Bogdan Boev loves to watch the sky through the lens of his camera, taking pictures of… freedom. His birds are sailing among clouds and sunshine, touching the human soul’s most sacred dream – flying.

The man has two opposite sides inside himself – being a professional basketball player he has that strive for victories, but meekness appears every time he finds himself among nature. The love for birds and wild animals made him take his first shots a decade ago. At first it was simply a relaxation method which later on turned into a passion and art.

The so-called wildlife photography is linked to many factors: ethics, love, knowing of animals’ life, stubbornness, luck… and the technical part with pressing the button comes somewhere in the end. Bogdan Boev never allows any compromises with this philosophy.

“Whenever we take photos of wild animals, we intrude their home in fact. So, we need to be careful with what we do, in order not to harm them. That is why many colleagues and I avoid photographing of birds’ nesting habitats or where animals raise their offspring. Those are really sensitive and any improper approach may cause alarm, forcing them to leave their territories. In fact it is the negative side of wildlife photography that we often face – the lack of cautiousness and morality.”

Patience is always rewarded, the photographer believes. It is just a matter of time, spent in shelters, under camouflage nets or in some bushes. Thus he had to remain hidden for 5 days, in order to take pictures of wolves.

“It is the most pleasant feeling to reach the right shot that has taken a lot of time, as nothing is guaranteed in wildlife photography – we go there, wait and do our best. However, there are three factors which are really tough to cross over: good light, the bird or animal object and the right moment.”

Then at one point the destiny ordered the coincidence and sent Bogdan for a look around a field of sunflowers with a flock of sparrows hovering above alongside a bird with a bit different color.

“When I took a closer look, it turned out to be a white sparrow and later on I spotted its red eyes,” the photographer is still thrilled to recall. “That was a young albino sparrow, begging for food from its parents – and those were really common. If I hadn’t checked this spot, I would never have met that bird. However, chance is also one of the factors in wildlife photography…”

Bogdan Boev has taken photos of anything – from brown bears in Finland to Bulgarian beasts of all kind, but birds are definitely his cup of tea.

Each shot of the photographer is precious for him, as at least one funny and beautiful story lies behind.

Today the photographer tries to turn his hobby into a job for a second time – the way he did with basketball in the past.

“There is no market for this job, as things are tough, but they are not impossible. I think I will succeed, having this love inside and the readiness to plunge into the deep. However, I can’t state firmly yet that I have turned my hobby into a profession – maybe it is 50/50.”

No matter what happens from now on, no one can take away the most blessed skill of the photographer – the sense of beauty in his soul that Bogdan Boev openheartedly gifts to us.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev