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Above Lake Bled in a hot air balloon

September 8, 2016/1 Comment/in Blog /by sanya_lt

To be honest, I do not like anything that has to do with heights. I am not a fan of flying and bungee jumping is usually only a part of my nightmares. Nevertheless, when Domen from 3glav adventures invited me to try hot air ballooning over Lake Bled I couldn’t resist and even haven’t thought much about how high would we go and how would I feel up there. All I had on my mind was that flying over Lake Bled should mean amazing views. Lots of them!

Since hot air balloon can only move up and down and everything else depends on the winds, it took us 2 weeks to find a day that worked for all of us (meaning that I had time, 3glav adventures was available and weather conditions were perfect). However, it was well worth the trouble!

Mission number 1 was getting the balloon standing up. Since I could not help, I was searching for any option to take that ‘classic Instagram’ photo of a person walking inside the balloon. Forget it! Huge fans, ropes all around, hot air … it was simply too dangerous to get so close. This is all I got. 😀

Once the balloon was up everything went very fast. Suddenly there was Bled Island bellow us and I hardly managed to snap a few photos of it before we were already flying over the Bled Castle. Amazing! The perspective up there is sooooo different! I probably forgot to breathe in the first minutes of the flight since there was so much going on and there were so many amazing views.

At this stage, we were flying about 300 meters above ground and I had no time to panic. Changing phones in my hands ( I always carry around two phones), trying even to do some photos with the camera … I hardly noticed that things below us became really small. Well, we were already on 1.300 metres above Lake Bled. The views were spectacular! Once again, there was not much space and time for panic attacks.

Some ‘panic time’ was available when balloon was slowly descending but all I had to do was to look around and the beauty of what I saw had calmed me down. Just before landing I had an opportunity to take last few photos and that was it. The end.

This was one of the best (photo) experiences I had in my life and the best one since I’ve started to work on @igslovenia project. Not only I was able to see Lake Bled in a way I have never seen it before, I also had the chance to do it with a bunch of great people. No, I am not saying this because I’m a nice person or somebody asked me to. It is plain and simple truth. There are people and there are teams that just know their business and know what people want and need. Team 3glav adventures for sure is one of them and I can easily say: Whatever sport activity you are planning near Lake Bled – check 3glav adventures.

PS: All the photos were taken by Iphone6.

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How do you pick photos for Igslovenia?

August 25, 2016/in Blog /by sanya_lt

… or even better – why haven’t you picked & published my photo on @igslovenia profile?

Before I say anything; Your photo has to have a hashtag. It is #igslovenia. Simple as that. We don’t share any photos without your permission and on Instagram – hashtag gives us the permission needed.

When we see the hashtag we then and only then we check the photo:)

First of all; we are looking for quality photos. We know that quality in many cases comes down to personal taste, but we can all see – grainy, blurry photos, photos with to many filters and sometimes even photos that have nothing to do with Slovenia.

Yes, we are aware that most photos have met Photoshop, Snapseed or some other app and no, we don’t mind … as long as the photo looks OK and as long it looks OK on bigger screens. If you are not sure check, your photo on something bigger or try to post it on Facebook. If it looks bad … it is bad.

Your profile has to be set to ‘public’ so everybody can see your photos. If your profile is private … you probably have a reason for that:)

Second of all; we are looking for new places & photographers. Everybody knows Bled, Bohinj, Ljubljana and Piran, but not so many other places. That does not mean we will not feature a photo from Bled, it just means – it really has to be a good one:)

If we have featured you in the last few days we will not feature you tomorrow or the day after. We would really like to give a chance to as many photographers as possible. We can publish your amazing photo next week, right?:)

Since our profile is all about getting to know Slovenia don’t forget to mention the precise location of the photo in the comment. Or even better; Share as much information about the place as you can. In this way you will help our @igslovenia community to know everything there is to know. We don’t share photos without location.

If your photo has it all – it is beautiful, it has a hashtag, location and information and we still haven’t featured it – be patient. There are many photos waiting for a feature and sometimes we miss a photo or two. It happens when you have a lot of photos to check.

It also helps if we know you! And we know people who comment on our photos, we know people who help other Instagrammers with information, we know – our community. Be an active part of it and be sure – we will notice and share your work.

Any questions? 🙂

#hereforyou … @sanya_LT

Lake Cerknica

July 19, 2016/in Where to in Slovenia? /by sanya_lt

Lake Cerknica, the largest disappearing (intermittent) lake in Slovenia, is one of my favourite places in Slovenia to photograph. It might not have the charm of Ljubljana castle or the definitive beauty of Lake Bled, but it has something more. I would call it the ‘raw beauty’ or simple beauty of nature that is changing all the time! When full, Lake Cerknica is the biggest lake in Slovenia, when there is not a lot of water you will ‘only see’ fields on which cattle can graze. But not only water, everything changes here, paths, colours, trees, flowers … you just have to keep returning and discovering new point of views.

If you are looking for a short (photo) visit just park your car near the Museum of Lake Cerknica and walk down by the road. Most of the photos you can see here were taken from the road. To discover the real magic of the lake and its surroundings take your time! Check all the paths you can find, search for boats in the water, sinkholes, rent a bicycle (another thing that you can to on the spot, at the Museum). Don’t forget! The lake freezes in the winter and you will see many people ice-skating on the lake!

If you are into animal watchin & photography; In the area, 276 bird species have been observed – one half of all European species. Lake Cerknica is home to 45 mammal species – one half of all European species; 125 butterfly species can be spotted here – a little less than a third of all European species; 15 amphibian species spawn by the lake – nearly a quarter of all European amphibians… Biodiversity of the region is truly exceptional! (Info and more info by Lake Cerknica.)

Robanov Kot Valley

July 19, 2016/in Where to in Slovenia? /by sanya_lt

Robanov Kot Valley is a small, scenic Alpine Valley tucked under summits of Križevnik, Molička Peč, Veliki Vrh, Mala Ojstrica, Krofička and Strelovec. Like the nearby Logar Valley, Robanov Kot was also created by a glaciar during the last ice age. No valley is perfect without some creek or river, so also Robanov Kot needs one; Bela stream, a tributary of the Savinja River runs through the valley not far away from the few farmhouses. Robanov Kot Valley is perfect for hiking and climbing, but the amazing views give enough photo opportunities also for photographers.

If you combine your visit here with visiting also the Logar Valley and Rinka Waterfall, your day will be perfect.Try to avoid visiting in high season (July, August) since you can be here (almost) alone in other months. For taking photos; Early mornings are probably the best. If you are lucky, you will catch some morning mists and be able to observe sun rays slowly spreading throughout the valley.

Source of the Krupa River

July 11, 2016/in Where to in Slovenia? /by sanya_lt

The source of the Krupa River is the largest and one of the most beautiful Karst springs in Bela krajina. Water flows from under the 30 meters high rock wall and creates a nice pool in the middle of green lush nature. Not only the spring is interesting as the home of some rare species such as the Cave Salamander and some other but it also offers some nice photo opportunities.

The pool is actually not a pool:) It is an artificial lake since there is a dam just a few meters down the river, created to run the sawmill. The building is still there and it makes a nice addition to your photos.

You will find the spring of the river Krupa in the village Krupa. Leave your car on the marked parking spot and walk down to the river. It is a really shot walk (5 minutes) and since the area is not that big you can take your time:) When you finish discovering the spring be sure also to take the walk down by the river and enjoy the beautiful nature. The path is marked and it passes also some other interesting spots like caves and churches but – to do a full circle it will take you around 4 hours. So if you are looking for an idea what to do on one afternoon in Bela krajina this is quite a nice idea.

Have you been here already? Please, do share your experience with us and other people searching for ideas where to head with a camera (or phone:) in Slovenia.

By Sanja Leban Trojar, @sanya_lt

Logar Valley

July 4, 2016/in Where to in Slovenia? /by sanya_lt

The Logar Valley, in the heart of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, is one of the most beautiful Alpine glacial valleys in Europe and quite popular motive on photos tagged #igslovenia. 2.000 meter peaks in the back, green meadows & pastures in the front & crystal clear Savinja River make this place – magical.

You can visit Logar Valley in any season. In winter you will enjoy snowy fields, in summer lush green forests, in autumn and spring the colours of the nature will amaze you. You can simply enjoy the beautiful nature here or be active; The Valley offers hiking, cycling, horseback riding, cross-country skiing and many other great opportunities.

For photographers; be sure to stop at the beginning of the Valley and capture one of the most ‘typical’ Slovenian views: White mountains, green valley and a white road in the middle. The next ‘must see’ for you is Rinka Waterfall at the end of the Valley.

Rinka is the second highest waterfall in Slovenia! It plunges a total of 105 m from the small river above to the pool below, with a single drop of 90 m. Not only the waterfall is impressive, you will be able to snap some nice photos of the mountains here as well. The second (quite impressive) thing to see here is a coffee bar near the waterfall. It clings to a rocky crag just near the waterfall. The place is called the ‘Eagle’s Nest’.

Instameet in Koper was amazing!

July 4, 2016/in Blog /by sanya_lt

As you all know we had an Instameet in Koper, Slovenia on the 25th of June. The plan was simple: To meet Instagrammers in front of the beautiful Praetorian Palace and then go for a walk around the town. Our dear friend, local photographer, Jaka Ivančič, promised that he will show us everything there is to see and help us find the best views Koper has to offer. And we were not disappointed! Not at all.

First Instagrammers on Titov trg / Square.

First of all; more than 30 people showed up on that day. Most of them from Slovenia but we had also a big group of people from Russia. We always get some people from other countries so we can say; Igslovenia Instameets are international! And it is always great to meet new friends!

After a cold drink (We needed it. The day was just hoooooooooot!) we had the pleasure to enjoy the Praetorian Palace with a guide of our own. Thank you, TIC Koper & Nika!

Discovering the town was a special kind of fun; Jaka picked the best streets and told us everything there is to know about Koper (Did you know it was an island once? And that it had city walls bigger than Dubrovnik??) Also when 30 people with cameras are walking around the town, photographing everything there is and especially each other … fun is guarantied!

Old Town Koper.

Looking for the best view.

The views from the church tower were just perfect and well worth of 3XX steps (I’m quite sure the number is close to 400!?) that we had to take to get to the top. But Jaka saved the best for the last; Tomos building which is now empty & closed for public was just ours. This part of the Instameet was just for the bravest, but the ones who climbed to the roof were not sorry. Not only this is THE building to be to take best photos of Koper, there were tons of opportunities to photograph the building itself and feel its (probably not so happy but extremely interesting) history.

View from the church tower.

Looking down from the church tower.

View of Koper from the Tomos building.

At the top of the world.

Industrial touch

Only the brave ones.

We will not tell you anything more about how fun it was to spend also the evening in Koper, drinking beer and having fun with new friends. Next time – be sure to join us. #simple

Thank you all who helped & thank you all who came. Hope to see you soon again! ***

Sanja Leban Trojar, @sanya_LT

Instameet in Koper, Slovenia

June 17, 2016/in Blog /by sanya_lt

What? Instameet!

Where? Koper, Slovenia

When? 25. 6. 2016, 18:00.

Who? Team @igslovenia, @jaka_ivancic, @visitkoper & YOU!

Since summer is just around the corner and since we haven’t met for a while, we decided two things; We have to do an instameet and we have to do it on the Slovenian Coast. The plan is simple;

Team @visitkoper will welcome us at 18.00 in the beautiful Praetorian Palace (Pretorska palača)* in Koper, then @jaka_ivancic, our dear friend and an amazing local photographer, will show us around.

*check the location on the MAP.

We will be discovering Koper through the eyes of our cameras, trying to find just the best photo locations. Jaka promised he will show us some nice places, some of them you might already know and some of them are a secret to all of us. (We can only tell you that you can’t visit them if you are ‘just a tourist’ in Koper:-0)

We are planning to walk around and snap photos until the sun sets (just to get the best light) and then we will go to a local beer festival and focus on the ‘meeting’ part.

Who can come? Anybody! Instagramers, photographers, mobile photographers or people who would like to discover Koper, meet some Instagramers and have fun.

We kindly ask all of you who will join to let us know that you are coming so it will be a little easier for us to organize everything; Send us an e-mail to info@igslovenia.si (there are some bottles of really good beer (thanks to 4. Cameralov Festival Mikropivovarjev) waiting for those who will apply first)

Looking forward to meet you all!

PS; Since some of our guests aren’t drivers, please; when applying – let us know where you are coming from, if you have a car and if you can offer a ride to another Instagramer. Thanks!

*all photos by – Jaka Ivančič!

lukaesenko

April 21, 2016/in Instagrammers from Slovenia /by sanya_lt

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.

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.

laughtraveleat

April 16, 2016/in Instagrammers visiting Slovenia /by sanya_lt

~~Ljubljana, 16. 4. 2016 by Sanja Leban Trojar – @sanya_lt~~

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

Hello! My name is Nam (@laughtraveleat on Instagram) and I am a travel blogger / writer who lives in Hong Kong. I run my own blog: Laugh Travel Eat that documents my travel tips and adventures near or far. My day job is content marketing, and when I am not writing or working, you will find me stuffing my face with egg waffle and bubble tea or catching up on the latest DC TV series while online shopping.

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

I like to travel as much as I can, because there’s just so much to see in the world and it has become so easy to just hop on a plane and head to an exotic location nowadays. I generally look out for flight deals, though sometimes after reading a book or watching a movie, or even seeing a picture on Instagram and Pinterest will get a place on my radar that makes me really want to go.

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 visited Slovenia last August with my friends as a bit of a graduation trip. We actually wanted to visit Albania, but the flights were too expensive, so we headed for Pula, Croatia instead. Then my friend suggested that we go to Ljubljana and I thought, why not? So we spent two days there before taking a bus to Bled, where I stayed for 4 nights while my friends left on the second due to poor timing on my side. I had another week to go before I needed to be in Italy, so I traveled to Bohinj by myself.

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

I looked everywhere online for a bit, the official tourism page was a lot of help, and I got a lot of inspiration from the @Igslovenia Instagram as well! There aren’t a lot of blog posts out there on Slovenia, especially in the Bohinj region, but I had a lot of help from the staff in Castle 1004 Hostel in Bled in terms of transport etc.

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

The classic view point of Lake Bled – Ojstrica. It’s the postcard, picture perfect view of Lake Bled and a pleasant hike up. I only managed to go there on my last day in Bled because of the rain during my stay, and I was so glad that I got to visit there on a sunny day!

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

Well – Voje Waterfall! Although the hike there was pleasant with a gorgeous meadow, the waterfall itself is not as grand as it looks. As reaching this waterfall involve an extra 2-3 hours hike from the Mostnica Gorge, I would say skip it unless you have the time!

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

My trusty DLSM Panasonic DMC-GM1; I am not a photographic expert by any means, but a semi-automatic mirrorless it’s easy to use and take great photos!

What does photography mean to you?

Photography has become a way for me to record every moment in my life, especially when I am visiting a new place. A moment capture in the camera will forever be there, however, one can easily forget about some place or somewhere. There’s also something special about looking at the world through a different angle, which you wouldn’t normally if you are not holding a camera!

Can you describe us your photography style?

In all honesty, I am a point a shoot kind of girl, though if I see something I like, I will stop and try to find the best angle for it. I can’t say I have a particular style, other than taking tons and tons of photos.

How did you end up on Instagram?

I started my account on my mum’s phone about five years back, but didn’t really started using it until a year after. Eventually I began to post only the photos from my travel when I started my own blog last year. Instagram is an amazing community and resources that fuels my wanderlust like no other! Accounts like @Igslovenia is what keeps me around and hyped up about all the amazing places I have yet to see in the world!

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

Pinterest is the other social media channel that I use frequently. It’s similarity to Instagram ends on both of them being visual. While Instagram is like a photo sharing site, Pinterest is a noticeboard. You can find me on Facebook, also.

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

I publish a photo daily! And because I do genuinely enjoy Instagram, I go through my feed every moment I get and try to comment on every photo I find interesting. Being a frequent user myself, I know that every comment means a lot and it only takes a button and a few words to make someone’s day.

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

Try not to be fake. I know that there are lot of people who are trying to grow their accounts (business or otherwise), but the whole following – unfollowing technique is one of the most annoying thing I have ever come across. If you don’t like someone’s feed, don’t follow and expect a follow back then unfollowing them.