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Zelenci Springs

Zelenci Springs is a nature reserve near Kranjska Gora, at the three-country border of Slovenia, Italy and Austria. Most people will say that Zelenci Springs are the source of the Sava Dolinka River but this is technically wrong, since the water from underground Nadiža Creek (originating in the Planica Valley) just re-emerges here through the porous bottom of the shallow  lake.  Anyway, river  flowing  from here to the Danube River is Sava, so Zelenci Springs is a kind of  source of the Sava River. Lake is ‘famous’ because of  its brilliant green water which gave the name to the springs and its surroundings  (Zelenci is a deadjectival plural noun from Slovene zelen ‘green’.)

The lake.

View from the tower.

View from the tower.

But who cares about the name!? What is really important is the place itself. The best way to describe Zelenci is – nature at its best! There are numerous paths leading around so you can really explore the place. Leave your car on the parking near the bar. You can’t miss it (and – don’t miss it. You can get a nice cup of coffee there or eat a decent meal for a reasonable price).

View from the wooden bridge.

There are two best places to take photos  – the small lake itself and a long wooden bridge nearby. There is also a wooden tower beside the lake that offers even better views, but be careful! Lately it isn’t safe so climbing on it was forbidden the last time I was there.

Best views are from the tower.

Best views are the ones from the tower.

Zelenci are really beautiful in the early morning, before sunrise, when they are covered with amazing mist, or around sunset when the surrounding mountains shine in the (red) light. If you decide to visit it during the day, you will probably meet lots of people there and getting a nice photo will not be that easy.

Since the place is a nature reserve there are many unique animal species found there, as well as some sparse and endangered plants.

Nature at its best.

Visit Festival Lent with Igslovenia! Show us your best festival photo!

Festival magic – what is it?

This year, Maribor, the city on the banks of Drava River, will offer more than 320 events at over 15 venues in 9 days and nights during the 24th Lent Festival and thus – again – become the World Capital of #Lenting, that magical Lent Festival feeling of relaxation and vibrant life.

Photo by Dejan Bulut.

But, how does that special feeling, which separates any festival from everyday life, look like? Is it the majestic fireworks, is it lying in the grass or on top of a skyscraper is it an evening with a street-theatre performance or is it an open-air concert, maybethe good company of friends enjoying some amazing street-food…?

You get to decide – we would like YOU to show us, what it means to you, how it feels like, this magical festival moment!

Photo by Boštjan Lah.

How to participate? 

Post your photo (or video) from a festival – ANY festival you like – on Instagram and add #lentanje, #festivallent, #igslovenia and #festivaltimes, so we can find it easier – and the authors of the best photos, selected by the jury, will receive free tickets for Lent Festival 2016!

Two daily tickets will be given to 2 chosen winners every week on Friday during the festival (10. 6, 17. 6, 24. 6, 1. 7.).

The special prize, a 9-day Lentafestival ticket (which gives you free entrance to more than 70 events in 9 days of the festival and many other benefits), will be awarded on Thursday, 23. 6. 2016, to 3 authors, whose photos will illustrate “that crazy & magical” festival moment best.

Photo by Dejan Bulut.

The photos and winners will be selected by the jury composed of Sanja Leban Trojar (@sanya_lt from team @igslovenia), concert and festival photographer Sasa Huzjak (@sasahuzjak) and Tadeja Kristovič (@festivallent).

So, how does it feel, how does it look like? Check the entries here and add yours!

More info:

Festival Lent (page) & Festival Lent (Instagram) & Festival Lent (Facebook) © Sasa Huzjak

Also – leave a question in the comment section or send us an E-mail to info@igslovenia.si.

See you in Maribor!

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Tacen Whitewater Course

It is easy to follow the guides and visit the objects of popular interest but the real challenge is to find less known locations which offer opportunities for a nice shot or two. Tacen Whitewater Course, a venue for kayak and canoe competition, is one of them and it is accesible by public transportation from Ljubljana city centre.

The course is known as Kayak Canoe Club Tacen and it is located in on Sava River in Tacen, 9 km NW of city centre. It held the first competition back in 1939 when it was still a natural rapid at the base of a dam in the river. Since then it was developed in a modern sport center.

 

Coming from the center just watch for the last turn left from the main road before the bridge over Sava. After 200 m there is a tennis course and a parking place can be found. River is only a few steps away and over the river there is also a nice view of Šmarna Gora, the most popular hiking destination of Ljubljana.

Dog leg dam (I am a golfer, I can’t help myself) spreads over the whole width of the river, only its right part is in fact a river sluice gate, with which amount of water to enter two sports canals is regulated.

Peaceful place to stroll along the river or just sit there and relax is just behind the dam. Even swans are regular visitors there and it is also one of the few spots around Ljubljana to catch a spectacular sunset over the water.

Zoran Leban Trojar – @zokus_gf

lukaesenko

Luka Esenko. Amazing landscape photographer and an Instagrammer that – sometimes – makes me crazy. Each and every photo he publishes on Instagram could end up on @Igslovenia profile. Every day. But this only means – he is good at what he does. And this is – photography, sharing his knowledge about photography & connecting great photographers and incredible locations in his new app. I just had to ask him a few questions;,

Hi there Luka, we will start as we always do; can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Who are you, what do you do?

Hi Sanja, I am a local photographer based in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Photography has been my work for the last eight years when I started running workshops in Slovenia and Croatia. I also love the outdoors, the Alps above all, this is why a lot of my photos are from there.

Ljubljana from the Nebotičnik / Skyscraper caffee.

Ljubljana from the Nebotičnik / Skyscraper caffee.

You are a professional photographer, I know that. What does Instagram mean to you? Or better; People say that Instagram is only for amateur photographers. What do you think about that?

To be honest I am pretty new to Instagram. I started last summer when I was on a vacation in Croatia. It soon became quite fun and I’ve had a lot of feedback and interaction on my posts. What I like about it is its focus on photography and I find it more enjoyable to browse through the feed. For photographers (pro and amateur alike) this is a great channel to promote their work and services.

Slovenia. You take people around our country for photography workshops. Can you say that there is a place that amazes people more than other? Or – what is your favourite photo-destination in Slovenia?

Quite obviously Lake Bled and its island is the most popular among my clients. But there are many other less “iconic” places that people love and make great subjects for photography. Unique to Slovenia are its hilltop churches – my clients always wonder how crazy we are in Slovenia to build churches on top of the hill – who wants to walk up there?!? I always reply – well – photographers 🙂 Personally, my favourite place is the Julian Alps. I love the mountains, but unfortunately I’m usually way too busy to get out and spend the time I’d like to out there. For that reason every moment I do get to spend there is even more precious.

Church of St. Thomas / Sveti Tomaž.

Speaking of photo-destinations. You took connecting amazing photographers and incredible destination to a whole new level. You are a co-founder of the snappguides application. Can you tell us a little bit more about it?

Recently we released SNAPP Guides – destination guides for photographers. This is a mobile app (currently available on iOS with Android coming soon) where photographers can purchase guides to destination they are traveling to. With these guides they get exact coordinates with interactive maps (routing, current position, different layers..), information how to get there, when to go, practical advice on photographing that location as well as inspirational images. We work with pro photographers around the world to deliver the best possible information and currently we have ten destinations available – new ones are being added to the collection every month.

Laka Bled; Island & Castle in the back.

Sounds amazing! And looking at the @snappguiddes social media profiles and page … you have tons, literally tons of amazing photos. Who are the photographers that you are working with? How did you meet?

We sure have a lot of great images to share! Through my previous work I met many excellent photographers from all around the world. With their help we partnered with the best authors/photographers from destinations such as the UK, California, Oregon, South Africa, Ireland, Austria and many others. Now we’re receiving requests from photographers who want to make guides with us and we’re growing our team of photographers quickly. If you have extensive knowledge of photo locations in your area and would like to build a guide with us do get in touch!

Can you share some ‘behind the app’ information with us? What are the places (locations) that people love most? How is Slovenia doing? Can we expect more photographers here soon?:)

A tremendous amount of work goes into each guide. Every spot has to be populated with relevant information, exact coordinates and beautiful images. Most of the spots have been scouted more than just once to make sure the information is valid. At the moment, the most popular guides are Yosemite NP in California and London, UK. Slovenia is doing well, but it is obvious that it gets fewer visitors per year compared to other better known destinations in the world. I’m working hard to change that!

What are the plans for the future? Which destinations in Slovenia will be presented in the app?

Right now the most popular places of Slovenia are covered, Lakes Bled & Bohinj, Ljubljana and Istria. The Complete Guide to Slovenia will follow but I can’t promise when – it is huge amount of work to cover it all! As for SNAPP Guides, we want to cover as many destinations as possible. We’re working hard to deliver new destinations, but because of our high standards it takes time.

As a local and as an amazing photographer … what would you say to a person visiting Slovenia for the first time? Where to go, what to see? (Beside – Bled, Ljubljana & Piran, that is:)

Well, the ones you mentioned are definitely the obvious, right? My first suggestion is make sure you allow enough time – Slovenia might be small but it has lots of great places to photograph! Be prepared to do some hiking and you’ll need a car. Visit one or two hilltop churches for sunrise or sunset, don’t miss the wine region (Brda or Prlekija) and be sure to explore Soča river valley.

Thanks Luka! And … all the best with your amazing projects! 

Thanks for giving me this opportunity at Igslovenia!

 

Sanja Leban Trojar – @sanya_lt

You can find more about Luka Esenko and his work on his web page, Facebook or Twitter profile & you can follow him on Instagram.

Nadiža Valley and Napoleon Bridge

Nadiža River is one of the cleanest and warmest Alpine rivers. Locals also believe the river has healing powers and in the hot summer days one can sometimes gets impression that that whole nation is seekin therapy there. That’s why we came to take photos at the sunrise and since the valley is pretty narrow and that part of the river flows NE, it is not neccesary too early. Out of the season any time of the day would be fine.

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Its turqoise waters, torrential during the frequent storms, originate under the massive Stol range in Slovenia. Short after that it becomes a border river between Slovenia and Italy, than enters Slovenia again and at the foot of mount Matajur turns south, crosses the border into Italy and concludes it’s 60 kilometer journey when it joins the river Ter (Torre).

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The Nadiža has carved out pools and gorges, as well as depositing numerous shingle beaches. It’s most picturesque part is difficult to access and if you want to be more on your own, trailing by the river is the only, but very worthly solution. It is home to the marble trout, rainbow trout and the local crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes italicus. As such it is a natural paradise for bathers and fly fishermen.

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The famous stone bridge crossing the Nadiža gorge dates to around 1812 and stands mute testament to the routes crossing the area since at least the time of Ancient Rome. The bridge used to form part of the ancient route from Pradol and Robidišče along the Nadiža riverand further to the east. Current bridge was built at the time of the French emperor’s conquests, hence its name. Its uniqueness and technical accomplishment make it a precious architectural monument and a memorial to times past

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To protect the harmony between nature and the numerous visitors in the summertime, the Kobarid municipality has implemented a parking regime by the river Nadiža. There are four maintained parking lots by the river bank (in Robič,Podbela, Napoleon bridge and Logje); a parking fee applies in June, July and August.

Source: http://www.dolina-soce.com/en/

Zoran Leban Trojar, @zokus_gf

Dobre Instagram prakse; @LittleLambo_

Podjetje Little Lambo je bilo ustanovljeno leta 2014. Ročno izdelujejo visoko kvalitetne otroške mokasine iz najboljšega usnja, ki mu nobena kemikalija nikoli ni prišla blizu. Poleg tega, da vsak par sešijejo na roke, upravljajo meni enega najljubših Instagram profilov. 500 objavljenih fotografij, skoraj 20.000 sledilcev in tudi po nekaj par tisoč všečkov na fotografijo so številke, ki govorijo same zase.

Od kar sem prvič naletela na profil @littlelambo_ na Instagramu, jim sledim. Prepričale me niso le izjemne fotografije, ampak tudi način, kako se te fotografije razporejajo v zgodbo, kako podjetje komunicira s sledilci in kako – razume priložnosti, ki jih Instagram ponuja. Ko k temu dodaš še ugotovitev, da gre za majhno, družinsko podjetje iz Slovenije, je nujno, preveriti, kako se stvari lotevajo. Mogoče še kdo najde kak navdih ali nasvet za svoje delo. Pogovarjali smo se preko e-pošte, odgovarjala je cela družina … vsak po malo:) Nastal je naslednji klepet;

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Se lahko na kratko predstavite – kdo ste, s čim se vaše podjetje ukvarja?

Znamka Little Lambo izhaja iz družinskega podjetja Lambo, ki se že več kot 20 let ukvarja s tekstilom. Kljub težkim časom v tej industriji in ob vseh cenenih izdelkih iz vzhoda, smo naše podjetje ohranili na zeleni veji, na kar smo zelo ponosni. V septembru 2014 se je hčerki Alji utrnila ideja o prodaji usnjenih otroških mokasinov. Sprva nismo vedeli, kako začeti, saj z izdelovanjem copatkov in usnjem nismo imeli prav nobenih izkušenj. Pol leta smo porabili, da smo razvili modele, in še kar nekaj mesecev  – da smo našli usnje, ki bi zadovoljilo naše zahteve glede kvalitete. Zdaj lahko rečemo, da smo zagotovo uspeli.

Ste slovenska zgodba, prisegate na lokalno in ročno narejeno, vseeno pa osvajate svetovni trg?

Vsi mokasini se od začetka do konca naredijo  v naši delavnici, prav tako skušamo uporabiti čim več slovenskih izdelkov, kot so nase škatle ali vezalke v mokasinih. Usnja pri nas nismo našli, saj iščemo le okolju prijazno usnje. Vsekakor se nikoli ne bi odločili, da bi proizvodnjo selili na Kitajsko, od koder sicer dobivamo veliko ponudb za izdelavo naših mokasinov. Kako osvajamo svetovni trg, pa najboljše povedo velike spletne trgovine, v katerih smo prisotni – v 90% je odgovor Instagram.

Instagram je za vas ključno sredstvo promocije in komunikacije, kar je, sploh za slovenska podjetja, izjemno redko. Kaj pa drugi kanali?

Splet je za nas ključnega pomena. Do sedaj v promocijo nismo vložili niti evra, kar je v resnici – precej neverjetno. Naše delo na spletu se začne in konča s fotografijami mokasinov. Instagram je za nas zagotovo najpomembnejši kanal, smo se pa začeli truditi tudi s Facebookom, saj ugotavljamo da Instragram predvsem med Slovenci ni dovolj popularen.

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Se še spomnite začetkov na Instagramu?

Stvari se na Instagramu zelo hitro premikajo. Objaviš dobro sliko, pa je na spletni strani poplava kupcev. Začetkov se skorajda ne spomnimo, niso pa bili lahki. Moraš vztrajati, komentirati druge slike, se povezovati – stopiti v stik tudi  z blogerji. Verjetno si marsikdo težko predstavlja, a za naše fotografije, da so, takšne kot so, porabimo nekaj ur na dan. Na telefonih imamo po 100 slik istega modela, objavimo eno. Pomembne so podrobnosti.

Kako ste prišli do prvih sledilcev?

Verjetno na podoben način, kot vsi. Všečkali smo veliko fotografij in napisali veliko komentarjev. Zanimivo se zdi, da se jih je veliko (komentarjev namreč) na začetku tudi vrnilo. Zdaj, ko so številke sledilcev višje, temu ni več tako.

Prej ste omenili, da fotografirate s telefonom. Po ogledu vašega profila to človek skorajda težko verjame. Fotke so super!

Hvala! 🙂 Kot smo že omenili, nam fotografiranje vzame res veliko časa, nekaj ur vsak dan. Telefon gor ali dol, izdelek moraš dobro postaviti, ga osvetliti in se posvetiti podrobnostim. Niti približno nismo pravi fotografi oz. s fotografijo nimamo izkušenj. Vse kar smo se naučili, smo se učili sproti. Zagotovo pa je naša želja imeti pravi studio za fotografiranje, saj bi s tem pridobili veliko več časa in mogoče še bolj kvalitetne fotografije. Seveda pa kdaj tudi menjamo – mokasine za fotografije:)

Ravno prejšnji mesec smo imeli res srečo, da smo dobili kot našo uradno predstavnico znamke znano fotografinjo, ki ima sedaj novorojenčka in res čudovite fotografije. Za nas bo posnela veliko fotografij v zameno za nekaj mokasinov. Če gledamo, da fotografi računajo vrtoglave vsote denarje za kakšen fotoshooting, smo tega sodelovanja res izjemno veseli.

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Imate kakšna ‘pravila’ po katerih objavljate na Instagramu?

Najraje objavljamo zjutraj. Mislimo namreč, da je to čas, ko vsak rad pregleda kaj je novega. Kaj objavljamo je predvsem odvisno od tega, kar smo prejšnji dan pripravili. Barve mokasinov se ne smejo ponavljati, med naše fotografije vedno radi umestimo fotografijo kakega blogerja, s katerim v določenem obdobju sodelujemo. Trudimo se objavljati vsaj 2 fotografiji dnevno, smo pa večino časa tako zasedeni, da je pravilo najmanj eno na dan. In ta ena naj bo kvalitetna.

Kaj pa interakcija s sledilci? Imate veliko komentarjev in zasebnih sporočil?

Interakcija je zelo pomembna. S tem si pridobiš zaveznike in podpornike, ki tvoj profil in znamko dvignejo. Priznamo, da tega ne počnemo dovolj pogosto. Enostavno zmanjkuje časa. Zasebnih sporočil je vedno več, včasih preveč. Stranke želijo pomoč pri izbiri, zastavljajo splošna vprašanja o izdelkih, najdejo pa se tudi taki, ki želijo, da jim mokasine pošiljamo zastonj. Ta sporočila običajno – brišemo.

Bi Instagram priporočili drugim malim podjetjem?

Zagotovo bi; Naša zgodba je – Instagram zgodba. Dobivamo tudi veliko e-sporočil slovenskih podjetij, ki želijo nasvete, kako se približati uporabnikom na Instagramu, kako sploh začeti, kaj objavljati. Žal ne moremo pomagati vsem. Naš svet, svet v katerem se promoviramo, v katerem objavljamo in prodajamo –  je otroški svet, zato lahko nekomu pomagamo zgolj pri najboljših otroških znamkah, najboljših blogerjih z našega področja, ne spremljamo pa drugih trendov in zato težko svetujemo nekomu, ki na primer prodaja pohištvo.

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Nauk zgodbe je torej preprost; Kvalitetne fotografije so za Instagram najbolj pomembne. K temu je nujno dodati še interakcijo z uporabniki, brez katere pač ne gre, in razumevanje – Instagram ni zgolj podaljšek Facebooka ali pa katerekoli druge spletne strani (ali družbenega omrežja), kamor lahko samo malo kopiraš obstoječe vsebine. Instagram je svet sam zase, zahteva vsebine zase. Tisti, ki to razumejo, tisti na Instagramu uspejo. @LittleLambo_ je zagotovo med njimi.

 

Klepetala in priporočala; Sanja Leban Trojar – @sanya_lt

PS; Kateri profil pa je tebi všeč? Od koga se lahko učimo?

Lake Planšarsko jezero

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I’ve seen this place on so many photos from Slovenia that I just had to see it. Since all the photos were amazing I was expecting something really spectacular. I was – disappointed. Don’t get me wrong. The place is amazingly beautiful but the lake itself is so small you can walk around it in 20 minutes. Twice! 🙂

Here is some information about it; “The little heart-shaped lake was made by local inhabitants in memory of a larger glacial lake that had drained away, and after which Jezersko got its name. It is a well visited spot and one could call it also a symbol of the area. In summer, it allows boating, in winter ice-skating. At the same time, it gives you a chance to enjoy tasty local food at the restaurant by the lake all year round.” (Taken from page jezersko.info where you can find more information about places nearby.)

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Probably any time of the year is great to see this place, just keep in mind – in winter you will have to deal with some serious snow & ice! Any other time – you can leave your car just beside the lake, take a walk around it and snapp some photos. It will take you less than an hour … if you are really slow.

So – I would rather recommend you to park the car in the village Zgornje Jezersko and walk towards the lake. Nature in this part of Slovenia for sure deserves you take your time and you will be able to take some more amazing photos on the way. Also; you have to walk a little to really enjoy some local food or drinks in the restaurant beside the lake.

If you plan to visit this place and you have some more time check the page jezersko.info for some additional information & ideas where to go and what to see. If you have visited already feel free to leave us some tips/info/ideas in the comment section or send us your best photo to info@igslovenia.si!

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@sanya_lt

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Ljubljana, 14. 2. 2016, by @sanya_lt

Meet Ed Norton, amazing (Lonely Planet) photographer, who loves extreme sports, thinks people in Bovec are really nice, whereas caves in Slovenia – not so much. It  was an honour (& fun!) talking to him and finding out lots about photography; Instagram and his cool mum:)) Thank you so much, Ed!

First of all – can you tell us something about yourself? Who are you, what do you do?

My name’s Ed Norton and I’m a travel photographer working for Lonely Planet / Getty Images. I’m originally from the South West of England from a city called Bristol but I am now based in London.

OK, Lonely Planet! To an amateur photographer this seems like a dream job. Is it?

It certainly is a dream job! There is a lot of hard work that comes with it though. I often work 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. At least half my time is spent in a dark room alone editing and labelling my images. If you don’t enjoy your own company then it’s definitely not for you! Photography is my life and when I’m not working, I’m learning or researching. I literally never stop doing either of those things and I absolutely love it. You absolutely have to love what you do. Don’t ever chase money. That will follow if you’re passionate about it.

Although I got a contract with Lonely Planet I was still essentially freelance. I’m completely self-taught in photography and had to do the same with the business side of things. Without any guidance you have to be really self-motivated and willing to take risks. People always say ‘you’re so lucky’. I personally prefer to keep the word luck out of my life as it implies that things happen by chance and without your involvement. I prefer to see it that you’re dealt a hand in life, without comparing it to anyone else you make the best out of it and create your own opportunities. Things don’t just fall in your lap, you need to be out there being as proactive as you can. Oh, and always remember that failure is all part of the fun of it! Handle failure with a positive attitude and learn from your mistakes and you can do anything you want in life.

 



Do you travel a lot? How you pick your traveling destination?

I used to travel pretty much full time but slowed down over the past 3 years. I still got away 4-8 times a year but sometimes shorter trips. From March 2016 I’ll be back on the road again and exploring the world full time for a couple of years at least.

Your Instagram profile is full of amazing photos from Slovenia. Can you tell us a little bit about – how you came across Slovenia, when did you decide to visit and what places did you see?

I’m not sure how I decided on Slovenia exactly, it was a case of looking at a map and picking somewhere new. I also tend to check flight prices to European countries to see what’s good at the moment. Wiz Air do flights from London from £35 (return!). I didn’t know too much on what to expect with Slovenia and had only really seen photos from Lake Bled. That alone looked beautiful so I decided to do some more research on Slovenia. The rest is history!



Where did you find information about Slovenia? How did you decide what to see?

Lonely Planet of course 🙂 I then go for some visual inspiration and use platforms like Instagram, 500px, Google Images to look for things to see – if you like to travel then make sure you follow travel photographers as they’ll do all the research for you! I’ll then read blogs, travel forums, articles to get other information and piece it all together.

What was your favourite place in Slovenia? What would you say is ‘a must see’ place in Slovenia … especially if you are a photographer?

That’s a tough one to answer as I loved everything I saw! Ljubljana is an amazing city, great relaxed atmosphere and friendly people (and amazing food!). I fell in love with Lake Bled. It’s just postcard perfect! Bovec was amazing as well! The people were so friendly, the extreme sports, scenery (especially the view from the top of Mangart!) I need to go back to explore more!

Is there a place or thing that you would say – skip it? Why?

Predjama Castle was great to see for a flying visit. The tour was interesting enough but the tour of the caves underneath wasn’t that great. But it’s a minor really! It’s a truly stunning country!

 

 

Back to photography; What equipment do you use for taking photos?

Most of my work is taken on a Canon 6D. I have a range of lenses ranging from 16mm and all the way to 400mm. What I pack in my bag depends on the trip.

What does photography mean to you?

Everything! I constantly have to pinch myself that I’m able to travel the world and take photos, combining 2 of my 3 biggest passions (the 3rd being music!). We all share a beautiful world together. My aim is to try and inspire people to explore it as much as they can as well!

Can you describe us your photography style?

Colourful! I guess that comes from growing up in England where grey is what I’m used to! I also spend a lot of time perfecting the details of my images. It’s not something you’ll notice on Instagram but when my work is printed out you’ll notice the sharpness, textures and details that I bring out.

 

 


How did you end up on Instagram?

Ha! Believe it or not it was actually my mum who introduced me to Instagram. I didn’t listen to her for a while as your mum isn’t meant to know what’s cool is she?! Turns out she is quite cool and I should have listened to her from the start. I set up my account about 3 years ago but have only really been using it properly over the last 8 months.

Do you use any other social media channel? If yes – can you compare the experience with using Instagram?

I have a Facebook page  and Twitter account. Instagram however is my favourite. The community is much more engaged. It’s a visual platform only so you know what you’re getting in your feed and you can tailor to suit you. One post can be and amazing photographer from New York and the next you’re taken away to the top of a mountain in the Himalayas. Travelling the world at the flick of a screen!

How often do you publish photos on Instagram? Do you interact with other people on Instagram?

1-3 times a day. When I’m not posting I’m looking at other peoples work and trying to find new amazing photographers to follow. I interact as much as I can, especially with my own followers. There are loads of names that ‘like’ my posts that have been there from the very start which is amazing.

What would you say are the most important ‘rules’ that every Instagrammer must follow? Or – it would be good to follow?

Apart from the usual don’t post more than 3 times a day I’d say keep the camera facing forward and show the world how you see it! Stop trying to copy the people and be like a ‘celebrity’, your life is probably a lot more interesting than you think! Basically, don’t post selfies unless they’re funny!

 

To find more about Ed & his work – check his web page!

Krnsko jezero Lake

Krnsko jezero Lake is a glacial lake situated under Mount Krn (2244 m). It is the largest alpine lake in Slovenia & it lies at an altitude of 1391 metres. Krnsko jezero lake is 400 metres long, 150 metres wide and up to 17 metres deep.

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There are many paths going to the lake but we (as most of the visitors) choose the one from Dr. Klemen Jug House in Lepena. It took as a little more than 2 hours to get to the lake. The path is clearly marked, rocky trail that mostly leads through beautiful forest.

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The lake is surrounded by some really amazing mountains, Mount Krn being the king of them all. You can spend a night or two in the nearby mountain hut and take some trips to the mountains around. If you want to see the lake at its best and take the best photos, sleeping in the hut is a must since nothing beats the sunset and the magnificent reflection of the nearby summits in the water.

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During the day you can also make yourself a ‘history tour’, since the memory of the Isonzo Front is kept alive by the remains of fire trenches, caverns and wire fences that you can find all around.

If you are thinking about swimming in the lake – forget it! 🙂 Swimming in the lake is not permitted, as it could endanger its sensitive water ecosystem.

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The plural name of the Krnska jezera lakes refers to the Veliko (Krnsko) jezero lake, the Dupeljsko jezero lake and the smaller Jezero v Lužnici lake. You can find both nearby.
For more information about the place (accommodation & food) check this page.
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Snežnik Castle

Snežnik Castle is the best-preserved castle in Notranjska region. It was first mentioned in the year 1268, but the formation of the existing castle reaches back to 1462. The building itself is amazing.  White walls, red roof, stone bridge and a romantic pond with ducks beneath the castle … will simply take your breath away.

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The castle is built on a rock at the source of the Obrh and the Brezno Spring. The spring is dammed into a large pond below the castle. The beautiful surroundings have been arranged into a park with walking paths that make it easy to go all around the magnificent building and take some nice photos.

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Water makes magic! You can capture many reflections in the castle and sometimes you can get ‘the double view’; A castle in the water and one above it. This place is one of the few in Slovenia that we would recommend you to visit in late autumn, winter or early spring. Why? Because the trees will not obstruct your view.

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