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Photo Walk - Sarandë, Albania

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I’ve started doing photo walks in cities that I go to. It helps me practice my photography - often with some restrictions in place - but it also gives me content to film a video. The best part of doing the photo walks, however, is how it helps me explore and connect to a place.

This time, I was in the seaside town of Sarandë in southern Albania. Because it’s a beach town, I really wanted to capture the vibe that the town gives off. I made a conscious effort to snap photos that give the same relaxed, warm, summery feel that Sarandë has in early June.

As with every photo walk I’ve done until now, I gave myself some parameters. First, was the same as the last photo walk I did in Tirana: I could only press the shutter five times. Five photos, that’s it. No burst mode, no snapping to my hearts content until I got the angle I liked. Secondly, I chose to shoot all of these photos on my phone, which currently is the iPhone 13 Pro. Having three lenses really helps with this restriction, but it still presented it’s own challenges.

In any case, below are the five photos that I took, two of which I’m not very enthusiastic about, and two of which I really like. I’ll let you guess which one is in between those two feelings…

If you want to watch me struggle to figure out what to take photos of… the video is here:

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Hotel Nertili

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I’ve been trying to use my platform and craft to help promote tourism in Albania, and featuring places to stay around the country seemed like it fit perfectly with that goal. After dozens of messages to hotels and guesthouses around Albania, I finally got a positive response; Hotel Nertili.

Hotel Nertili is a family owned hotel, restaurant, and bar in Sarande, Albania. It was originally built in 2001, but has some ongoing renovations that began in 2020. The management of the hotel kindly offered me a three night stay to experience the hotel and to show it to the world in my own unique way. 

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Photo Walk - Tirana, Albania

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A few weeks ago, I had a few hours in Tirana before my flight to Germany. So I decided to try to spend some time practicing one of my favorite hobbies; photography. Because I had to be in the city anyways, I elected to go on a photo walk and see what sort of images I would be able to capture.

I decided to challenge myself. In more ways than one…

First of all, my go-to way to take photos is to just wander around and snap as many frames as I possibly can and find the good ones later. So the first way challenge was to only allow myself 5 frames. I did not use a burst mode, or try multiple angles of the subject, I found the frame I wanted, and waited for the right timing.

The second challenge, was confining myself to a determined space. In the center of Tirana you have Skanderbeg Square. A large open area, mostly for pedestrians, that many people will pass through on their way to and from work. I set the square as my boundary, and forced myself to find the five photos in the confines of the general vicinity of the square.

And if you’re interested in watching me try to pick out the frames I wanted, the video is below.

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Before Visiting Albania

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Before traveling anywhere, most people search for a few insider tips on what to expect, how to conduct yourself, and the best times and places to visit. In this video I went over all of those things so that anyone who is hoping to visit the country will get all the information they need. I discuss the currency, how to get around, the language, where to stay, and more!

If you have ever considered coming to Albania, be sure to watch this video before you arrive!

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Lake Ohrid

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A giant part of the reason I love living in Pogradec is because of Lake Ohrid. In all seasons, the lake provides incredible opportunities for photographs and is a constant source of inspiration for me. Countless people in both the Albania side and Macedonian side of the lakes depend on the lake for food, income, or livelihood. So what makes this lake so interesting, or special? I dive into the importance of the lake for the community as well as some geographical details of it in my newest video.

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Best Year of My Life - 2021

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I’m thoroughly convinced that each year of my life is better than the last, and 2021 was no different. Sure, every year has its ups and downs but I never want to be caught looking back and thinking, “Man, remember that other years? It was way better than this one.” For that reason, I make sure to edit together a recap video of each year. This way, I can have a visual reminder of all the things that I did in each and every year and can recall those memories much easier.

This year’s recap took a bit longer to finally put together, but it’s better late than never. Because when I look back on this 2021 recap video in 5, 10, or 20 years I won’t worried about when I uploaded it… but I do know I would regret not uploading it at all.

Cheers, 2021, thanks for the ride!

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Rock Climbing in Korçë

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While I was attending college in northwest Georgia, I had a number of friends who were into rock climbing. Because of where our school was situated, most of the climbing took place outdoors. I wasn’t super into the climbing, so I didn’t buy any shoes for it and because my feet are larger than average, none of my friends had shoes for me to borrow. This led me to being the one in the group to either sit in a hammock and watch, or belay.

Moving forward a few years, I had a handful of jobs working with youth. A few of these jobs had outings to places that had climbing walls, but most of the time I was the one supervising and making sure the children didn’t hurt themselves. If I remember correctly, there was exactly one instance that I have ever set foot on a rock climbing wall. That is, until last week.

I had heard a few things about an indoor climbing gym in Korce, about 40 minutes away from where I live. So i took the opportunity to hang out with a friend, and try this out for the first (real) time.

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Where to Buy Food in Albania?

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A few weeks ago I asked people in my audience what sort of things they would find interesting to watch. One of my brothers replied and mentioned that he and his kids would be interested in seeing what grocery shopping looked like in Albania. So, I decided to give them a look.

Many things in Albania have become so normal to me that I forget they aren’t necessarily the typical way of life in the rest of the world. For instance, getting any fruits and vegetables from a guy on the street who has his tomatoes and apples sitting on the sidewalk in cardboard boxes. I see it every single day so I forget that it would be something novel to someone who spends most of their life in the United States.