My favourite Slovenia photos in 2019

It’s this time of a year when photographers like to look back at what they have accomplished in the year. For the last few years I’ve been posting my favourite photos of Slovenia and this year is no different. Here are some of my personal favourites – I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I’ve enjoyed creating them!

Soča river valley is still one of my favourite places to photograph. This view is one of the coolest and I’ve been waiting for the right winter conditions for many years. This time, there was just enough of snow, enough water and not too icy so I managed to climb down to get this view.

Silhouetted trees are one of the best winter subjects. I really enjoy photographing them – I think their character reveals when they drop the leaves. Here are two different takes – a telephoto shot of a silhouetted tree near Kranj and a closeup view of snow covered tree and the iconic island of Lake Bled behind.

Lake Cerknica. Always a source of inspiration and always full of surprises. This photo was made with a drone for my dad’s upcoming book on Slovenian waters. Can’t wait to see it published!

A stunning view of Piran and Julian Alps. This extreme telephoto shot amazes me. Because of its visual effect bringing the mountain so close to the city and symbolical meaning – the lowest and the highest parts of Slovenia in one shot. The geographical trivia is also interesting, the distance between my camera and the city is about 4km, the distance between Triglav peak and Piran is about 100km – view like this is possible only in strong Burja winds in winter – when the sky is the clearest. The political trivia is also fun, this photo was taken from Croatia, looking to Piran (Slovenia), continuing over the hills on Italian coast and back to Slovenia to Mt Triglav and Julian Alps. I have to thank my photography buddy Piotr who planned and got us to this location.

Logarska valley is most beautiful in late spring. Lush green, blooming meadows and north sun are the reasons. If lucky you get snow capped peaks and mists as well.

Not often enough, but always with great enthusiasm Dan and I go shooting at Sča river valley. He knows this corner of Julian Alps really well. I always discover new places with him – this suspension bridge was new to me – and only a few hundred meters away from usual places I shoot.

A fleeting moment. I stopped at a side of the road near Kočevje when I noticed this flock of sheep around the hunter’s watchtower. It turned to be my favourite shot of the three days I spent in this area in summer.

The Logarska valley elm tree. It is the icon of the valley and I wish it will grow for many more generations.

The tree framed with a church window is one of those shots you never plan. I happened to be at this church with the idea to do an aerial photo with a drone but it was covered in fog. Instead I got this shot and I couldn’t be happier. This is at St Volbenk church above Poljanska valley btw.

Another one of those shots when things don’t go with plans. Lake Cerknica was covered in thick fog, no visibility but with a drone I was able to rise above and find this view where fog was spilling over the forest. Drones are just too convenient sometimes!

Two emerald rivers of Julian Alps. They might seem alike but both have very different characters. The Koritnica on the left is less-favored but it rivals Soča with its beauty. I need to explore it more in the future. The right image is of Soča at its upper stream.

Siblings. Two brown bears in the Notranjska forest. My friend Miha runs bear photography workshops and I often visit him. Sometimes we go to explore possible new places for his hides, sometimes we just explore cool parts of thick forests and sometimes we sit in a hide, chat and watch bears. This is my all-time favourite bear photo – it shows bears in their natural habitat, foraging for food and the mood in the forest is really mysterious.

Wild rivers. Two very different rivers in a very different environment. The left one is river Rak, a typical Karstic river that disappears underground and resurfaces many times. Always full of surprises as one never knows what water levels will be.

Radovna river on the other hand is a very scenic Alpine river that runs in Triglav national park. The most beautiful section is arguably at Vintgar gorge – where this photo was taken.

After I finished with my Autumn photo workshops when I was away from home for more than a month I took my family to Lake Bled for a few days. Just family time. I did sneak out in the mornings to capture the last breaths of Autumn. This is the best photo, taken at Jelovica plateau.

A view from heaven. An aerial shot of the hilltop church at Dolenjska region. Walled churches on top of the hill are called Tabor in Slovenia. This was the first snow of the season and was quickly gone due to warm temperatures. Can’t wait for more!

To end this 2019 selection, an unlikely photo of Lake Bled island. When I arrived the snowfall was so thick I couldn’t even see the island from the shore. So I waited. And waited. Snow was becoming less thick and I could see a hint of the island in the distance. Just enough to get this photo at dusk. With this shot I am finishing this photographic year which was very productive for me.

What do you think about this selection? Leave a comment below what are your favourite photos and show your friends how beautiful Slovenia is! If you are a photographer you might be interested in joining my photography workshops or checking out PhotoHound, where I described 300 and more photo locations in Slovenia and around the world.

Check out my previous selections of the best Slovenia photos of the year.

Happy New Year!