orthodox Church of St Nicholas the Miracle-Maker is commonly known as the Russian Church and is one of the most distinctive and decorative buildings in Sofia.

It was built on the site of the Saray Mosque as the official church of the Russian Embassy

the story is that this beautiful church was built on the orders of a Russian diplomat who considered the local churches did not meet his standards of faith or beauty.

If you want to use this photo of the Russian Church, go to PhotographersDirect.

Photo Comments:

This is one of my favourite buildings in Sofia

I often photograph it looking for new angles and details at all times and all seasons.

For this photograph I chose to concentrate on the Domes.

The bright sunshine meant that reflections were a problem and I checked the exposure very carefully using the histogram to prevent burning out the highlights.

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Caption

Rose Festival Girl

Description:

This portrait shows the traditional appearance of a rose picker at the Rose Festival in Kazanluk.

If you want to use this photo of a girl at the Rose Festival go to Alamy.

Photo Comments:

Most years in the summer I go to the Rose Festival in Kazanluk.

Festivals provide many good photographic opportunities and the Rose Festival is no exception.

Singers, dancers and traditional performers come from all over the Balkans and provide a lot of colour and action.

The only downside for me is that the crowds get bigger and bigger every year.

It’s worth noting that rose growing is very important to the Bulgarian economy as rose products provide the basis for a lot of the world’s perfume industry.

From the purely photographic point of view the main problems are the crowds and the harsh sunshine.

For this photo I found a few rose pickers relaxing and I was able to deal with the harsh lighting by shooting in the open shade.

This meant that I avoided harsh shadows and the girl was able to keep her eyes open!

I used my 75-300 zoom on my Canon 5D Mark 11.

I was aiming for a traditional three quarter portrait which meant focussing very carefully on the nearer eye.

I was also looking to throw the background out of focus by limiting the depth of field.

As usual I took quite a few pictures but I think this is the one I like best

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Caption

Female Bungy Jumper

Description:

Female bungy jumper in the Boris Gardens, Sofia, Bulgaria

If you want to use this photo of a female bungy jumper, go to Alamy.

Photo Comments:

Bulgarians enjoy quite a number of National Holidays and all sorts of events are planned for these.

It’s not always easy to know what’s happening but many events take place in Sofia’s largest park, the Boris Gardens.

Luckily I live just across the road and so can always stroll over and see what’s going on.

This time on a fine summer’s day a Bungy Jumping construction was set up in the park and any members of the public brave enough to have a go could take their turn.

From the purely photographic point of view there are obvious challenges:

Exposure is critical but you get only one chance for each picture so you can’t bracket.

It’s worth knowing if your camera is likely to under or over expose.

Overexposure is the greatest problem here because blown highlights can ruin a shot like this.

To counter this I used the spot metering option on my Canon 450D.

Focussing is also a problem.

My experience is that auto focussing is great but works least well when you need it most.

With a picture like this is hard to use manual focus as well because there’s no obvious target.

Timing is also critical and this type of photograph really shows the importance of the concept of the “Decisive Moment” which the great French photographer Henri Cartier Bresson adapted from the thoughts of the 17th century Cardinal de Retz.

Too early or too late and you’ve missed the shot and of course it’s all too easy to forget that photography is about capturing the ephemeral for ever.

I decided to rely on the autofocussing but used the smallest aperture consistent with an action stopping shutter speed and an avoidance of camera shake.

I base my judgement on camera shake on the old photographer’s rule that the shutter speed should roughly correspond to the focal length of the lens – i.e using a 300mm lens means using at least 1/300th of a second.

Of course as there’s subject movement as well fast shutter speeds are essential.

For this reason I used the shutter priority setting on my camera.

There’s been quite a bit of talk about crop sensor cameras and telephoto lenses but one point sometimes overlooked is that crop sensor cameras have greater depth of field than full frame and this can be an advantage in situations like this.

Of course there were quite a few brave souls to jump so I was able to get a number of “keepers”.

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Caption

Scud Ballistic Missile

Description:

The Scud is a Russian built tactical ballistic missile.

The Russian names for the missile are the R-11, R-17 and R-300 Elbrus.

If you want to use this photo of a Russian Scud , go to Alamy.

Photo Comments:

The Scud has become pretty famous around the world as being one of the main tactical ballistic missiles produced by the Soviet Union.

It’s been widely exported and is still in use today.

This is a straightforward photo in many ways,

I attended the Bulgarian Army Day celebrations and was able to photograph a wide range of military hardware.

For this photo I waited until the lighting was suitable.

I chose to isolate the missile against the sky.

I chose a diagonal composition to include the maximum information and a dynamic ambiance.

From a low viewpoint I used a 70-300mm IS zoom on my Canon 5D Mark 11.

As usual I checked the histogram and kept the image stabilization on.

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Bulgarian girl wearing an Italian soldier’s helmet on May 6th Army Day festival in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Description:

May 6th is the Day of the Armed Forces and Saint George’s day in Bulgaria.

After the formal marches the soldiers gather round the Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral Church for formal and informal photo shots.

If you want to use this photo of a Bulgarian girl wearing a helmet , go to Alamy.

Photo Comments:

Mingling with the soldiers and members of the public the atmosphere is always informal.

I noticed an officer from the Italian NATO delegation chatting to a couple of local girls.

He had a fine plumed helmet and doubtless in the spirit of good international relations he gave it to the girls to try.

I was able to get this shot using my 70-300mm Canon IS zoom.

The most important technical point in a shot like this is to get the eyes in focus.

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Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral Church domes in snow

Description:

The Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral Church is the most prominent Christian monument in Sofia.

It is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world and is in the Neo Byzantine Style.

It occupies an area of 3170 m² and can take 5, 000 people inside.

It was built to honour the Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, as a result of which Bulgaria was liberated from Ottoman rule.

The cathedral was designed by Russian Architect Alexander Pomerantsev, aided by Alexander Smirnov and Alexander Yakovlev.

It’s a cross domed basilica with a 45m high gold plated dome with twelve bells weighing from 10 kg to 12 tons.

The central dome has the Lord’s Prayer inscribed around it with thin gold letters and the interior is richly decorated.

The construction started in 1882 but the main building was from 1904 -1912.

If you want to use this photo of the Alexander Nevsky Memorial Cathedral Church , go to Alamy.

Photo Comments:

A large iconic building like this has many aspects.

It can look different from different angles, in different seasons, at different times of day or night.

No view is the right one.

As I live near this cathedral I photograph it whenever I can think of a new view or changed conditions.

Here I wanted to emphasise the snow on the domes and bell tower.

For this photo I used my Canon 5D Mark 11 and my Benro traveller tripod.

I focussed  the image using live view for sharp focus and careful composition.

To avoid camera shake I used the mirror lockup with self-timer and fired the shutter using a remote release.

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