Bulgarian Stockphotos

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Caption:

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.)

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

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.