I Am A Bulgarian Woman is the name of photographer Radoslav Parvanov’s latest exhibition. He has captured the images of 25 young Bulgarian women in traditional folklore clothing, shot at spots of cultural and historical significance.

“The idea occurred after my proposal for that type of photos to a girl who works with a patriotic society,” the photographer recalls. “I hadn’t done anything like that and I found it interesting to show history via photos. I suggested a photo shoot across the Old Town of Plovdiv with her dressed up in traditional costume. We spent a day in shooting and the results were very well accepted. Then I thought that I should do something bigger. That was back in 2014. The idea expanded with time, more models were to participate and I decided to take more photos, in order to compile a complete picture of Bulgaria.”

The photos were taken in the period 2014 – 2016. The Central Military Club – Sofia, the Pernik Fortress, the Rupite village, the Castle of Balchik – these were only some of the places which served as a background. The photographer dedicated two of the plots to mothers and their daughters, their love and relations, showing the beauty of the Balkan village of Bozhentsi and the Troyan span of the Balkan Range.

The National Geographic and the Economist have published photos taken by Radoslav Parvanov. The execution of his I Am A Bulgarian Woman project faced difficulties, however – with the costumes, through the weather conditions and the permit to shoot.

“The weather was one of the most important factors for this exhibition to become reality. Some of the photos in the fields were taken at a temperature of 50C. The last plot was shot on 31 December 2016 at the Etara Ethnographic Museum near Gabrovo and the temperatures were really low. We also worked in very hot weather at the Tsarevets Fortress in Veliko Tarnovo. Luckily no one got sick. All the girls proved they were tough…”

The collection of Radoslav Parvanov can be seen until June 13 at one of Sofia’s restaurants. The photographer wants to show his work across all the towns where the photo sessions took place. He also plans the next stage of the project. Here is more from him:

“This is one of my dreams, related to the popularization of the now ready product. My ambition is to show that at each spot where I took photos there was this young girl born to love her country and who was willing to show it here and abroad. At first people were a bit skeptical, because I wanted their permission to take the photos, but after they saw the result… well, all I can say is that the exhibition is now wanted everywhere. I have the ambition to shoot at new places and to show the exhibition abroad…” the photographer says in conclusion.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev