Photo meeting Tundza

“Let’s photograph Tunjalaka”: Photographers from the country and abroad capture the spirit of Tundja
municipality in an international outdoor air. As part of the festive program dedicated to Tundja
Municipality Day, the International Photography Open Air “Let’s Photograph Tunjalaka – People, Land,
Tradition and Livelihood” was held from April 13-17. The final event was set on 17.04.2026 with the opening of a photo exhibit in the lobby on the second floor of the municipality’s administrative building.
The exhibition presented selected shots taken during the open air, and all participants were presented
with certificates by the Mayor of Tundja Municipality Mr. Stancho Stavrev.
According to the Yambol photographer Konstantin Zayikov, who is also the organizer of the forum, this is
a plein air of a serious format for the territory of the country. It included 15 photographers and one
videographer who for nearly a week have travelled through different villages in Tunja, tracking events,
people and stories related to the festive program and the shape of the municipality.
Zaykov emphasized that the result was impressive both in volume and variety of personnel. In the
exhibition, each of the participants was presented with two photographs, as a leading criterion in the
selection was the diversity of viewpoints and subjects. He also announced that by the end of the year, a
catalog that will collect most of what was shot during the open-air was planned to be released.
At the opening of the exhibition, Mayor Stancho Stavrev thanked the participants for their presence and
for the colorful exhibition they created. He noted that such an initiative has been done before, but in such a large format it is for the first time. According to him, the plein air is also a peculiar look at the upcoming
40th anniversary of Tundja Municipality, which will be celebrated next year.
The mayor emphasizes that through the lenses of photographers, the diversity of Tunjan land has been
captured – the people, traditions, local characteristics, and the spirit of different settlements. He expressed special gratitude to the team that assisted in organizing the event and emphasized that in addition to beautiful photographs, the plein air also left behind new friendships, ideas and a foundation
for future common projects.
Mr. Stavrev also said that the Municipality of Tundja has many more hidden treasures that deserve to be
discovered and displayed to a wider audience. That is what he thinks, the power of such creative
encounters – to transform the beauty, colors, and love for the Tundjan land into a story that reaches
more people. And the open-air “Photographing Tunjalaka – People, Land, Tradition and Livelihoods”
remains one of the most interesting events of the Tundja Municipality Day program, combining art,
documentary memory, and a look at local identity through the lens of photography.”