‘This is the rule that I’m trying to follow every time I’m shooting a photo or video.’
Veliko Balabanov
April 2025
Tell us something about Bulgaria that no one knows.
It’s one of the oldest countries in the world. The Bulgarian state was founded by Asparuh in 681, at a time when many of the current European powers did not exist at all. Bulgaria is the only country in Europe that has not changed its name since its creation. The highest gold deposit in the world was excavated only in 1972 and was not located in Mesopotamia or Egypt. To the surprise of many, it was found in North-Eastern Bulgaria, near the attractive, modern city of Varna. What’s more, it is more than 6000 years old. The surface is found in the calcareous calcitic neĸpopol. Dated from the end of the 5th and the beginning of the 4th millennium BC. XP. It is believed that the findings of “Bapnenic gold” are the most technologically processed gold in Europe and the world.
What is the skate scene like in Bulgaria compared to your neighbouring countries?
We are trying to evolve it every year by making events building parks and shooting videos and photos for the past 10 years. For me, in The Balkans, we are one of the most productive scenes. We are located in Eastern Europe and it’s different from Central Europe not many things are happening here. But this is the beauty of it.
‘I’m not using photos that are not landed.’
Assuming you started off skateboarding at what point did you move to photography and why?
I’ve been skating for 20 years now and am still trying to make video parts (laughing). Maybe it was when I was 12 grade, and my family started asking what are you going to do after I finish school. I was shooting with my friend with small photo cameras the ones that are called soap cameras and a peephole attached to it with glue because we didn’t have money to buy a real fisheye. I still have this camera in my place. Staying one night in my room I asked myself how I still be attached to skateboarding when I don’t have the body and energy to skate as much as I can, and photography was the answer. You are still with the guys on the streets trying to land that trick but on camera.
Proudest moment as a photographer?
I think is the first photo that got printed in a Magazine that is not local. Vague mag from England I have some photos, and I started sending them to the big magazine like Free, Solo, Grey etc. I remember we were on tour with Amnesia Skate shop just landed in Bulgaria and I was on the plaza with some other guy’s chilling. I opened my Instagram, and I was tagged by Vague on some post. I started reading the caption of the post and It said that this photo was printed in the latest issue of the magazine. I started jumping and laughing because I didn’t expect it.
Most embarrassing?
When you have to ask the guy doing the trick to do it again because you didn’t take the photo on time or something with the equipment didn’t work out. For me, this is a super important thing in skateboarding photography. I’m looking at it from the two sides like skateboarder and photographer. I will not be hyped to do the trick again if the person didn’t make the photo right. It’s like if I didn’t make the photo before the tricks landed or on the make, I didn’t do my job properly. This is the rule that I’m trying to follow every time I’m shooting a photo or video.
What is your take on skate shots that have not been landed?
This is a deep theme for every skate photographer and skateboarder. My opinion is that if the guy didn’t land the trick, I cannot use the photo. It’s going to be a lie. Often when we are shooting, and the guy didn’t land the trick and we have a good photo I’m asking them to come back and do the trick on video. We are going to post the photo and after that, somebody is going to ask or wait for the video to come out with the trick from the photo. I’m not using photos that are not landed.
Is there any post-production you do? If so, how far do you go?
For me, it’s important to push the photo on the computer. To pop the colours out make a little adjustment to the composition if you didn’t nail it right in the camera. The furthest I go to is to remove the filmer if it’s visible in some corner or something that is bugging my eye in the photo. No AI is putting some shit in the photo (laughing).
Who is your favorite skate photographer?
I think my favorite one is Blabac. I like his style and approach to skateboarding and other sports that he is shooting. and maybe the time he was shooting is one of my favourites . The golden era of skateboarding. The other one who I like is Matt Price because his unique style and he don’t care of some boundaries he likes to experiment and do what he likes!
‘We are trying to convince the people to ride Bulgarian decks.’
Tell us more about your local board company called Vitosha Skateboards.
It’s our baby that I and my friends Peter and Rostislav are taking care of. I assume we were influenced when we were kids and there was more than one Local board company in Bulgaria. Virus skateboards Fly skateboards Playwood Skateboards and some others. Watching them doing Bulgarian boards going on tours filming videos and photos was so inspiring to us back then. Time goes and we grew up to have some income and wanted to do something that is Ours local and from Bulgaria. One day Peter called me and told me I had an idea for Vitosha Skateboards, and I immediately told him not to mention it to anyone. He was selling blank boards and one day we sat down with Rostislav who is doing the graphic work for the Brand and started talking about how to make things with the Name that Peter told me about. We order the first batch of boards, and we are trying to convince the people to ride Bulgarian decks. And you know for every board company it’s necessary to have a team and film videos. I got one vx2100 we liked one young kid who was interesting got him on the team and started filming for our first Video БЛЯН.
Last question. If you could interview one person, who would it be and why?
Maybe some of the OG photographers like Blabac, Bryce Knights and J Grant Brittain I’m interested in how shooting skateboarding back in the day was. with all the film gear old cameras, etc.