
ABOUT
Nikolay Bratovanov
For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by the idea of expressing oneself through art – no matter of its exact form. I found my own way of sharing thoughts, feelings and emotions in the spring of 2004, when I had the chance to possess my first digital camera. This, without a doubt, was one of the driving forces that sparked my interest in photography and pushed the boundaries of my creativity. The opportunity to capture unique moments and events in time, the combination of art and technology, the chance to explore exciting places and meet inspiring people are only part of the reasons that make photography my favorite and most beloved activity.
I’m especially keen on shooting alternative locations and objects – casual, abandoned, often unattractive, which, despite their insignificant essence at a glance, can have a strong impact on the observer thanks to their specific atmosphere associated with the spirit of past events and times. My favorite genres in this regard are street and urbex photography, with their challenging and contemplative character. More traditional stuff like landscape and nature photography also take a considerable part of my portfolio, considering my affinity for traveling and hiking. Last but not least, sticking to my natural strive for variety, at some point I decided to introduce myself to the field of portrait photography as well. Another key period in my career as an enthusiast photographer took place in the winter of 2017 when I decided to dive into the world of film. Motivated by the distinctive look of the analog image, the limited number of frames available, as well as the time-consuming and skill-demanding nature of film photography, the rediscovery of this classic method had (and still has) a huge positive effect on my inspiration and my attitude towards the shooting process in general.
In addition to photography, my other passion is music! Introduced to its realm at a relatively young age (participation in a vocal group; taking piano lessons), I feel rather fortunate not only for being able to preserve my interest in music throughout the years, but also for enhancing it via the exploration of new instruments (acoustic/electric/bass guitar) and processes (recording, mixing, post-producing, etc.). In this regard, I’d like to express my gratitude to all the people who have helped me with establishing the fundamentals in music, which in turn still makes it possible for me to draw inspiration from this eternal universe of styles, harmonies and rhythms!
My general ambition as a photographer, music enthusiast and not only is to stray away from the commonplaceness and banality, not allowing my creative decisions to be dictated by the mainstream likings and demands, thus be able to genuinely express my own understanding of the world – exactly the way I see and feel it! I strongly believe that such philosophy must be adopted by any true artist, no matter what’s the exact nature of their creative work!
