F.A.Q.

It's all about seeing and finding an inspiration in what our eyes see. The way we see the world, the mechanism/s of memorizing what we actually see. We’ll analyze our natural human abilities to see and memorize, and when they reach their limit we’ll ask Photography to step in.

Most of the time we will train you to see rather than relying on the camera to do it for you. We'll go through the "rule of thirds" and will train your eyes and mind in finding the best composition for the shot. There will be moments when we will use a simple cardboard piece with a crosshair in it - the same as the old painters have been using for centuries, and is still used by todays artists. You’ll learn to produce a photograph that the viewer’s eye feels comfortable with.
As your instructors and mentors we will share our experience and, let’s call it - our “secrets”. We’ll talk lenses and how they can extend your sight and to completely change the final picture. We'll fight boring subjects and will learn how to turn them in photo models. You'll learn to tell stories with your camera. Our aim is to teach you to think like a true photographer.
Then comes the camera and all the technical knowledge you need in order to produce great photographs.

Think about this course as a photographers residency - there is no working hours defined, as long as you have enough fuel you are free to shoot, ask questions or discuss ideas - we are there for you.
Be prepared to spend a great time exploring Ahtopol and its atmosphere, seeing things, discovering great subjects and being constantly inspired. We believe the key to that great photo is hidden in practicing. And you'll shoot a lot during the day. Then, in the evenings we all will discuss each one's photographs, so expect criticism from both the instructors and your classmates.

For the event details and program length, please see CONDITIONS, REGISTRATION AND COST section of this website.

You can, of course, stay longer as a regular tourist, and it's up to you to arrange your stay either at the Kaylas hotel or another place around. We will be happy to have you as already experienced guest at the next course.


COURSE DATES:

JULY
June 30- July 6 - INTENSIVE (departure on 7th)
July 7-13 - INTENSIVE (departure on 14th)
July 14-20 - INTENSIVE (departure on 21st)
July 21-31 - RESERVED FOR THE 10 DAYS PROGRAM (departure on 1st of August)

AUGUST*
*If you want to register for August dates, please email us in advance as probably our partners from Kaylas hotel will not be available during that period and we'll need to change the hotel. 
August 1-7 - INTENSIVE (departure on 8th)
August 7-14 - INTENSIVE (departure on 15th)
August 15-21 - INTENSIVE (departure on 22nd)
August 22-31 - RESERVED FOR THE 10 DAYS PROGRAM (departure on 1st of September)

Please note - registration should be made no later than 10 calendar days before the date chosen but if, for any reason you need to cancel the registration please see the Cancellation and returns section in this F.A.Q.

This course is not intended for professionals although they could be of a great use for the everyone else attending the course.Going more practical - imagine you enter a random caffe and that same moment you fell in love with it immediately. You take a photo with your phone or camera so you can share it with your friends, but later when reviewing the photographs you took you don't see the same caffe. The pictures lack that feeling that took your heart some hours earlier.Or even bitter scenario - in that same cafe you see the most beautiful girl/boy in the world sitting just few tables away. You manage to take a spy photo of her only to find out that on your photo she/he is just a silhouette on the strong light coming from the outside. Will you remember her/his face? Was there something you could've done to improve your shots before pressing the shutter? If you only knew... The list with similar scenarios is endless. And here comes the good part - if you haven't experienced these situations you don't have to, instead learn to avoid them. read further to find out how we can help you.Photography does not keep it’s secrets, but each photographer have their own approach/es to the good shot and they may call it a "secret". During the course we’ll try to make the camera your friend so you’ll be able to ask it for a help in any situation when you need it, without hiding anything from you – like real friends do.Starting with the first four fundamental elements, we recommend his course to you, if you:

1. - feel that you have countless of stories to tell, but you can't become closer with your camera or smartphone;
   
2. - own a camera with interchangeable lens, but you don't know how to control it and how to take full advantage of it's features and capabilities;
   
3. - own a quite advanced smartphone, capable of taking great photos, but you are not satisfied with the images that you take with it;
4. - when shooting you actually keep your camera or smartphone set on Automatic mode;
5. - when looking at your pictures you see there is plenty of room for improvement but you don't know how and where to start from;
6. - snap dozens of photos of a single object or scene only to chose a few that you actually need;

- count every shutter click as precious;
- have that special attitude to your photos and never call taking a photo “clicking” or "snapping";
- prefer to use the photograph’s narrative instead of you verbally describing what you've seen;
- constantly "shoot" with your eyes and you feel the need of being able to keep and share the visuals stored in your head;
- are not ashamed to leave your photos to speak for themselves and revealing your inner feelings to the public;
- feel better when understanding your subject or model through their eyes without even asking them a single word;
- don't leave your camera at home when going out or visiting new places;
- use your smartphone primarily for taking photos and would like to take full advantage of it's abilities;

With this course we don’t want to make you buy a camera, lenses or any other (kind of) equipment. Together we will go through all the phases that flow during the image making process.

YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT THE LIGHT AND COLOR and how to play with them in order to get the image desired. You will learn about LIGHT and COLOR MODIFIERS AND ACCESSORIES, how to make your own and to use them effectively, no matter at home, while on the road or in the studio.

YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT BASIC MAKE UP tools and how to use Make up to compensate lights and darks in your image or completely change ones face before pressing the shutter.

YOU WILL LEARN HOW TO FULLY CONTROL your smartphone camera and to get most out of it.

YOU WILL LEARN TO STUDY your own and your model's face so you'll know how to shoot a great self portrait and portrait.

YOU WILL LEARN NATURALLY, while enjoying every moment, understanding your camera features without even reading the manual. No more messing with “dry” terms and parameters. We’ll help you forget about the camera’s auto mode and start using all its manual controls and features so you can enjoy a real fruitful friendship with it. You’ll learn to live this friendship in harmony.

YOU WILL LEARN AND TRAIN TO TAKE CREATIVE DECISIONS BY YOURSELF instead of relying on the camera to do this for you.

IF YOU ARE CONFIDENT ENOUGH we will help you create and work on your own photography project. We will be your photo assistants helping you to direct the shooting process simultaneously while learning and training in the same time.

On top on this you will enjoy the unique company of a true and established artist – Mr. Dobromir Ivan (doctor of Art education) will be there to help you find an inspiration and to prove that there are no boundaries in creativity – he will talk History of photography, emphasizing on the most prominent photographers, models and the emblematic pictures thy have created; we will discuss why these images are priceless and what is the magic behind them. Then we’ll go shooting in the real life striving to create that memorable photograph.

At the end of the course we'll help you SELECT YOUR BEST PHOTO to be EXHIBITED in a group show and PUBLISHED in a catalog, read more about this in a The Exhibition and the catalog section in this F.A.Q.

Depending of the course date chosen, you will have the opportunity to meet and merge with visiting artists and art students working in the summer creative base of the National Art Academy in Ahtopol.

You will explore and enjoy the local culture, meals and drinks.

Last, but not least - ENJOY a GREAT VACATION in the company of like minded people. 
While making new friends you will start thinking like a true photographer!

This course is for those who can create an image with the tools they already own. 
It’s enough for you to imagine and describe the image – the rest is a matter of equipment, which you can rent, buy or borrow from a friend when you need it trough your photography experience or carrier. But before – you have to have the image in your head and this is where we put the main focus. Go through this F.A.Q. to make it clear if this course is for you.

Bring with you:
- a DSLR camera (we'd love to use film cameras, but unfortunately at that point we are unable to organize a fully functional dark room to develop the exposed films and to print from the negatives);
- if you own more that one lens - bring them all, they will be of a good use;
- if you own any type of filters for your lens - bring them all, we will, of course, talk and show you different filters and how to use them, but we won’t be able to provide each of you with a filter, neither a camera nor a lens;
- laptop, although not an 100% obligatory. We will review all the photos through a projection, you'll still benefit your own laptop for the moments of private conversations when discussing your work with the mentor/s, or for the digital editing workshop;

Bring also:
- your strong will to broaden your sight even wider;
- your ability to describe verbally what you see, if you’re able to do that then it’s much easier to take the right shot;
- we will talk light – natural and artificial, so if you’ve got your own reflector or flash (different than the build-in in your camera) bring it, you’ll be able to use and experiment with it;

"Plein air" comes from French and it means working open air - En plein air (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ plɛn ɛːʁ]), is a phrase borrowed from the French equivalent meaning "open (in full) air".

Think about the course/s as a photography residency, you will be shooting in different conditions - inside and outside, mornings, evenings, even nights. Working "en plein air" puts the photographer in situations where he/she has to change his/her thinking according the subject or the scene, shooting this way will make you more observant and flexible, your perception more open and precise, you will learn to find inspiration in the most ordinary scene or object. Shooting en plein air - this is where you will learn a lot.
At the end we will select your best shots and will compare them with your very first you took the first day of the course. As we already said it - you'll be surprised that imperceptibly you started creating your own visual philosophy and you already see the world differently. You are now thinking like a photographer.

This is something unique we have to offer you. Every day will finish with a lecture on various photography topics mainly History of photography. emphasizing on the history, technical growing, greatest photographers and models and interesting moments from the experience of the teacher himself - Mr Dobromir Ivan, an established contemporary artist and Doctor of Art education. He is the last pupil of the legendary sculptor and performance artist Joseph Beyus (see more about him in the Who is Joseph Beuys section in this F.A.Q.) You will definitely learn things that not everyone is able to share with you.

The course fee covers:

- the main course activities;
- one exhibition print (size to be determined later according to the the exhibition space available and the number of exhibition photos selected).
- preparation of the printed catalog containing the best photos taken during all the courses during the Summer - creating the main design concept, basic editing of the photos selected, covers and page design, typography and prepress. See the Exhibition and catalog section in this F.A.Q. for more info.

To reserve your place for a particular course date, please follow the steps below:
- register for the course by paying the 350 or 450 Euro fee respectively depending of the program chosen;
Once your payment is received your name will be put on the course list immediately and you'll be notified by email. Please, after registering, email us your full name and contact information (e-mail, country you are coming from, telephone, Facebook messenger, Viber. Any social networks profiles you may have will help us keeping in touch with you. 
Send this info to mmistudio@gmail.com with the subject "Registration Photography course 2017"

That's all.


To reserve a room see the section Food and accommodation in this F.A.Q.
Please note - as the course group is limited to 10 participants, if you bring more people attending the course with you please let us know about this as you are then eligible to a relevant discount. See the Discounts available in this F.A.Q. for details.

Currently we can offer PayPal as a payment option. You should make the payment to momo.momofrom@gmail.com

Please note - if you don’t have a PayPal account you can still use PayPal services as a guest, follow their instructions to complete the payment as a guest.

To book a room in hotel Kaylas you have to make a separate payment for this, go to:
https://www.booking.com/hotel/bg/atm-neptun-ahtopol.bg.html

We are sorry for any inconvеnience eventually occured but at this point we can not accept combined payment for both the course and accommodation. Just for our information, let us know if you bring friend/s with you who is NOT attending the course.

There is no difference other than in the INTENSIVE program two or more photography tasks will be combined in a single day. This will require more attention and dedication from you. Also because the total course time is shorter you will have less time for personal talks and discussions on your work. There are two 10 DAYS periods planned - the last 10 days of July and August, we recommend you to consider visiting one of them if you have stronger interest in the photography matter.

It will be probably your first visit to Bulgaria. There is a lot this country has to offer and to start with Ahtopol is a great idea. Be prepared to spend an awesome time exploring, searching and finding inspiration everywhere you point your eyes to. Ahtopol is a place with ancient history and last few years has earned the name Summer Art capital of Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It's not a coincidence that the national Academy of Arts has its Summer base here. You'll have the chance to meet the residing artists, to share ideas, and to get inspired by their work.

Ahtopol is a small neat south coastal town and it has a lot to offer for everyone - a fascination for the romantics, (some call Ahtopol "City of Love"), secrets for the history lovers, inspiration for the artists and photographers, poets and musicians. There you'll find probably the most beautiful lighthouse in Bulgaria, a favorite subject of photographers in all seasons. Breath of figs is spreading everywhere around and brings that sense of infinity, that awakens the artist in everyone. It's not by chance that Ahtopol was chosen by the National Academy of Arts to establish their Summer base - every Summer there are artists coming to work there and you will have the chance to meet them and see how art is born. Ahtopol is a town with ancient history, but it is not frozen in ancient times, during the Summer it draws countless adventurers - emotions seekers, here one can talk to themselves, burying their feet in the sand, but also you may surprisingly encounter love. We invite you to experience Ahtopol in pictures, shooting freely during day or night.

Join us for this photography adventure, and you will have a great picture collectionto be proud sharing and to warm your cold winter days.

Welcome! :)

For this event we are partnering with Kaylas hotel in Ahtopol, where the photography classes will be held however you are free to chose another place to stay if you wish, as long as you are there for the Photography classes and discussions.

Please note
You should register for the course no later than 15 days before its start, according the date chosen, so we can put our efforts in advertising this date with the highest priority to ensure there will be at least 5 people attending. Once we have the group filled we will contact you immediately to book your stay either in Kaylas hotel or anywhere else in Ahtopol. If we can not gather 5 people you will be suggested to attend the next course when there will be a full group. If you can't make it for any other date, let us know and we will refund your course fee.
We understand that this is not the best possible organization and we apologise for any inconvenience, especially if you have to fly to Bulgaria. That's why we strongly suggest you to register as earlier as possible for the date that is convenient for you. Once we receive your payment we will start heavily advertising that course date and once we have the group filled we'll notify you and you'll have enough time to book your flight. If you fly from Europe there are plenty of very low cost flight options available. Refer to the course dates to make your choice as earlier as possible.

Worth considering
To ensure your chosen date you could bring some more people to attend the course, this way you will have you chosen date guaranteed, and you will save 20% of your course fee as follows:
if you attend the Intensive program and have paid 350 Euro, bringing 2 to 5 people will save you 20% of the course fee = 70 Euro.
If you attend the full 10 days program and have paid 450 Euro, then bringing 2 to 5 people will save you 20% of the course fee = 90 Euro. Please see the Any discounts available? in the F.A.Q. section for details. It definitely worths it.


When booking your stay with Kaylas hotel, you'll have the option to select Breakfast and Dinner included in your price. Please read further for some basic info about the living cost in Bulgaria. Refer to the link below for booking with Kaylas hotel. If you experience any problems with the booking process please contact us.


BASIC INFO

Spending a day in Bulgaria is still quite cheap - as of our last year experience one can have three decent meals for a about 20 Euro per day if you enjoy small restaurants, offering home made type pf food. Visiting a fancy restaurant for a dinner could vary from 20 to 40 Euro and more depending of the exotic food and drink you order. We suggest you try typical Bulgarian Banitsa, that every tourist adores, you can find it at many places in (sometimes enormous) portions varying from 0,7 Euro per piece to 1,5 Euro and more (depending of the filling) per 100 gramm. Coffee with a cake goes from 1,50 to 4 Euro depending of the place you chose. Generally Bulgarian food is loved by everyone visiting the country for a first time with some dishes becoming favourites from the first try - different types of local salads, already mentioned Banitsa, also Mekitsa to name a few. Probably the most famous alcoholic drink in Bulgaria is the Rakia - especially if made of apricots or quince. You will be surprised how many good wines this country has to offer. Bulgaria is a mother place of the world famous Kiselo mliako (type of Yoghurt, that is produced only here using the original Lactobacillus bulgaricus bacteria). You can have it for about 0,5 to 1 Euro per 400 g. Or to find it as a Airhan drink for about 0.7 Euro per 0.5 l.
There are many local beers brewed in Bulgaria that can be found for average 1-1,5 Euro in the restaurant and much less in the shops. Of course imported beer is widely presented too.
Once you are in Ahtopol we will definitely talk about food and drinks and we will explore local food together.


Accommodation
Please note that we are not a booking agency and we can not guarantee rooms availability. We suggest you to make sure in advance that you have your stay in Ahtopol booked right after you make your registration for the course. But if you can make it for Kaylas hotel there are other options available, we can assist you in finding a place to stay.
 
If you book your stay with Kaylas hotel the average price they offer is 15 Euro, with breakfast and dinner included. 
You decide if you need the food included, as it would appear a minor problem if you want to go for a shooting far from the hotel and have to be back on the exact time for the breakfast or dinner.

The hotel is just few meters from the beach so you'll enjoy a great view to the sea. The Kaylas hotel offers:
- double rooms
- double rooms with additional sofa
- triple rooms with additional sofa
- 2 apartments for up to 6 persons

To see the hotel rooms and to make a reservation please visit the link below:

https://www.booking.com/hotel/bg/atm-neptun-ahtopol.bg.html

The rooms are subject of availability, so you should reserve a room soon after registering for the course.
Reservation is made and paid separately meaning that to attend the course and to reserve a room you should make two separate payments. Currently PayPal only, see the Payment, cancelation and returns section in this FAQ.

Of course you have the option to reserve another place in Ahtopol for your stay, in this case you should make your own research for the accommodation options.

There are 8 courses planned for this Summer, starting from 1st of June to 26th of July. Reservations should be made minimum 15 calendar days before the date chosen. If for any reason you need to cancel your participation see below:

You can cancel your participation as follows:
- 30 days before the course date - you'll get 90% back
- 15 days before the course date - you'll get 50% back
- less than 15 days before the course date - no refund
Please note that if you decide to cancel your course participation then you should also cancel your hotel reservation according to the hotel policy.

Refunds will be made the same way as the payment - trough PayPal and all the transfer fees will be added to your SMETKA

Please note – if you need a proof of payment (invoice) different than the one that PayPal will generate for you let us know in advance.

Course fee and accommodation are paid separately. We are sorry for eventual inconvenience but we follow the financial rules as they are. Currently payment is only possible trough PayPal. You can use Pay pal as a guest without having PayPal account, please see PayPal instructions.

Depending of the date chosen you will experience some additional events going on in Ahtopol through the Summer -festivals, live performances and more.

Speaking of your mentors - the photography teacher, Mr. Momchil Mihaylov, is also a professional musician, with his electro acoustic duo GO'TOUCH'T working on their first album. To host a Live show requires some specific equipment and organization we will talk with our partners from the Kaylas hotel and will try to arrange private Live performance for the course participants only. GO'TOUCH'T are thrilled to do it and we hope this will happen, we'll keep you informed.

Another music project could be also presented in a private show - our friend and Mr. Momchil Mihaylov's photo assistant and singer of GO'TOUCH'T who has her own project called KOPRIVA (Nettles) will be happy to perform for you. All this is subject to special arrangements and dates to be announced additionally.
There are many options for various events to appear, when we have something new will will announce it on the web site.
Stay tuned and also follow us on Instagram and Facebook for news.

The exhibiion
We are partnering with a small gallery in Sofia (Bulgarian capital) which will exhibit a fine selection of all the photos produced during all the courses through the Summer. We will help each participant to select the best photograph for this exhibition. The exact date for this event will be decided later and all the participants will be notified by email. Should some of you want to come at the exhibition opening we will assist you in this.

The printed catalog
The catalog will be designed by us and will be published trough the Blurb platform. Design and prepress work is included in the course price however everyone willing to buy the catalog will pay for it when making the purchase directly on the blurb.com. You will have your best work published and will be proud to share it with your friends and fans.
When the catalog is ready all the participants will be officially informed trough email so they can make their purchase.

To have an idea about the catalog size and look, see Mr. Momchil Mihaylov's first mini photo book here:
http://www.blurb.com/b/2324165-moments

Yes, of course: But If you bring friends TO ATTEND THE COURSE, with you (not just as tourists ) then please read Any discounts available? section in this F.A.Q. as you may save money from this.

As the course group is limited to 10, there are no limits set for the people you bring with you unless they are NOT joining the course. If you come with your girl/boyfriend and she/he is not joining the course they are welcome to stay with you in the same room at the same accommodation price as you.

As we are partnering for this event with Kaylas hotel, all the accommodation info in this website is based on their prices and accommodation conditions and availability. However you are free to book your stay anywhere else in Ahtopol as long as you are on time for the Photography classes and discussions.

If you are coming alone and prefer to stay alone you should reserve and pay the full price for the double room. In the 15 Euro package there is breakfast and dinner included. If you prefer you can reserve only the room and to take care for the food by yourself, see Food and accommodation info section in this F.A.Q.

If you are group of friends coming together, then you can reserve an apartment. Of course you also have the option for a 3+1 room (in that case one of you should agree to sleep on the sofa).

If you are located in Europe you are probably well informed about the Low cost companies offering very low flight fares. If you are coming outside Europe let us know and we could send you some useful information about these companies. They offer flight prices equal to a good lunch. You may perform your own research, look for Wizzair, Ryan air and look for a flight to Burgas, Varna or Sofia. Please BEAR IN MIND THAT BURGAS IS THE CLOSEST to AHTOPOL and if you land there we can pick you from the airport easy. IF YOU LAND IN BURGAS we can pick you up from the airport and will bring you to Ahtopol, please let us know in advance.. Same goes for your departure. Please note that if you land in Sofia or Varna we can't pick you up, as there is only one car available and it will be available to the participants landing in Burgas. IF YOU PREFER TO DRIVE, i.e. renting a car we recommend you to do your research about Rent-a-car options from Burgas. Many tourists use this service so it won't be a problem for you. Reaching Ahtopol is easy, just follow the map and the road signs. When arranging your arrival please let us know which way you are traveling. We will exchange mobile numbers, Skype and messenger contacts so we'll be in sync with you. If you need a mobile phone connection, once in Bulgaria you can buy a prepaid mobile card which will cover your entire stay, there are several options available, we are using VIVACOM and we suggest you to use their prepaid service. Internet is widely available in a cafes and various public places, so it's easy to go online.

*Please note - Discounts available from the course fee only, we are not authorized to negotiate discount on the accommodation. If you bring more than 5 people to register for the course please let us know so we can see if we can do something for you to get a discount on the accommodation, but we can't promise.

To celebrate the start of this course we are giving 20 Euro ONE TIME DISCOUNT from the course fee to the first 10 participants registered (no matter the date chosen). You will receive your 20 Euro upon your arrival in Ahtopol.


ADDITIONAL DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE:

If you bring one friend to register for the course you get 10% discount of your course fee, which you can use to prolong your stay and enjoy your vacation if you wish.
If you bring 2 to 5 participants you get up to 20% discount of your course fee.
If you bring 6 to 10 participants you get up to 40% discount of your course fee.

As already said in the What to bring section in this F.A.Q. - there is no technical obligation for any particular equipment. 
You are welcome to come with your smart phone camera only.
We created this course primarily for those who "see" the image in their heads but don't know how to bring it to live. Before actual shutter click you must be able to "create" the image in your head and this is where we put the main focus - to teach you think like a photographer. You are welcome to join the course with a smartphone camera only and there will be a special one day workshop dedicated to smartphone photography.
During the theory classes we will arrange a real camera for you in order to learn the principles and parameters, but we can't promise that camera will be available to you only for the entire course period. If you don't own real camera with interchangeable lens - THIS IS NOT A LIMITATION FOR YOU and YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN THE COURSE.

There are some ideas we work on currently, with the Audience award being the most attractive one - one of you who receive most votes will win a FREE COURSE REGISTRATION for the NEXT SEASON either for them or their friend. Think of this as another vacation in Ahtopol but FREE of CHARGE. Probably next season the course fee will be higher so this will be of a really good news to the winner. You'll be informed when we start this. It is too early now to talk about this we can only say that there will be quite intriguing awards, benefits and surprises coming from us and our partners. Become a member of our Course community and you'll be eligible for all that is yet to come. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for news.

We will talk about photographing people, and there will be a specific task on the topic. If you bring a friend as your model, if agreed, they could be of your or everyone's benefit. It is possible to arrange a personal class if anyone is interested in shooting erotic scenes, this to be discussed and arranged additionally, let us know if you are interested. Photographing people is quite specific type of photography and it requires a dedicated course, we are working on this.

Joseph Beuys (12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German happening and performance artist as well as a sculptor, installation and graphic artist, art theorist, and pedagogue. He was a key participant in the 1960s Fluxus movement.
His extensive work is grounded in concepts of humanism, social philosophy and anthroposophy. His career was characterized by passionate and only rarely acrimonious open public debates on a wide range of subjects including political, environmental, social and long term cultural trends. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the second half of the 20th century.
Doctor of Art education, Dobromir Ivan is known as the last student and keeper of Beuys's concept and philosophy and you'll have the chance to meet and freely exchange ideas with him as well enjoy his talks on History of Photography during the course.

(info sources: Wikipedia, theartstory.com, Dobromir Ivan)

If you still have questions that you haven't found the answer here, don't hesitate to ask, write us here: mmistudio@gmail.com We'll be happy to answer you.