Moonrise Kingdom

My Dad and I went on a photowalk after sunset last night.  He carried my camera bag and kept me company while I was waiting for my long exposures.  The skies were clear, we watched the moonrise, and we had a great time playing with some forced perspective.  I had to use a flash for these last shots, as by the time the Moon had climbed over the cliffs it was already dark, yet I'm quite entertained with the result.

Johnny In A Sunbeam

These are technically imperfect, but the subject is flawless :)

Enough said.  Here's Johnny!

A Happy Grampa!

My Dad with Johnny and my lovely Punkin, Ally!

Ah, it's great to be with Fambly!

In summer, the song sings itself.

~William Carlos Williams

A few days back, at sunset, my Brother-in-law and I climbed up the cliffs that overlook our house.  Sometimes young people go there and build bonfires we can see burning at night.  The view was splendid, and somehow pacifying, probably because we were so high up, and everything down there looked very small.  I brought my 300mm lens and I even captured my parents and Johnny waving at us!

I admit I'm craving to photograph something more urban lately, yet I'm still not tired of being in the country. 10 more days and I'm back in suburban California... Gosh, how time flies when you're having fun!

We Are Cavemen

We took a daytrip to Devetaki Cave the other day.  It was overcast and I barely caught a single sunbeam inside, but the place was still as splendid as they said it would be. We didn't see any bats, but there were plenty of sparrows, and I even did the flare trick with my kit lens at f/22.  I also recommend bringing a tripod if you shoot in such light conditions - some of the handheld shots here are the slightest bit shaky.

Oh, and the concrete bridge you see in the beginning? It was built for the filming of Expendables 2, thanks to which the bat population was disturbed (and thankfully, recovered later), so yeah, Hollywood sucks big time.

Enjoy, and if you ever happen to travel around Bulgaria, you must see this cave.  It's really special!

P.S. I like the fact that there were other people there, because their small figures help give my photos a great sense of scale.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

My Mom had her birthday a couple of days ago, and we celebrated with two cakes, a lot of laughter, and the exchange of small gifts.  I gave her a gardening tool for planting tulip bulbs, a coffee thermos and a mug (with blue tulips), and she made some yummy traditional Bulgarian dishes. Such good times!

P.S. I really like the light on our faces under the grape vines, though it would have otherwise be considered as a technical photographic defect.

Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.

~Robert Heinlein

O, Hai!

I haven't taken a selfie in a long while, so here are a few images of plain ole me, in the usual spirit and style - reflected in the mirror, and arm-length, showing my better profile (it's the left one, in case it's not obvious).

A quick update: I'm in a full blown escapism mode; it's not even a vacation anymore, but a state of complete and perpetual daydreaming, wandering around, napping, enjoying the moment, living utterly bohemian, self-indulging in good food, and LOVING.  It's amazing, and I sometimes wished I would start writing in my online journal blog, but then again, I prefer to experience rather than analyze things right now.  

I am very happy, I'm with family, I'm at the most beautiful place on Earth, and good things are coming.  John has a new job (yay!), we're moving to a new place after I return to California in two weeks, we'll be going to Hawaii on a second honeymoon in the fall, and later this year we might even begin working on a new baby.  There's a lot of planning and work involved in all this, yet I refuse to worry about it just yet.

Guys, I am so excited about life!  I hope you are doing well too!

P.S. This morning I went to give my dogs some breakfast (technically they are not my dogs, just three stray puppies that hang around the house) and on my way back I collected some trash from the street.  A woman looked at me questioningly asked me why was I doing this.  I explained: "I like things to be clean and ordered, and all people and animals - happy, and I am just doing what I can to have them that way."  She thanked me for my efforts...and this simple gesture was enough of a confirmation for me.  

I might not turn out to be the great writer I dream to be, but as long as I keep the animals fed, and make strangers smile, I know I'll be fine :)