Albanian Canyons

Theo Bosboom

Theo Bosboom is a passionate photographer from the Netherlands, specialising in nature and landscapes. In 2013, he turned his back on a successful legal career to pursue his dream of being a fulltime professional photographer. He is regarded as a creative photographer with a strong eye for detail and composition and always trying to find fresh perspectives.

theobosboom.nl

One of the attractive aspects of my project about European canyons is that it has introduced me to nature in Eastern European countries. Honestly, I had never been to Eastern Europe before, let alone photographed there. But Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Albania all have interesting and significant canyons, so they were high on my list of places to visit for this project.

The most exciting and most exotic destination for me was Albania. Although this country has been gaining increasing attention in recent years—primarily because of its beautiful beaches and low prices—it remains quite an unspoiled land, with few landscape photographers appearing to have an interest in it. The tradition of blood vengeance and the country’s interesting recent history, particularly its rule by the communist dictator Hoxha from 1944 to 1985, added to my curiosity. I had planned a trip with my good friend Michel Lucas, who, although not particularly interested in canyons, was curious about Albanian landscapes and the potential new photographic opportunities there.

The trip was scheduled in the middle of summer. This had to do with the water levels in the canyons. In May and June, there is usually a lot of water, and rafting and kayaking are common in the large canyons. However, for photography, this is less suitable because you usually cannot descend into or walk through the canyons at that time. Consequently, photographic opportunities are generally more limited, relying on viewpoints at the canyon’s edge and possibly drones. So, we planned our trip for the latter half of July, when water levels are lower and you can walk through many parts of the canyons.

A major drawback of this period is that Albania can be very hot—sometimes even outright scorching. Temperatures between 35 and 40°C are quite standard inland, and during our stay, the hottest day saw temperatures over 43°C. Having a car and hotel with (well-functioning) air conditioning was essential, and fortunately, we had both. At night, it cooled down somewhat to around 20°C.

View into the Osumi Canyon, from one of the bridges over the canyon

Besides the high temperatures, the intense midday sunlight posed a challenge for photography. This meant we had two very good reasons to get up early and start each day very early. Actually, three—because during the first hours of daylight, the canyons are usually still wonderfully quiet, and we had them all to ourselves. Since it gets light around 5:00 AM at this time of year, we often left the hotel around 4:15 or 4:30 AM, arriving before sunrise. Waking up that early was sometimes tough, but the relative coolness, tranquility, and the better light were enough rewards to keep us going every day. After a few intense hours, you naturally get tired of photographing and it’s time for breakfast, image editing and selection, a long siesta, and then a late afternoon dinner. In the evening, we usually had another 2 or 3 hours reserved for photography, although it was considerably warmer than early in the morning.