Georgi Nedelchev: A photographer should be judged by their personal projects

A photographer should be judged by their personal projects. This is Georgi Nedelchev's categorical opinion. To reach his best level in them – glass still lifes and portraits – he has dedicated the last 10 years. Because, in his words:

"Level is a function of the time you dedicate."

How his photographic Odyssey began

In the 90s, Georgi Nedelchev worked as a photojournalist for the newspapers "Meridian Rock Show" and "Rhythm." He mainly shot concerts, and although he was happy with his work, he quickly realized that there was nothing new for him to experience in this type of photography. That's when his desire to work in studio photography emerged. So, he transitioned from newspapers to magazines.

"In 2005-2006, I shot for 'ELLE' and 'Moda.' At the time, it seemed like very prestigious and interesting work. In addition to product photography, I started shooting interiors. But the main creative problem is that when you work in a team, on assignment, and there's a stylist who sets the rules, you become a technical executor. At the time, it seemed okay, I was happy to be doing my favorite profession and earning money, but at some point, I realized that my personal creative development was absolutely zero."

His life turned upside down when he realized something crucial. It happened unexpectedly, even to himself, while browsing the websites of famous photographers – both foreign and Bulgarian. He noticed that they all published two types of projects: commercial and personal – and the photos looked as if they were taken by different people.

"The commercial ones are perfect, thought out in advance. The personal ones – frankly, inconsistent compared to the others. What changed my life was the realization that a photographer should be judged by their personal projects."

And Georgi began to fill every free moment with shooting his own ideas.

From "zero" creative development to the highest level

His initial ideas were related to still life, which he arranged with glass bottles and glasses. He recounts that at first, things didn't work out well, even though they were properly lit and technically sound. But the failures, instead of deterring him, stimulated him.

"And at one point, a miracle happened. More than 90% of the projects I uploaded online were personal, and 10% were commercial. Currently, 99% of my website is personal. I only upload commercial works that I consider to be of a serious level. Personal projects led to a valuable side effect: when people started noticing that I was shooting well, clients who needed such photography started coming to me."

The philosophy behind shooting glass still lifes and portraits

You don't need to look at many of Georgi Nedelchev's glass still life photographs for long to distinguish his style – he seems to draw with a fine-liner pen: ethereal, light, impactful. And he adds two more words:

"My shooting philosophy is grace and elegance. I have always strived to create similar things."

According to him, however, when you first start shooting glass objects, lighting them is a nightmare – logistically, technically, and conceptually. But if you delve deeper, as he did, you start to see the possibilities that the expressive means offer you. And, as he jokes, after about 10 years, things fall into place.

"Over the years, I've been involved in discovering more and more expressive means to enrich my arsenal so that when an idea strikes me and I arrange a still life, I can easily realize it. All these many, many years that I've been developing in this direction are now paying off a hundredfold because I can realize my ideas very easily."

The fact that he mainly shoots bottles and glasses doesn't mean his ideas will run out at some point, Georgi Nedelchev is convinced. This is because they are connected to what the still life wants to convey to the audience. As Maestro Garo Keshishyan himself shared about his photographs during a joint podcast appearance: "Every time, you manage to say something different."

"Still life also has psychology, but in a direction opposite to that of portraits. A portrait photographer must know how to communicate properly with the person at their level and confidently handle the technical aspects of things – a one-second delay can cause the person you're photographing to lose their state, to feel uncomfortable. And when I shoot a still life, I first conceive it. The idea comes unpredictably and unexpectedly, on a purely associative principle. It might be a very small detail, but I 'put it on the table' and build everything around it."

For the photographer, satisfaction comes when he can realize his idea 100%.

A Tech Enthusiast

Georgi himself says he is a tech enthusiast and passionate about quality work. The first camera he held was his father's Fed 4. When he got tired of it, he threw it away, but soon after, for sentimental reasons, he bought the same one. In the early 90s, he started with a Zenit 11, then replaced it with a Praktica BX20, and then with another of its models – the MTL 5. With his father's help, in 1992, he bought his first professional camera, an Olympus OM-4 Ti, which he used for 11 years.

"My first digital camera was a Canon EOS 10D. I bought it in 2003 – the year I consider to be the global watershed between analog and digital technology. Now I work with a Canon EOS R5, and I also have a second body, an EOS R8 – it produces good quality, and I use it when I travel because it's lightweight. The truth, however, is that while equipment matters, it's not decisive."

From now on

When asked how and with what he will continue to challenge himself photographically from now on, Georgi Nedelchev replies that he doesn't know where his imagination will lead him. And while it searches for new paths, Dynaphos invited its owner at the end of January to demonstrate how he achieves elegance in his shots with masterful use of the Profoto A2 flash. From February 6th, he will also be leading the course "Fundamentals of Studio Photography" at our studio, part of the Sofia Photography School, and for 4 weeks he will reveal the world of artificial light and the basic principles of building a lighting scheme to all interested parties. In support of the comprehensive theoretical preparation, there will also be two entirely practical sessions.

You can watch the demonstration at our F2 Studio on our YouTube channel via the video we filmed. Photos from it are available on our Facebook page, and those in the article and its gallery were provided to us by Georgi Nedelchev specifically for it. More of his work can be found on his professional website.