orionlessskies

My galleries



Търново и Арбанаси, Aug 2007

Няколко снимки от Велико Търново и Арбанаси. Стария град, Царевец и малко традиционни къщи.



High school graduations 2007, May 2007

This year's trends in makeup, hairstyling, dresses and exhilaration. Now using one of lightroom's flash galleries, I hope for the better.



От Крумовград до Момчилград, Май 2007

Източни родопи не омръзват - Татул, вкамененеата гора, р. Саплиица, с. Биволяне, с. Чумаково и още изненади.



В родопите на колела за великден, Април 2007

Още едни източни Родопи, този път в района Перперикон и на колела. Първа вечер лагер до скалите Моняк (586 м. н.в.) край язовир Студен кладенец, доколкото разбирам ужасно трошливи за катерене и оскъдно осигурени. Втора вечер лагер над село Мургово на един хвърлей от Перперикон.



Bee eater colony in northern BG, Summer 2006

These are a few shots taken at a bee eater colony location in Northern Bulgaria. These birds are renowned for their bright colors and are often photographed by bird photographers and enthusiasts.

Photographing birds is not an easy task, to say the least. Patience is the thing of greatest importance here and I've found to lack that. Using a Canon 100-400 F4-5.6L, coupled with a 1.4 TC converter and a 1.6x crop factor DSLR available, gave me an effective length of 400x1.4x1.6 = 896mm ! Well, damn those tiny birds, that turned not to be enough in most of the situations. Next time I'm shooting condors ! :) The bee eaters nested in two parallel sandy cliffs, probably formed by a flash flood or a past creek. The nests are burrowed in the soft banks, far from predators, though we saw a snake managed to get in, I assume lured by the eggs. The idea is to set up a tent on the rim of one of the banks and leave it there for a day or two for the birds to get used to. After that use it for a hiding shelter, hopefully getting a bird perched on a branch close enough for a good shot.




Isle of Crete, May 2005

Crete (Greek Κρήτη Kríti; Ottoman Turkish گريد (Girit); Latin Candia, Creta) is the largest of the Greek islands at 3220 sq. miles and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located at approximately 35° N 24° E. Crete is a popular tourist destination; its attractions include the Minoan sites of Knossos and Phaistos, the classical site of Gortys, the Venetian castle in Rethymno, and the Samaria Gorge, as well as many other natural sites, monuments, and beaches. Crete was the center of the Minoan civilization (ca. 2600–1400 BCE), the oldest civilization in Europe.



Банско гостува на София, Януари 2007

Кукери от Банско шестват по софийските улици в знак на добра воля или по-скоро поради липсата на какъвто и да било сняг в родния им... хммм курорт ?!
Ритмичния звън на чанове ме упоява дори в центъра на София. Рекордно топлата зима прави живота тежък на тези, които трябва да подскачат с козяци на 20C жега.



St. Lucia Day, Sofia University, Dec 2006

"In Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, Lucy (called Lucia) is venerated on December 13 in a ceremony where the eldest girl in a family, portraying Lucia, walks, with a crown of candles, ahead of a procession of other women holding a candle each. The candles symbolize the fire that refused to take her life. The women sing a Lucia song while entering the room, to the melody of the traditional Neapolitan song Santa Lucia, still well-known through the recording by Enrico Caruso but, whereas the Italian lyrics describe the beautiful view from the harbour area Santa Lucia in Naples, the various Scandinavian lyrics are fashioned for the occasion, describing the light with which Lucia overcomes the darkness. Each Scandinavian country has their own lyrics in their native tongues although commonly it is the melody of Neapolitan which is used. After finishing this song, the procession usually continue by singing Christmas carols or more songs about Lucia." - Wikipedia



Nepal Himalaya, Oct 2005

Stuck between India and Tibet this kingdom is probably best known for the highest point on earth - mount Everest 8848m. Part af the initial drive to go there was to have a glimpse of the "top of the world". As it turned out there is much, much more to see there that that. If curious have a look at the gallery or read the somewhat different accounts of the trip by Константин Иванов and Виделина Димитрова.



Masquarade games, Pernik, Jan 2006

Several shots taken of the event. Some men participate to get an excuse for being drunk, others to get an excuse for dressing like women, third an fourth for god-knows-what. Its fun to look for things you cannot see at once. See for yourself!



Autumn in Vitosha, Nov 2006

Unusually warm autumn gives more time for strolling about and taking pictures. The great lazy weather makes me try my tripod and new Heliopan circular polarizer on my Canon 17-40 F4L. A funny thing about using excessive gear is that you also start to pay more attention to things that matter, like composition. Enjoy!



High school graduations, Sofia, May 2006

Often professionally made up and ecstatic these girls in their late teens are a favourite shooting subject of mine :) Hopefully I will write a short review/shooting guide for this yearly event sometime soon. So stay tuned!



Eastern Rhodope, May 2006

Rolling hills, abandoned villages and lush greenery. The eastern Rhodope mountains are ripe with trekking opportunities, especialy in the spring, after the short gray days of winter.



An emotional triad, July 2006

Just 3 portraits I find interesting in several ways. Taken in interesting light (under a prolific willow tree at dawn) with this interesting lens and showing interesting facial expressions of a friend of mine.



6000 kilometers across Turkey, Oct 2006

Gallery of our ride across this vast and varied country. Eastern Anadola, Lake Van, Nemrut, Mount Ararat, Kachkar, the Turkish black sea coast.



Village of Ribnovo & some gypsy kids, Oct 2006

Ribnovo is a large village (by Bulgarian standards) on the end of a road in the western Rhodope mountains, some 30 kilometers from Gotse Delchev. This village is renouned for its preserved traditions and colorful dress codes. In this gallery there also are some shots of gypsy kids in another village near Gotse Delchev.


::: MOSTLY PERSONAL :::


Лодки и Пирин

Чудо голямо! По няколко снимки от едни лодки, от втори лодки та и от Пирин накрая. Юли, август 2007ма.



Морето близо до Варна 2007

Поздрави на участниците в мероприятието !



Карлуково 2007

Пускане на рапели на Проходна до Карлуково, април 2007. Някои пускаха, други гледаха, трети не пускаха... :)



Пирин над Кресна

Пролетен Пирин над Кресна на колела. Стара Кресна, село Ощава с оранжевата сграда със зелените прозорци в центъра, хладката баня, дето си е бая жежка.... и още



Pictures of friends of mine taken on various occasions

A wise man once said: "To understand who you are take a look at your friends!". Oh my...



Семково 2007

Рекордно малко сняг, неработещ север 2, прекрасна мизерна бърлога на последния етаж... какво повече му трябва на човек да е щастлив :) А, да... да затваря дискотеката всяка вечер, да спи по 5 часа, да яде на стол... Да живее Семково!

My friends' galleries


Mont Blanc - Italian Route (author Alek)