Exclusive interview with Boyan Dragomirov
Dear Boyan, Congratulations, you are the Photographer of the year 2022. Your winning photo is the cover of this month’s edition. We were very impressed with your picture and the story behind it and we would like to know more about you and your story.
Firstly, can you tell me a couple of things about you?
Growing up in a family managing a funeral home, nothing seemed like I would ever be interested in art. Fortunately, I spent all my wintertime going to the opera with my grandmother and in the summer, I was busy listening to audiotapes on my grandfather’s gramophone. With those exciting activities, my grandparents introduced me to the world of art. I have been practicing photography since I was 12 and making films for about 3 years.
Art is everywhere around me and I am getting inspired by music, views, people, and places.
Please describe the winning picture.
When I went out with my camera for the first time in a while, I passed a street, which I’ve gone by every day.
It’s an ordinary long narrow street, but I have always enjoyed the view with the cathedral at the end of it. I think that “Shared happiness” is showing us how little we need to be happy and how we can appreciate these special moments of our everyday routine.
What does photography mean to you?
It represents my passion for searching and finding valuable stories and people, exploring different kinds of worlds, and showing them in the way I want. It is an opportunity for me to express myself and relate to other people. Еach time I take a photo I am one step closer to understanding myself and my thoughts.
How would you describe your style?
I am always trying to be as creative as possible. When I practice and learn new techniques I become more and more confident with my work. I love taking pictures of beautiful and large landscapes but I also like street photography where I can photograph
What was the first picture that you took?
It was a picture of a sunset from my bedroom window in fourth grade. I took it with a digital camera, which was a birthday present from my parents. I was excited to see this view and even nowadays I have this picture in an album to just remind me where I started.
Can you tell me about your achievements?
Through the years I have received many awards for photography from over 10 different local and national competitions. Also, I have grants for „Best Promotional Film” and „Best Cinematography” from films that I have made. I could say that these achievements were motivating me to do my best and to keep improving my skills as an artist.
Why did you choose this contest?
I have never before participated in such a contest, so it was a challenge for me. I like street photography but most of the time I am too busy to stop and take a photo. It is a great honour for me to take part and to be selected for BIKE Magazine!
What or who inspires you?
I am inspired by the seasons, the music, the people, the atmosphere, the city sounds, and every other form of art. I am inspired by the sense of improvement and the feeling of love. Even the hard times are part of my inspiration in this life. Of course, everyone has their moods and conditions, but when I do sports or see my friends I am more than inspired.
What is the hardest thing about photography?
It’s hard to find your audience and keep them interested. Another issue for me is the fact that you should always be really focused and ready to capture a moment, but despite that, I think the hardest thing about photography is to stand out from the others. These days there are a lot of photos on social media and everybody could be a photographer with their camera, so you have to be provocative and fascinating with your work.
Talent or practice? and why?
I will choose practice. I have seen many talented people who just spend their time doing nothing and many others who just train and fight for their dreams.
Talent is something special, but without practice, it will be something useless.
Do you have a project that would like to share?
I have a photography project called
„Lost”. I wanted to tell a story of one lost life that left us one house full of forgotten memories, astray emotions, and lost energy. Provoked by the beautiful architecture, me and my friend went on a spontaneous exploration. I shot it with Canon 80D and I used the basic lenses 18-55mm to have the flexibility to capture one room or simple details.
What is the best advice you received?
We would like to congratulate again and hopefully you will capture more success and pictures in the future.
More information:
boyan_dragomirov03@abv.bg
https://www.youtube.com/c/Boyandragomirov/videos
https://www.instagram.com/bobipravisnimki/