Slovenia, a european photography gem [travelphotography guide]

markrmogensen (31)in #photography • 7 years ago (edited)

What you will read and see in this blog

In this picture blog I'll write a bit about my first visit to Slovenia and a bit about what this country offers for photographers and tourists. I'll also share some photographs of different locations I've visited in Slovenia as well as tips for a more pleasant visit.

Feel free to share this post with friends, family or fellow photographers who want to visit Slovenia.

Disclaimer: The images in this post is copyrighted. If you wish to use one of the images please contact me through Steemit or on email: [email protected] - Thanks :)

So with all that out of the way, lets begin the journey :)

Recent Slovenian history

Slovenia is a small South-Eastern European country. It is located between several other European countries. Austria to the north, Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and Hungary to the northeast.

Slovenia became independant of Yugoslavia in 1991 where it also introduced multi-party representative democracy. In 2004 the country joined NATO and the European Union and in 2007 became the first formerly communist country to join the Eurozone. Finally in 2010 it joined OECD, a global association of high-income developed countries.

As you can see Slovenia has been in the fast lane to become a high-income developed country, and in my opinion has succeded this goal.

So is this country worth a visit as a photographer and as a tourist? :)

The camp

I stayed at Camping Sobec which is a short drive from Lake Bled. The first morning I woke up early to discover the landscapes in the area.

I was quite lucky with the conditions and got some beautiful morning fog.

Vintgar Gorge

First stop was Vintgar Gorge which is a 1.6 kilometer (1 mile) gorge about 4 kilometers northwest of Bled. It has been carved by the Radovna River and is a continuation of the Radovna Valley. Vintgar Gorge is quite tourist friendly as there are boardwalks all the way and parking for just 5 euros.

The river flows through the gorge and visitors can enjoy the view from the boardwalks

Lots of beautiful pools and rapids during the walk.

Note that setting up a tripod is pretty much impossible during high tourist season (summertime June, July, August)

The gorge ends with a beautiful river fall called Šum Falls which is also quite photogenic.

Šum Falls during summer time. I recommend visiting this location during spring or fall as the riverfall has much more water

Waterfall Savica

After visiting Vintgar Gorge I drove to Slap Savica which is a waterfall near Bohinj Lake and the town called Ukanc. It was quite easy to get to however you do need to walk a few kilometers up a trail.

It is possible to setup a tripod here even in the tourist high season as I did on this picture

The Road to Mangart

Next location is the mountain called Mangart. It is located in the northern part of the Triglav National Park just on the border to Italy. One of the coolest things is the possibility to drive to "Mangartsko Sedlo" by car (Google it) which is marked as a viewpoint. There are parking spots and walking paths in the area. Note that the road is very steep and may be closed in bad weather conditions. The road is also closed in the winter time.

On my way to Mangart I took a route that let me into Italy. I did this to visit Lago Inferiore di Fusine which is a beautiful mountain lake with Mangart in the background.

Lago Inferiore di Fusine is one of the the lakes near the buttom of the mountain range. Probably one of my personal favorites because of the colors and the composition

If you are an Instagramer I'd recommend renting a boat and doing the cliche shot from the boat. It's a cliche shot but it works ;)

If you have more time I would recommend driving to Lago Superiore di Fusine which is just a few more kilometers up the same road. This lake have a better view but it will take a bit more time out of your day :)

After leaving Lago Inferiore di Fusine I drove into Slovenia again. Just after crossing the border I ate lunch at a parking spot with a beautiful view with Fort Predil and Mangart in the background. This made for some fantastic black and white photography :)

My sister is enjoying the break in the sun with the fantastic view in the background

Focusing in on the composition I imagined for my black and white poster. Fort Predil and Mangart - some Ansel Adams inspired B&W conversion :)

After the lunch break I drove the final way to Mangartsko Sedlo. Here you can see Lago Superiore and Inferiore di Fusine in the distance.

And of cause the main attration itself, Mangart.

Mangart - A6000 - f/10 - 1/320 sec (very windy day) - ISO 250 - 24mm (35mm equivalent)

As a photographer I personally can't wait to print this last image on a large canvas and hang it on my wall. I think it is important to print your art instead of just viewing it on a screen.

Sorica viewpoint - The Slovenian Shire

I wanted to include this small gem of a viewpoint. It looks like the slovenian version of the Shire from Lord of the Rings :)

Astrophotography near Camping Sobec

I wanted to test out the A6000 with the 16-50mm kit lens for astrophotography. Since it was a very clear night with tons of visible stars I wanted to test out the camera :)

Milkyway on a clear summer night - Sony A6000 - f/3.5 - 25 sec - ISO 5000 - 24mm (35mm equivalent)

An early morning at Lake Bled

Next stop on the trip was Lake Bled. Photographers know this location by the small island with the prominent church in the middle of the lake. It has become a bit of a photographic icon. I went here at about 04.30 in the morning about 1 hour before sunset.

Morning Blue Hour at Lake Bled - Sony A6000 - f/8 - 13 sec - ISO 100 - 24 mm (35mm-equivalent)

You can walk around the lake shore in about 45 mins and there are several beautiful viewpoints along the way. This photo was taken while standing on the boardwalk in the western part of the lake. You can drive to Camping Bled and walk towards the southern part of the lake. In the summer season the sun will rise just behind the mountain range in the background.

If you plan to drive to Lake Bled you should arm yourself with a bit of patience. This location is very popular and flooded with tourists (mostly during the summer season).

Lake Bled Morning Reflection - Sony A6000 - f3.5 - 2.5sec - ISO 100 - 24mm (35mm-equivalent)

After the sun had risen I looked for a better view over the lake. There are signs for viewpoints called Ojstrica and Mala Osojnica. These paths and walks are very steep and require good endurance.

I stopped at a point where I capture this beautiful image of Lake Bled with the island and an air baloon just in the golden hour.

Lake Bled Golden Hour

Ljubljana - The capital of Slovenia

A day in Ljubljana is sufficient to walk around the city and see the city centre. I recommend that you find a parking lot outside the centre if you drive by car. I recommend walking around in the city centre. Small tip: Skip the boat tours as you can't see much from the river and it's not really the best use of your time.

The Franciscan Church in Ljubljana

There are lots of colorful buildings in the city centre

The famous dragon bridge in Ljubljana has dragons on each side

Postojna Caves - The biggest cave system in the world

The Postojna Caves are a system of caves in Slovenia. You drive into the caves in small trains. It is a fantastic experience and I recommend that you visit. Be aware that you do not have a lot of time to photograph the caves because many groups of visitors walk after each other. I did not have time to set up a tripod, so I recommend bringing a lens with atleast f2.8 and a camera with good ISO-performance.

Lots of beautiful rock formations. Notice the people to the right as a scale

Piran - The Slovenian Venice

The city of Piran is a beautiful gem in Slovenia. Walking around the street gives you a vibe of Venice (except there are way less people). Piran is a fantastic city and I recommend visiting it.

The small harbour houses small boats ready to sail into the Adriatic Sea

Colorful sunset over the outskirts of Piran

Thanks for viewing my travel blog about Slovenia. Please upvote and share if you enjoyed my first post on Steemit :)

There are more spots in Slovenia that I didn't have time to visit. Lots of waterfalls, caves, mountains and trekking paths. I will definitely visit again in the future.