Milen Dobrev: Beautiful sights and recreating movement bring me satisfaction

Typically, a person's interest in photography sparks in childhood. In his case, it's different – it happened late, but seemingly for good. To this day, he fuels his passion with challenges in front of the lens. Not just for seascapes near Burgas, where he lives and creates, but for every dynamic and beauty he "captures" with his heart. We present to you photographer Milen Dobrev.

The Birth of an Interest in Photography

Milen Dobrev's interest in photography began in his early thirties.

“I was 33 years old when I bought my first DSLR and started to consciously try to take photos. By profession, I am a biologist, and because of that, I often traveled in the mountains and generally in nature. Seeing beautiful views, I always wanted to show them, because – as it was said in Into the Wild – “Happiness is only real when shared”.”

His first DSLR was a Nikon D90. Before that, he had attempts which he himself describes as unsuccessful. The more he learned to shoot, the more interesting it became. And while gaining experience and interest, he went through several more Nikon models – the D7000, and then the D750.

Why Sony?

He has been shooting with Sony for several years. Currently, he relies on the Sony a7 IV.

“The change of brand was necessitated by my desire to switch to a mirrorless system, and at that time Sony was not only the most established in mirrorless cameras, but also the fact that I could use lenses from other manufacturers, such as Tamron, Sigma, etc.,” Milen Dobrev explains.

It was with the Sony a7 IV at F2Studio at Dynaphos this summer that Milen Dobrev demonstrated how to freeze movement when shooting dance. He was drawn to dance, and specifically ballet, in front of the lens by two ballerina sisters – Ivanina and Polina Ivanovi, who contacted him 4-5 years ago asking if he would photograph them.

“Even after the first attempts, I realized that this grace, freezing or recreating movement in my photos, brings me satisfaction. So I periodically started shooting such things. And I intend to continue.”

Photo Challenges

Milen Dobrev's biggest photographic challenge to date, however, is not related to shooting itself, but to imparting experience through courses at Photoschool in Burgas, which he started years ago.

“Many landscape photographers (and I was considered one at the time) are introverts, and I also don't differ much from the general stereotype. Standing up and regularly speaking in front of 30-35 people was a serious test for me, which I believe I have slowly but successfully overcome.”
 

Recognition

This year, Milen Dobrev was honored by the Municipality of Burgas with a "St. Nicholas the Wonderworker" plaque and a certificate for his contribution to the training of photographers and the popularization of photographic art. When asked by Dynaphos how he receives the award, he replies:

“For this recognition, I must thank not only the Municipality of Burgas, but also my colleagues from the Burgas photographic community, who nominated me for the award. This recognition pleases me, but the main satisfaction comes from the recognition of the people I have trained and with whom we have become friends over these ten years that I have been conducting courses.”

Year 2025

Milen Dobrev does not yet have concrete plans for next year. However, he has ideas to photograph ballerinas again, and his full plans are yet to become clear. Dynaphos wishes this to happen through a super quality lens purchased from our showroom.

Milen Dobrev sent us the photos for the article, and you can see more about him and his projects on his professional website and his profiles on Facebook and Instagram.