honorable mention
Dimo Dimov bulgaria
title
This is my way
On that early summer morning mom took away all her belongings and our family albums as if she wanted to rob us not only of our future with her but also of our past. I was very angry at mom. Because she left, because she didn’t call, because she took away our common memories. Initially I felt guilty for not being good enough so she had to go away from me. With years passing I realized that I shouldn’t feel responsible for her decision and that it might have been mom’s right to choose her own future. But I was unable to forgive and my anger shifted from her to the photos she had taken and to photography in general. These were hard years, I had to provide for our living with my dad out of job and crashed by the fate he presumed unfair and thus even bitterer. I stayed away of photography but my attraction towards it had been swelling in my subconsciousness like water current stopped by a wall deliberately put to prevent me from suffering. Until one day I realized that photography can actually heal by telling stories, by showing visions, by inspiring people. The wall in my mind toppled down and since then I take pictures of people I meet, of light I see, of darkness I sense, of doubt I feel, of silence I here.
Because this is my way.
Dimo had gone through various life challenges being forced to drop out of school and start working to support himself and his family. Low-skilled and underpaid jobs like construction worker, welder, driver, turner and miller had been his options to make a living. But his striving for knowledge made him attend an evening high school while working full time during the day. Later Dimo obtained bachelor and master degrees followed by a PhD. Dimo has recently graduated from a one-year photography program at National Academy for Theater and Film Arts in Sofia (NATFA) „Kr. Sarafov“.
These various educational and life experiences have formed his own perspective on the visual interpretation of the world around.
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entry description
It is so obvious now but twenty years ago it wasn’t. One early summer morning my mom left us while we were sleeping. She dropped a note to me saying she hadn’t been able to go on like that and she would call soon. She never did.On that early summer morning mom took away all her belongings and our family albums as if she wanted to rob us not only of our future with her but also of our past. I was very angry at mom. Because she left, because she didn’t call, because she took away our common memories. Initially I felt guilty for not being good enough so she had to go away from me. With years passing I realized that I shouldn’t feel responsible for her decision and that it might have been mom’s right to choose her own future. But I was unable to forgive and my anger shifted from her to the photos she had taken and to photography in general. These were hard years, I had to provide for our living with my dad out of job and crashed by the fate he presumed unfair and thus even bitterer. I stayed away of photography but my attraction towards it had been swelling in my subconsciousness like water current stopped by a wall deliberately put to prevent me from suffering. Until one day I realized that photography can actually heal by telling stories, by showing visions, by inspiring people. The wall in my mind toppled down and since then I take pictures of people I meet, of light I see, of darkness I sense, of doubt I feel, of silence I here.
Because this is my way.
about the photographer
Dimo Dimov is a fine art and documentary photographer based in Sofia, Bulgaria. Focusing on long-term projects, Dimo explores the formation of abstract concepts and ideas through the interrelation between personal memories and the surrounding reality.Dimo had gone through various life challenges being forced to drop out of school and start working to support himself and his family. Low-skilled and underpaid jobs like construction worker, welder, driver, turner and miller had been his options to make a living. But his striving for knowledge made him attend an evening high school while working full time during the day. Later Dimo obtained bachelor and master degrees followed by a PhD. Dimo has recently graduated from a one-year photography program at National Academy for Theater and Film Arts in Sofia (NATFA) „Kr. Sarafov“.
These various educational and life experiences have formed his own perspective on the visual interpretation of the world around.
back to gallery