Could life under quarantine be colorful and joyful, instead of boring and monotonous? The answer is “yes” and this has been proven by Ivelina Cholakova’s new photographic project. Smiling families look out of windows and balconies in unconventional meetings from a distance, showing that when we are close to the people we love, things are not so scary.
"The idea actually belongs to photographer Adas from Lithuania. He used a drone to shoot portraits of people quarantined in his town of Vilnius. Some of the photos were staged as some people were dressed as they were getting ready for the beach and others pretended to be riding bicycles on the balcony,” Ivelina Cholakova says. “I liked the idea very much and I wanted in this way to preserve the memory of this period of time when Bulgaria was under quarantine. I asked friends and people I know in Sofia to participate and I used long-range lenses so I could take photos of families from the opposite sidewalk, while they are standing on the balcony, or in the yard of the house they live in."
So many of her friends and clients responded, that she did not manage to reach everyone who wanted to participate in the project. But she hopes to have the opportunity to continue shooting while this difficult for everyone experience lasts. What families did she see through the lenses?
"I saw them happy and united together; they were all positive and smiling and seemed calm to me, and I sincerely hope so, because when people are together, they can overcome such crises easily," Ivelina says, adding that she was most impressed by the mutual joy of these meetings. “I had not seen these people for a long time, so the emotion for both sides was huge. Sitting at home, we don't have any social contacts outside the Internet and seeing someone live and share a few words with them is a real pleasure.”
The photo session also includes random neighbors and the happiest people in the photos are children – hugging their pets, or showing colorful drawings and messages like "Stay at home", "Be calm" and more.
"I would urge people in isolation to stay at home so that we can get through all this faster so it remains in the past," Ivelina Cholakova says. "Someday we will be looking back and hopefully telling stories about this experience with a smile."
English: Alexander Markov
Photos: Ivelina CholakovaThe program of the Orthodox Book Week offers meetings with authors, publishers and translators of Orthodox books from the last few years. The event is held until November 10 at the ''St. Procopius of Varna'' Church, with meetings taking place every..
The "Kabiyuk" horse breeding farm in the village of Konyovets is the oldest stud farm in Bulgaria, founded in 1864 by Midhat Pasha, the governor of the vilayet of Ruse, to produce horses for the Turkish army. The farm existed until the Russo-Turkish War..
There is no exact statistic on the number of Bulgarians living abroad, but a report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from last year indicates that around 2.8 million Bulgarians are living outside the country . According to the 2021 population census..
The town of Elena, Veliko Tarnovo region, will welcome thousands of guests for the Feast of the Elena pork leg meat delicacy . Balkan masters will..
The tallest Ferris wheel in Bulgaria will rise above Pleven , announced regional governor Nikolay Abrashev. It will be built in a multifunctional complex..
The international wine festival "Bolgrad Wine Fest" is opening today in the unofficial capital of ethnic Bulgarians in Ukraine - Bolgrad. The two-day..
+359 2 9336 661