Black Sea View is a unique project whose author and photographer is Marin Karavelov. The project shows for the first time the whole Bulgarian coastline-from its northernmost to its southernmost point. A large-scale photo consisting of 25,000 separate photos with a total resolution of 900 gigapixels shows the entire coastline.

The wonderful project attracted several young Bulgarians who shared their emotions during its fulfillment. One can hardly imagine how much efforts and how many sleepless nights it took those people to complete that project. Stoyan Stoyanov was invited to become a marketing manager of the project. He graduated from the National School of Fine Arts. He also studied foreign languages and economy, majoring in International Economic Relations and Business Administration. Stoyan is also a certified diver and a keen photographer, yet he is only thirty one.

“This is a unique project", Stoyan Stoyanov explains. "The photo shows a 360 degree panoramic view. It allows people to see what is around, where their hotel is and where they can pitch their tents for instance. When people want to check something quick, they use Internet. We made it possible for young and old to take a virtual trip along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. ”

 Marin Karavelov sponsored that project with own money, in order to fulfill his idea. In the beginning, most people thought Marin would not succeed, because he did not have special software to assemble such a giant photo. However, he was assisted by graphic designers who worked for over 500 hours within the course of over one year under that project. Each photo was taken under GPS coordinates and can be upgraded. It is interesting to note that the photos were taken from a boat at a distance of up to 250 meters away from the shore. An alpinist attaches the camera at a specially designed gyroscopic facility which neutralizes the influence of the sea waves over the boat. The team experienced a series of difficulties during the filming. 30% of the photos were taken from a boat and the rest were taken from a moto paraglider, where some accidents occurred, too. One of the most exciting moments for the film crew regarded the elevation of a small drone when the experienced eye of the photographer had to find the perfect spot for the filming, in order to show the most beautiful part of a given location. The web site of Black Sea View allows people to see various architectural monuments and landmarks which show the exceptional beauty of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.

In Stoyan's view, people should set aside the information coming from the local media about excessive construction along the sea coast, polluted water, etc. Recently, some positive changes also occurred there: the local concessionaries showed better management during the maintenance of the Black Sea beaches. The number of Bulgarian and foreign tourists who showed satisfaction with the level of service in Bulgaria's Black Sea resorts has also increased. Apparently, the people employed at the tourist sector learnt their lesson from the tourist reflux in the recent years caused by the lack of good attitude towards the clients. The Black Sea View Project is a reliable partner of the country's tourism. The large scale of that project allows its founders to apply for the Guinness Book of World Records. 

“The project will be presented in the city of Burgas in one panoramic photo, which is over 1 kilometer long" Stoyan Stoyanov goes on to say. "The photo will be placed on an attractive 6 meters wide and 2.4 meters high facility, which is based on the tape-recorder principle. Two huge and heavy rolls move the whole image. When people stand in front of that huge photo it starts moving slowly. Thus, citizens and tourists can enjoy a view of the whole Black Sea coast. So far we completed 70% of the frames. Our purpose is to finalize that project by October 31, when Bulgaria marks the International Black Sea Day. It would be a greeting to all people who love and care about the Black Sea. In my view, photography is an instrument which helps people find and preserve the beautiful things, to be more self-confident and know that there are many good things in Bulgaria they can be proud of. There has been a huge lack of moral values, culture and faith in the recent years. People must realize that Bulgaria's Black Sea coast is still quite beautiful. May they enjoy the virtual trip along the whole coastline and look at that place from a different point of view”, Stoyan Stoyanov concluded.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov