Life Through The Lens
It’s a snowy, cold Monday afternoon at the beginning of December. The second floor of the America for Bulgaria Student Center is almost empty with only couple of ladies from the staff sitting and gossiping. Svetlozar Apostolov sits comfortably on one of the sofas with his jacket next to him. Reminiscing about the years in AUBG, he shares about his hobbies, friends and best university moments.
Svetlozar describes himself as a person who is interested in psychology and content creation. He shares that taking up photography in 2014 was a life-changing moment for it made him see the world from a different perspective. Starting off with long exposure photography, later he found his favorite photographic style.
“I started doing more B&W photos and shoot really unsettling pictures, what was really grotesque for many. I wanted to show that the world was not sunshine and rainbows all the time but even though it’s bad, there is still beauty in it,” says Svetlozar, lost in thought.
Svetlozar is a senior student at AUBG, originally from Plovdiv, who lived mostly in the city of Sofia. Majoring in Business Administration, he undoubtedly says that photography has become a big part of him, a hobby but also a passion.
“When I have free time and I might get the camera and my car and drive around Blagoevgrad, listen to music and probably take some photos,” says Svetlozar, shrugging with a smile.
Leda Dragieva, a good friend, says that this is one of his hobbies that distinguishes him as a person. “I love how passionate he is about photography as art. He cares more about showing a different perspective of the world and influencing people rather than just doing mainstream entertainment,” states she.
Besides capturing moments, Svetlozar also shares a passion for videography. A contributing factor for this is the student club More Honors (MH) he joined during his sophomore year. When he became part of it, he had to unlearn everything that he had learned from photography.
“The video is a “different animal,” chuckles Svetlozar.
Laying comfortably on the sofa, he says that during his first year in the club, he was passionate to learn as many things for the video as possible so he took up many tasks. Currently being the president of MH, he shares that the club is a one-of-a-kind experience that has not just taught him skills but also brought him unforgettable moments.
“During my first year in MH we spent the week before the show in the mac lab in preparation. It was very stressful and most of us didn’t even sleep. Our diet was energy drinks, cigarettes and from time to time a sandwich and the show, the show was the biggest moment because when it was over, we couldn’t believe that. We’ve made it as a team, we’ve pulled out this great show and it was very touching — I cried a little bit,” shares Svetlozar looking in the space, smiling.
He says that the university has not only provided him with a chance to develop new skills through extracurricular activities but also to meet some great people he’d always love to spend time with.
“I really enjoy the time when I hang out with my friends at my place or somewhere in Skapto, drink beers, listen to music, chill and talk,” says Svetlozar, casting a sight towards the window.
Leda also shares that she appreciates the moments spent with a friend like Svetlozar. “I like that you can talk about anything with him — one second we’re laughing over the stupidest thing, the other we’re discussing existentialism and philosophy. It’s never boring. At the beginning of the semester, I mentioned to him that I needed a getaway from everything. One week after this comment, he texted me, saying: “Are you ready to go?” So, we went on a night car drive, talking and listening to music,” says she.
Svetlozar’s friends are a big part of his life, just like art. For him looking at and analyzing art is an emotional experience. Crossing his arms, Svetlozar shares that if he could, he would enjoy working something creative such as in an art gallery or doing anything with content creation. That is why he’d decided to give it a try after graduation through applying for an internship in “Nu Boyana studios” or the filming company “Handplayed”.
“I want to see if I can make a living out of it,” says Svetlozar decisively.
He adds that even though he is not sure about his career plans yet, he is certain that after graduation he wants to grow as a person.
“I will be working on myself; I want to achieve a level where I would be calm despite the situation, I would be level-headed, emotionally stable and, hopefully, financially stable.”
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Aleksandra Dimcheva is a sophomore at the American University in Bulgaria who plans to major in Journalism and Mass Communication and Business Administration. She likes talking to people interested in art because she is also an art lover.
