photography Archives - @igslovenia

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Piran

January 8, 2019/in Where to in Slovenia? /by sanya_lt

Picture perfect (or Pirano, in Italian) is a small & most popular town on Slovenian Coast. It sits nicely at the tip of Piran peninsula and it brings tons of photo opportunities for both professional and amateur photographers. Everything is pretty close so it’s ideal for a great photos using mobile only.

It’s landmark, the bell tower of the St. George’s Cathedral, is visible from many different angles. One of the best sights is from the path leading to the town from Fiesa Bay, especially at sunset (which we were not lucky to catch).

St. George’s Cathedral, taken with Huawei P20 Pro

Closer look at the tower is the best to get continuing from the same direction (Fiesa) or approaching it directly from the Tartini Square to the NE.

The bell tower from the east, taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

One of the best spots to look at Piran is exactly from the bell tower of the Church of St. George. Paying a few euros to get to the top is well worth since the tower offers unobstructed views all around. Just come prepared! There are lots of steps to climb:)

However, if you don’t feel climbing to the top of the tower the views from the walls in front of the church are good enough. If you find the church door open don’t miss this photo opportunity as well!

Inside the church, taken with Huawei P20 Pro, night mode.

The tip of the small peninsula can be reached directly from the church following the path along the fence. The small lighthouse of Punta, the historical ‘point’ of Piran, is attached to the round tower of the Church of St Clement.

Punta, taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

Walking along the coast past many bars and restaurants, a sight like that would be pretty common out of the season.

Fisherman. Taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

Between the coast and the church on the top is a labyrinth of the old narrow streets so typical for the Mediterranean towns.

Steep and narrow. Taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

Shops and bars everywhere but heavily reduced number offseason.

Don’t miss the main – Tartini Square. The place where Tartini Square is located today, was once a harbour for fishing boats of Piran. Today it is the city centre, a place everybody meets, eats out and – takes some of the best photos. I, for example, love the statue of violinist and composer Giuseppe Tartini in the middle of the square. He points his finger in a way you can make some nice (funny) photos using just this motive. For sure all the houses built in the Venetian – Gothic style make a great back (or fore)ground for any photo you will take.

Small piers from the both sides of the harbour offer the best view – the church above the square, reflected in the water. We prefer the pier on the east side, close to the Maritime Museum.

The View. Taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

Reflections. Taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

Standing in front of the square is the best view of the harbour itself.

The harbour of Piran. taken with Huawei P20 Pro.

The only problem you’ll face here (and generally in Piran) is – the crowds. Specially in July & August the town is just full of tourists so try to avoid peak season. If you are not lucky enough and it gets to busy anyway, climb the city walls. This place offers simply the most beautiful view of the whole town and it is amazing all year round. If you get hungry … there is a nice restaurant just behind the city walls. It offers great home food and the prices are (for Piran) very reasonable. If you are lucky enough the restaurant owner will share some interesting stories with you.

Text and photo by Sanja and Zoran Leban Trojar.

Most photos taken with Huawei P20 Pro courtesy of Huawei Slovenija.

Ptuj from the Drava River banks

November 14, 2018/in Where to in Slovenia? /by sanya_lt

There is something about Eastern Slovenia that makes me go back every time I can. It might have something to do with unbelievably kind people, really good food or ‘just’ stunning nature. At the end … it doesn’t really matter why am I coming back, the fact is … I am. And I do enjoy each and every time.

Also – there is one more important thing; Eastern Slovenia is not (yet) as popular & crowded as the Western Slovenia with lakes Bled and Bohinj, Piran, Postojna Cave and other touristy places is. I’m quite sure this will not last forever so I try to see & absorb as much of this part of my country as I can. I recommend you to do the same … and maybe … you can start with Ptuj.

Ptuj is one of the oldest cities in Slovenia and, for sure, one of the most beautiful. Any photographer knows red-tile roofs, white houses, bridges (there are 4 of them crossing Drava River) and river (here almost a lake) make a quite a nice photo-combination.

One of the best places to take photos of Ptuj is the right bank of the Drava River. You can leave your car on one of the parking near Terme Ptuj or Grand Hotel Primus and find your way to the river. It shouldn’t be difficult, since the river is just there. But, if you are not sure, just look for the castle and walk towards it.

Of course you can also start just across the city centre. The pedestrian bridge is an object for itself to be captured in a few different ways. It can be an additional element in the photo:

Taken with HuaweiP20Pro

the standing point to take a photo of the old town with the river:

Taken with HuaweiP20Pro

or the main object of the photo:

Taken with HuaweiP20Pro

which works in both directions. In the summer you can catch the sunset just in the line of the bridge.

Taken with HuaweiP20Pro

There are many great spots to take a capture of Ptuj along the right river bank between Terme and the second bridge. Sunrise can be very rewarding time to go for a photo walk.

Taken with HuaweiP20Pro

Some morning mist can make the whole scene very mystical.

Taken with HuaweiP20Pro

When you’re done, you can – (1) walk up to the castle

Taken with HuaweiP20Pro

sunset over the rooftops can be amazing

Taken with HuaweiP20Pro

(2) get lost in the streets of the old town

Taken with HuaweiP20Pro

or (3) just sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee or a nice meal.

If you’d decide to take a nice meal … there is a great restaurant garden by the river just at the pedestrians bridge. Unfortunately we can not recommend the food at the Ribič restaurant anymore since the ownership chamged hands a while ago.

For Igslovenia, @sanya_lt.

PS: Since sharing is caring … be sure to leave your experiences with Ptuj in the comment section. Let us know where to go and what to see & where to go to take best photos. Thank you!

Dragon Bridge

July 18, 2018/in Blog, Uncategorized, Where to in Slovenia? /by zokus_gf

The statues of the four dragons on the each corner of the Dragon Bridge are probably the most famous and recognizable images of the city. They are masterpiece by themselves and everybody rush to take photos with them. This photo point is therefore not difficult to find but we would like to turn your attention to some additional details beside taking selfies with this somewhat terrifying pieces of art.

First of all it is not so easy to take a good photo of the beasts since they are positioned against the sky and backlighted. But they are on the opposite sides of the bridge so it is easy to find out which side suits you better. All photos in this post were taken early in the morning when light is better on that side of the bridge which is just across the road of the food market.

This is also the only corner where one can safely climb the low concrete wall next to the bridge and face the beast eye to eye and also gets the perspective of the bridge and the road – when it is empty it nicely add to the composition.

The bridge itself is a unique creation, an extraordinary piece of technical heritage and a superb example of Art Nouveau architecture. It was constructed between 1900 and 1901 and it was Ljubljana’s first reinforced concrete structure. The parapet lamps used to be powered by gas.

The views from the bridge are packed with the most important architectural heritage of Ljubljana: the Ljubljana Castle on the Castle Hill, the Cathedral and arcades of the Plečnik’s Open Market are extremely photogenic and offers many different angles with and without the dragons.

Reaching this point of Ljubljana from the Triple Bridge one probably passes also the point just before the Butcher’s Bridge on the photo bellow. BTW, did you know that the Dragon Bridge replaced the original wooden Butcher’s Bridge?

Arcades of the Open Market are also very photogenic but as a rule much more facing east. This is valid from the both parts of arcades, the one just around the corner of the Triple Bridge and the second one which begins at the Butcher’s Bridge and ends close to least photogenic dragon.

We recommend to make a short walk along the left bank downstream from the Dragon Bridge to reach another small bridge. The river view is very beautiful from there – in all seasons but summer. Still a sunset or sunrise time can provide for a nice photo.

This part of the left bank ends with the Tovarna Rog (Rog Factory) which is an autonomous social and cultural centre set on the premises of a former bicycle factory. “Consensually” occupied in 2006, this vast location of 7,000 square-metres in “downtown” Ljubljana currently facilitates a rich programme of social and cultural activities and programmes. The presence of the centre is visible in the neighbourhood.

The part of the city between the river and Trubarjeva street is famous by itself but some additional sights are available from this walk.

Text and photos Zoran Leban Trojar.

All photos taken with Huawei P20 Pro

About the legend of Ljubljana Dragon.

Sources:

Visit Ljubljana

500.000 x #igslovenia

March 11, 2018/in Blog /by zokus_gf

500.000. Pol milijona. V petih letih in pol je to skoraj 2.000 na teden. A povprečja lažejo. Na začetku jih je bilo veliko manj. Torej jih mora biti zdaj na teden veliko več. Ne štejeva. A tu in tam se spodobi, da jih preštejeva, da sva vesela in da to tudi naglas poveva.

500.000 fotografij so uporabniki Instagrama označili z #igslovenia. Tujci, Slovenci. Na začetku, pred petimi leti in pol, ni bilo nobene. Sanja si je izmislila to značko, ker na profilu nisva želela deliti fotografij, za katere ne bi imela izrecnega dovoljenja za delitev. Na Instagramu se nekako smatra, da uporaba določene značke, ki ni generična, kot je npr. #slovenia, pomeni tudi dovoljenje za ponovno objavo. Hkrati je tudi dodaten prepoznavni znak profila, če obstaja ta povezava. #slovenia, torej najbolj generična značka, ima 2.240.000 fotografij. #slovenija 318.000. #ig_slovenia, ki je verjetno nastala kot napaka, se je kar dobro prijela s 34.000 fotografijami. #ifeelslovenia, uradna značka z vso promocijsko mašinerijo, ki stoji za njo, jih ima 210.000. #itsculturetime, ki ga promovira v svojem profilu, 61. Ni napaka. Je pa dokaz, da ni preprosto spromovirati nove značke. Na Instameetih v Sloveniji in na Hrvaškem, kjer vedno uporabljamo posebno značko za vsak dogodek, jih redko dobimo več kot 100.

Podoba ob drugi obletnici profila danes deluje skoraj patetično. Prvi intervju z nama je 23.9. 2014 naredil Simon Šketa – takrat še ni kuhal – na sketa.si. Takole je povzel: “Več kot 50.000 fotografij Slovenije, več kot 8.000 sledilcev, polovica iz tujine. Nove fotke prihajajo vsak dan, Slovenijo v najlepši podobi na Instagramu pa vse bolj občudujejo tujci.”

Več kot očitno nama je uspelo, tudi 70.000 sledilcev, ki jih je @igslovenia dosegla nekako v istem tednu, to dokazuje. Decembra 2014 je imel Instagram 300 milijonov uporabnikov, danes jih ima 900 milijonov. V tem času je število sledilcev @gslovenia zraslo za skoraj 9x! Še vedno je več kot polovica sledilcev iz tujine. Najboljše objave imajo več kot 50.000 dosega in več kot 70.000 prikazov.

Popularnost Slovenije kot turistične destinacije je v zadnjih letih skokovito naraščala. V istem obdobju je naraščala popularnost družbenih medijev, predvsem Instagrama, in njihova/njegova vloga v promociji destinacij. To je bil najin skromen prispevek k promociji Slovenije (in Instagrama v Sloveniji) – 500.000 x #igslovenia.

Zoran Leban Trojar @zokus_gf

Sanja Leban Trojar @sanya_lt

Ljubljana Castle

April 5, 2017/in Where to in Slovenia? /by sanya_lt

I’ll be honest: Ljubljana Castle is my favourite photo-spot in Ljubljana. Perched on top of a hill, just above the old town, it offers amazing views on the whole city and surrounding area, all the way to Kamnik-Savinja & Julian Alps. Wherever you look, whatever you do … there is something to see & photograph; the castle itself, architecture details, people (getting married), couples in love, rich cultural program, view on the city, mountains in the distance … It really doesn’t matter what are you looking for … you will find it!

There are many trails leading to the top of the castle and every one of them offers different photo opportunities. Ok, the easiest way to get up there is to take the funicular (located near the central market, on the Krekov trg), but taking photos from the funicular is no fun (due to the ‘dirty’ windows you will never get the photo you are looking for).

So – walk! My favourite time to visit the castle is spring, when colour green takes over the castle forests. Walking up there between lush green trees opens ‘windows’ in the trees allowing you to take picture perfect photos.

I also love the views from the castle in the winter, when you can see almost all city. I prefer view toward Trnovo district (south-west of the city), where you can take best sunset photos. Don’t forget; You will never be alone at the Castle Hill in the sunset time, so if you are looking for a really nice place and photo – be there before sunset!

Also – don’t forget to visit the Castle Tower! It offers unobstructed (360) view of the city so – it’s a must! The views of the city from here are the best and you can capture details of the rooftops & Ljubljana’s notable bridges, squares and buildings.

If you get hungry or thirsty… there are 2 restaurants (that I really, really like), Strelec & Gostilna na Gradu and a Castle Coffe House, so … just sit down and enjoy. If you need more ideas about perfect photo spots don’t forget to check out an amazing SNAPP guide to photographing Ljubljana by dear friend, Luka Esenko.

So … when in Ljubljana … Castle is a must. Also – let me know you are around. I’ll just might join you.

Sanja

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Mommy, mommy, we are on TV!

March 17, 2017/in Blog, Events, Experiences, Tips for success /by sanya_lt

Jokes aside … it does not happen very often that we end up on television explaining who we are and what we do. Up until now Igslovenia mostly appeared online or in magazines that are specialized in digital marketing.

Since it is always nice to know who is ‘at the other side’ of the computer screen we decided to share a few articles and presentations about us. They are, sorry, all in Slovene. Hopefully, one day … we can do an interview in English:))

The first interview: SKETA.SI > ‘Kokoška’ na Instagramu (Chicken on Instagram:)

About Instagram in Slovenia; Radio Val 202 (10.6. 2015) > Instagrama v Sloveniji še ne jemljemo resno.

Fotkast na mreži podkastov Marsovci (5.1. 2016)> Slovenija na Instagramu

Podcast 091 Metina lista (18.6. 2016) > Metina lista

About Instameet in Koper (24.6. 2016) > Instagramerji bodo obiskali Koper

A short video clip that was shown on TV, so my mum finally knows what we do;) – Svet na Kanalu A (12.7. 2016) >> Igslovenia. Who are we & what do we do?

Holiday entertainment on the online portal of national TV station Praznični koledar MMC RTV (8.12. 2016)

Local news coverage of photographers who made into top 10 2016 (12.1. 2017) Koprski fotograf med top 10,

18.1. 2017 Ajdovski in koprski fotograf med naj instagramerji

Interview in a national daily Dnevnik (3.2. 2017) Ljudje se zaljubijo v fotografijo na Instagramu

Since we are on Instagram almost from it’s beginnings we also have some exoeriences to share – we did a few seminars and workshops and were invited to lecture or participate at roundtables on the topic:

Seminar : Instagram in tourism marketing, 6.10. 2016 with Marketing magazin

Workshop: Instagram od A do … 22.12. 2016

Workshop: Instagram in Marketing, SEMPL 18, November 2016

Workshop: ABC Instagrama, Njami Food bloggers conference, November 2016

Seminar: Instagram in Marketing, 30.3. 2017 with Marketing Magazin

Top 10 instagrammers from Slovenia 2016

December 20, 2016/in Blog, Team /by sanya_lt

It has been an amazing year for Igslovenia. We have organized 3 Instameets and some very successful workshops (next one >> 22. 12. 2016!) beside having published almost 450 photos from 285 photographers. At the end of the year, is time for recap – who are the best photographers of 2016 on @igslovenia?

Let us explain the criteria first; We have been looking for best instagrammers from Slovenia. They were the most featured photographers on our page in the past year, so they are (mainly) landscape photographers sharing photos of Slovenia and tagging #igslovenia. Their photos are of supreme quality, they are always searching for new locations and sharing lots of information about specific places. We also highly appreciated their interaction with followers. All of them have been featured on Igslovenia profile at least 5 times in 2016.

So, here they are, top 10 instagramers from Slovenia 2016 (in alphabetical order).

Ana Pogačar >> @anapogacar

Borut Trdina >> @boruttrdina

Aleš Krivec >> @dreamypixels

Iztok Medja >> @iztok_medja

Jaka Ivančič >> @jaka_ivancic

Jan Čermelj >> @jancermelj

Luka Esenko >> @lukaesenko

Luka Kotnik >> @lukakotnikphoto

Peter Zajfrid >> @peterzajfridphoto

Simon Primožič >> @simonprimozic

PS: All photos used here were published by top 10 instagrammers – on Instagram. To see the originals in high quality check their webpages & follow them on Instagram.

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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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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.

Posts

Piran

Ptuj from the Drava River banks

Dragon Bridge

500.000 x #igslovenia

Ljubljana Castle

Mommy, mommy, we are on TV!

Top 10 instagrammers from Slovenia 2016

Above Lake Bled in a hot air balloon

Lake Cerknica

Robanov Kot Valley

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