15 Mar 2021

Rhododendron Forest in Bloom

by | posted in: Blog | 0

The evergreen Rhododendron Ponticum is a native plant to the Strandja mountain in Bulgaria. It has survived the last ice age as this part of the continent remained ice free. It loves the deep, shady and humid gorges, as it can get very dry and hot in this part of the country in the summer. Together with the Eastern beech tree and the local varieties of ivy and other wild vines, it forms thick and lush forests that often resemble real jungle. It is a protected species in Bulgaria and the areas where it grows are usually reserves or protected areas withing the boundaries of Strandja Natural Park. The blooming of the Zelenika, as they call it here, attracts visitors from around the country each year. These dark, rocky, wet and lush with vegetation stream valleys are favourite spots of mine to visit in spring.

In 2020 the pandemic gave me an unique opportunity to record sounds in real-time for long periods of time completely without or with very few interruptions by jet planes flying over. I managed to record an eight hour recording of the sounds in this forest and to turn it into a “no loop” birdsong video. You can see it here: https://youtu.be/nlRfDVSebAA

The mossy fairytale-like roots of an old beech tree.
Forest classroom project realized by a local wildlife protection organization.
My most favourite type of damselfly in its amazingly stylish color outfit.
21 May 2020

Peaceful Forest River

by | posted in: Blog | 0

In our modern days showing yourself on camera seems to be a thing. I have always been the man behind the camera and very, very rarely in front of it. It turns out that I have to adapt to the modern ways and update my mental programs. Or at least, that seems to be the solution and the only way to show myself to the people working at YouTube, that decide who deserves to be their partner and to work with them. I had to prove that I exist and I am the real person, made from flesh and bone, that really goes to all those places to film and record the beauty and peace of pristine nature. Part of this plan was to create a channel trailer, where I show myself filming at different places. One of those places was the little river close to my hometown of Burgas, where I filmed one of my very first videos for my YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/IvjMgVS6kng). I did the awkward for me self filming part and since I was there and it was a beautiful morning and the birds were singing, I decided to film and record it again and make a new video with the soothing a bubbly sound of this river. This time I made it longer, so that people can have a good night sleep to it. Here it is: https://youtu.be/tPGZx_-Ervk

One of the many takes… it’s not easy to be a good actor 🙂
2 Feb 2020

River Kayaking

by | posted in: Blog | 0

I’ve been thinking about making a moving video of sailing down a river in spring with all the lush greenery and birdsongs for a long time. Finally it all came together and I figured out how and where to do it. I hired a kayak from a friend and together we traveled to this beautiful river in Strandja Natural Park, Bulgaria. I was a bit nervous as I had very limited experience in paddling in general and I didn’t know what to expect. There were also the questions of how am I going to attach the camera or what if it falls in the river… Fortunately it all came down together pretty well and the camera was attached onto a secured tripod on top of the kayak. Next thing was… paddling. At first it felt a bit unsettling feeling so unstable onto a plastic board in the middle of the river with a camera on top of all. Soon I relaxed into it and was paddling more and more confidently and with less effort, trying to make as less noise as possible, so that the sound is relaxing and the songs of the numerous birds along the way, can be heard clearly. All in all, it was a success and I am very pleased with the result: https://youtu.be/qZ0_aa6RxvQ

Perfect stillness…
The light of morning sun, piercing through the green tunnel of overhanging trees and bushes, illuminated the delicate mist into rays of heavenly splendour.
I really needed to pee, after about two hours of being in the water, so I found a suitable place to come out onto the river bank for a little rest.
5 Sep 2019

Rhododendron Stream

by | posted in: Blog | 0

Strandja Natural Park in Bulgaria is home to a relic species of Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum), which can be found in Europe only here and in Caucasus. The plant likes to live in the cool and humid gorges usually under the shady umbrella of tall beech trees. These places are so green, lush and rich with vegetation, that I often feel like being in an European jungle. I wanted to film and record this place on a rainy day, when all the leaves are wet and shiny and the colors are even deeper and more pronounced. So I came here one day in spring to try to realise this idea. Here is the result: https://youtu.be/VPmDEsdd7y0