Luka Esenko Photography

There are many abandoned homesteads in Slovenia. Especially in the rural parts of the country where people are leaving for the cities.

Most of these homes are falling into disrepair, year after year. Exploring these homes has a strong emotional impact on me. Nostalgia, sadness, gratitude. I can almost feel the people who used to live there! Sometimes I meet people and listen to their story. But most of the time it is only my imagination that creates an image what it was like when the homestead was still a home.

Lukomir Village, Bjelašnica, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

I first visited this village in 2009. This summer, I returned with my family, and a lot has changed since then.

Read the full story in my blog post—link in the comments due to the FB algorithm ;)

Bosnia & Herzegovina. Last couple of years I visited the country multiple times. Here is a selection of images from this wonderful country.

Slovenia photography tour. In June I guided a photo tour with Muench Workshops. We had a fabulous time great weather conditions (albeit challenging) and here are some images that I captured along the way. We photographed in Ljubljana, Lake Bled and surrounding area, hilltop churches, Soča river valley and Piran.

Hello from Dolomites, Italy!

I just finished our yearly photography workshop with Muench Workshops. Lots of photos to edit, in the meantime I am sharing these shots from Fanes, our last year's destination.

The Timeless Beauty of Socotra Island.

As a photographer I had to edit and share the photos first. And as a videographer in the making, I am now sharing this video that I captured during my last photography workshop to this amazing island.

I hope you enjoy it watching as much as I enjoyed making it. Big thanks to Jeremy Woodhouse, Jaka Ivančič, Salem, Adnan, all of our Socotra team, our co-travellers to help me make this video.

And if you are interested in joining us next year, there are still a couple of places available on our April departure - the blossoming season of bottle trees. Get in touch with me for more info.

And please, share if you like the video. Thank you!

Timeless Beauty of Socotra Island A visual journey around socotra island, one of the most beautiful and unique places I have ever visited. This video is a celebration of Socotra’s diversity, ...

In Search of the Shepherds in Rodopi, Bulgaria

In January, after attending a traditional Pomak wedding, we decided to stay in the Rhodope Mountains for a few days. The weather was perfect, with fresh snowfall and cold temperatures.

While driving around, we hoped to meet local people, ideally shepherds with their sheep. In our minds, this seemed like a quintessential Rodopi scene.

We stopped at one of the tiny villages, where locals told us about an old shepherd living in a remote home with many sheep. They explained how to get there via a rough, muddy dirt road infested with rosehip branches and covered in snow. We were contemplating whether to take it or not, but then we thought, we are in Bulgaria—this is why we came here! And off we went. Slowly, we arrived at an open plain with a couple of dilapidated houses. It was foggy, so we couldn't see much. We walked around the landscape, photographing snowy scenes. Soon, we heard sheep in the forest as they came out to forage for anything edible. It was an incredibly beautiful scene, watching the sheep running around in the snow, munching on the few grasses and branches available.

Later, we walked towards the houses. Smoke was coming out of one of them. There were two dogs, one on a short, tight chain and the other free. The latter was howling at us with a mellow, friendly tone, almost like singing a song.

We knocked on the door. No answer. We knocked again. Still no answer. We were already walking away when we heard the door opening. More precisely, the door window opened. When I stepped closer, I noticed the old shepherd the villagers had told us about. Iordan, my Bulgarian friend, spoke with him. He explained he was not feeling well, that he was sick and needed to rest. We wished him well, gave him a pack of coffee, and said goodbye.

The beautiful winter scenery, watching the herd of sheep, and our brief encounter with the old shepherd were truly memorable experiences. Now I wish I could come back at a different time of year. Autumn, perhaps, when Rodopi shines in beautiful autumn colors.

Photos from Dubrovnik. I spend four days in the city with my family and friends last December. It was so refreshing to visit the city in off season!

More photos and story on my blog - link in the comment.

Thank you! Hvala lipa 🙏🇭🇷

Meet Božica.

While exploring the Kolpa (Kupa) River Valley, we noticed a lady sitting in front of her home with three cats around her. She waved at us, and we stopped. What followed was an hour-long conversation where she shared her life story and showed us around her house.

Božica is originally from Croatia, just a few hundred meters across the river. Her village, Sedalce, can be seen from her homestead in Mitroviči village. She is now widowed and lives in her late husband's house. He was born there as one of nine children, while the previous generation had eleven children, all living in this house that's over 200 years old.

Božica was educated in Opatija as a cook and spent most of her career in Germany, working at the Mercedes-Benz factory where she prepared meals for the management. Her two children still live in Germany. Her only other relatives are her two brothers and two sisters who remain in their home village across the river.

She explained that they used to have two horses, cows, chickens, rabbits, goats, and pigs, and the entire property was cultivated with potatoes, wheat, various vegetables, and fruit trees. She is proud of their pear trees and said her husband always distilled sadjevec (fruit brandy). Now that her husband has passed, she only keeps a goat, a rabbit, and a few chickens.

When we asked if we could see the interior of her house, she smiled and said, "No, but let me show you my animals!" Such a wonderful lady, full of life at over 80 years old!

Thanks to my fellow photographers Dan and Amadeja for a good time exploring around Slovenia!

Back to Bulgaria. This is a short story in photos about a village of Osenovo and one of its few inhabitants, Pesho. Pesho (Peter) was a truck driver all his life. The roads have taken him all round the Easter block countries and several times into USSR.

When we were exploring the village with our cameras he checked us out suspiciously. When he realised we were foreign visitors, he invited us into his modest home. An old traditional house in a dilapidated state, only one room was heated by a small firewood stove. We climbed up the wooden stairs and sat on his bed and only chair. He brought out a tin box, full of old photos and started to tell stories. He had several cute cats and these were his only companions.

What an experience! To share moments and stories with this old lonely man.

I just posted a gallery with all the photos from my recent Socotra Island trip. Thanks for visiting. And share if you like it 🙏

Socotra Island Photos • Luka Esenko Socotra Island is a photographer’s paradise! This small, remote island offers diverse landscapes and seascapes, unique nature and wildlife, welcoming people, and dark night skies. Most photographers start their journey…

Socotra Island.

Another set of photos from this magnificent place. Check previous posts for more photos of bottle trees, dragon blood trees, people of Socotra and some nice nature and wildlife shots.

If you are interested in joining me on the next two trips to Socotra, the link is in the comments section. We have two departures, December 2024 and April 2025 (almost fully booked).

Bottle Trees of Socotra Island

The main reason we visited the island in late March was the blossom season for bottle trees. These funky trees come in all shapes and sizes but what is common to all of them is beautiful and fragrant pink blossoms. Most of these photos were taken at Homhil plateau, Momi highlands and around the NE part of the island.

Next year Jeremy Woodhouse and I plan another spring tour to Socotra (April 1-10) to photograph this spectacle of nature. We do have another winter tour this year (December 10-20) where the focus is lush green mountains, wildflowers, sunsets and sunrises. You are most welcome to join us - drop me a message for more information.

Socotra Island part II - Dixsam plateau, Firmihin forest and Skand mountains

What a stark contrast from the coastal area of the island! These are real mountains with the highest peaks rising up to 1600m, straight from the ocean.

I've been to Dixsam plateau ten years ago and it was immediately my favourite place on the island. The sharp and desolate limestone terrain, deep canyons and the dragon blood trees (Dracaena cinnabari) make this place look alien and a heaven for photography. We camped there for two nights, at our guide Salem's homestead. He has a nursery for dragon blood trees - they are endangered because of overgrazing by goats. Salem is trying to preserve the trees by planting and protecting the seedlings near his home.

Firmihin forest on the other side of the Dirhu canyon is a dense dragon blood tree forest. Thousands of the trees cover the whole mountain. What a sight! It seems everything is okay, but in reality, goats are destroying the trees here too. One can only hope this will end soon.

The Skand mountain is where the highest peaks of Socotra rise towards the sky. Limestone that characterises the rest of the island gives way to granite and the vegetation is dense and impassable. Without a local guide, one is quickly lost and stopped by thick and sharp shrubbery that only goats can pass (and chew). A 7-hour trek is required to get to the views of the sharp pinnacles, surrounded by dragon blood trees. It is well worth it as this is the remotest and wildest part of the island.

Jeremy Woodhouse and I plan two more photo tours to Socotra, one in December 2024 and one in April 2025. Drop me a message if you are interested and I will let you know when I have more details.

Is it safe? Yes, at the time being, the island is as safe as it gets. The flight in&out start from Abu Dhabi, avoiding the troubled mainland. And there are two flights a week, both full of foreign tourists. I have felt completely safe while on the island.

Socotra Island part I

I just returned from this magnificent place last week and here is the first batch of photos. The island has changed quite a bit since my last visit in 2014. There are far more tourists, there is now basic infrastructure in place for campsites and even basic hotels and restaurants in the capital. The cyclone in 2015 has damaged some indigenous forests and coral reefs. There is Saudi and UAE influence (mosques, military and schools). And there is even internet access, albeit spotty nowadays.

But the essence stays the same, unique and well preserved nature, friendly locals and wonderful photo opportunities.

Jeremy Woodhouse and I plan two more photo tours to Socotra, one in December 2024 and one in April 2025. Drop me a message if you are interested and I will let you know when I have more details.

Is it safe? Yes, at the time being, the island is as safe as it gets. The flight in&out start from Abu Dhabi, avoiding the troubled mainland. And there are two flights a week, both full of foreign tourists. I have felt completely safe while on the island.

Moor frogs mating season...

Plavčki med parjenjem...

St Thomas Church in Winter

One of the most iconic places for landscape photography in Slovenia.

Here are a few images from my last winter workshop. Check out VLOG - link in the comment.

Hvala!

Photos from Surva festival in Kosharevo village, Bulgaria.

Check the comments for the link to full story and video.

Fatme, the milk lady. Near Vranentsi village, Rhodope mountains in Bulgaria.

While exploring Rhodope mountains and its remote villages we stumbled upon Fatme, a Pomak lady who brought two buckets of cow milk to sell. A nice little travel story that makes travelling so rewarding.

Snowy landscapes from Rhodope mountains, Bulgaria.

Surva in Bulgaria - new video!

Last month I traveled to Bulgaria with a couple of friends, Iordan and Amadeja. First we attended a traditional Pomak wedding in Rhodope mountains, next, we explored this amazing mountain range when it was covered in fresh snow. Wonderful. The highlight of our trip was definitely Surva festival in Kosharevo village. We met with Георги, a mask maker and one of the leaders of Kosharevo Survakari. Below, is the story of his craft, his village and the Surva festival which was one of the most amazing experiences ever!

Surva Festival in Kosharevo Village, Bulgaria Masked festivals are a common thread in many European cultures, with traditions spanning across Spain, Italy, Austria, France, Croatia, Hungary, and Slovenia...

Meet Ronald. Ruteng Market, Flores island, Indonesia.

When walking around the farmers market in Ruteng, I noticed this young man with tattoos all over his face. I snapped the first photo of him and continued exploring the market. On my way back, he was still sitting on the truck with his mates. I approached him again, asking about the "Margaret" - the tattoo on his forehead. It turned out, this is his mother's name. He agreed for a couple more portraits. I positioned him in the shade where sunlight was bouncing off the walls. While talking to his mates, he started to light a cigaret - which led to a few more photos... :)

But the story does not end there. Yesterday I got a message on Instagram. It was his brother asking if he can repost these photos (on Twitter) because he recognised his brother. I sent him larger files and he shared a little bit more info on his brother,

"Ronald is a member of Texas/texaz87. One of biggest local street gang in Ruteng' who have Shield symbol . Texas also responsible for many criminal acts and street fights Ruteng City. they have 2 big bases in the ghetto area of Ruteng city such as around Mbaumuku/Kuwu and in local market. They are a kind of security for local people."

Experiences like this is what photography (and travel) is all about to me. Stories, connections, giving back, little things.

It's time to crack some nuts!

Nutcrackers / krekovti from Bulgaria. I had immense fun photographing these cheeky birds! So intelligent and inquisitive!I photographed them two times now. Both times with my dear friend and fellow photographer Iordan Hristov

Krimml Waterfalls, Austria.

A BW series of images from my last photo tour to Austria and Bavaria. Which one do you like the most? To me, the whole set makes the story, not the individual shots...

Dancing Tree.

The last photo of my recent "Winter in Slovenia" photography workshop is also my favourite one. How cool when this happens :)

Blue Stone Beach, Flores, Indonesia.

A great place to enjoy a swim in the ocean, have some delicious seafood and a stroll down the beach. We stopped here at a local seaside restaurant two times.

Walking along the beach, I met this local man collecting the stones to sell them. He carefully selects them one by one, according to their colour, shape and size before adding them to his bag.

Images from Macedonia. I ran a photo tour to this beautiful country last September. These are some people photos that I met along the way. Genuine hospitality, historical places, good food, amazing wine.

Life of shepherds on Planina Vlašić, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Check the link the comments for my youtube video documenting my experience from this trip. ->

How did you like the photos and video? Would you like to see more content like this from me?

In August I spent three days with shepherds at Planina Vlašić in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Here is a short video I created to tell a story about their daily life in the mountains...

Photos will follow soon! I wish you wonderful holidays!

A Day with Shepherds at Planina Vlašić Planina Vlašič, located in Central Bosnia-Herzegovina, is renowned for its natural beauty, traditional shepherding methods, and a local sheep cheese known as...