The photos by Evgeni Dinev depict the bated breath of nature. He is constantly on the way in search of landscapes hidden for the ordinary eye. You can meet him long before sunrise on a peak, pinched with cold but watching for the exact moment when nature awakens.
Ivan Belchev for Success Stories Mag:
Photography has been fascinating you since you were a child. Are you still chased by the memories of the issues of National Geographic from that time?
Evgeni Dinev:
This was just a spark that gave me a start to begin shooting.
Now things have turned up in such a way that I often come upon photography enthusiasts who try to copy me.
This can only make me happy, because it seems that I have successfully brought the flame of inspiration that gives a spark to others to try their potential in the field of photography.
This is a continuous journey in search of the perfect shot. The point is that it does not stay somewhere waiting for me, I need to chase it constantly.
Maybe I’m too stubborn to not give up this race, which requires not only a full tank, but a lot of free time, it can not be practiced only on weekends.
It’s hard getting up at night, in the middle of the deepest sleep. Being in this state that is shocking to the body, I have driven or walked in impenetrable darkness for hours, along any kind of roads that one can think of, in fog, rain, snow, blizzard, to reach the destination in time, before daylight.
I have exposed myself to dangerous situations in the mountains, with a sudden and unexpected outbreak of thunderstorms. In search of inaccessible places, I have often reached insurmountable obstacles that I have managed to overcome by great will. Looking back, I wonder how I have gone through all this without being forced by someone.
Choose a favorite photo of yours and tell us its story.
It was a wonderful autumn day, the sun was shining, a breeze was blowing. I was approaching the peak rising to 2170 meters, and the breeze began blowing more than it was acceptable and already became like a hurricane, which was not quite a surprise at this altitude.
I was not prepared for such low temperatures and I was wearing only a thin wind jacket. Powerfully pushing from the north, the strong wind was carrying clouds and everything around turned white. Luckily it turned out that there was a shelter on the top.
I was already imagining how I opened the door, with people inside offering me a welcome with warm tea and a thick blanket.
The vision disappeared as soon as I approached something resembling a military tent, only made of a sheet metal, with no door, with a hole instead of a window, a sheet metal floor instead of a wooden plank-bed.
Anyway, it was better than nothing, at least I was under shelter, but it was as if I was standing in a refrigerator. There were two hours until sunset and I had no idea whether the wind will blow away the fog. I had not gone along all this way just to visit this bizarre fridge-like shelter, so I decided to wait in it.
Time was passing slowly, the wind was roaring outside and my teeth started chattering uncontrollably. To warm myself, from time to time I went out to jump, which brought no significant effect. Thus, while I was trembling with cold and jumping, just before sunset it began to brighten up.
The visibility improved, the storm was not so furious any more and on all sides the nature was vivified with breathtaking views. As the peak was quite massive and rounded, I was wondering where to go first, I could not simply turn to one side, a lot of walking was needed.
Luckily, I fetched up in the east, with a view to Mount Kupena, which was just then illuminated by the last rays of the sun, with a scarlet spot burning out below it.
The wind was blowing away the clouds behind it as if a painter was creating with his brushes. This is what I meant by stubbornness. I could just have gone back, not taking the risk and missing this amazing moment.
The camera can not capture everything. Which are the things that can not be seen in your photos?
My pictures depict that beautiful, idyllic part of the world. In them you cannot see its antithesis – ugliness, tiredness, oppressiveness.
What remains also invisible are the efforts used by me to make the photos a fact. The viewer perceives the image itself as granted, hardly asking who and how has shot it, what is there two meters to the right of the end of the frame.
What would you advise a good amateur photographer who needs a little more to start working as a professional photographer?
In order to prove yourself, great patience and hard work are required, one needs to be confident in what one is doing. It is of paramount importance to build your own style, which to be appreciated by people, because if you are replaceable, the competition is great.