Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
The Most Popular Posts of 2014
As the year is coming to an end, we all get reflective on it and try to compose what has happened and where we're moving to next. Last year I did a two-part look back at my favorite images I had posted. For this year I wanted to do something different. In this post I will showcase the most popular posts of 2014 on Mersad Donko Photography, sorted by month. I wanted to show what was the most popular and which posts got the best response.
With a little work I went through my Google Analytic and Blogger Statistics, and picked the most popular blog post in each month, for 2014. After reading this, I want you to tell me if this is an accurate representation of your own views on what should be popular, and maybe even tell me if some blog posts are missing from this list that you liked.
click on the images for a bigger view,
and on the titles to open up the blog post
January 2014: Golden Sunset Clouds
This was the most popular blog post in January this year. The images show a golden sunset over this hills and mountains of south Herzegovina, and dramatic effect this has on the clouds, that are hovering in the sky.
February 2014: Bosnian Sarma Recipe (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)
There are 3 recipes on this list, and this is the first one. Posted in mid-February it is a classic Bosnian dish, perfect for the cold season.
March 2014: Our Cottage in the Mountains
An escape to the mountains, proved to be the highlight of March. In this post I showed our little house in the mountains, dogs playing in the yard, as well as the many hidden spots of the village Sanica, on the foothills of mountain Prenj.
April 2014: Night on the Sea
These here were quiet moments on the beach, that I loved shooting as much as I loved the pictures that came out of it. And so did you. A night on the beach, overlooking the Croatian town Sibenik at night, was the most popular post in April 2014.
May 2015: Passing Time
This was my 600th Post, and it showed one of two timelapse videos I made this year. While the first timelapse showed in this post was only a test run, it proved interesting enough and was the most visited post in May.
June 2015: Peach Ice Cream Recipe
This Peach Ice Cream Recipe post, was not only the most visited post in June 2015, it is also the most viewed post of all time, on my blog. Maybe it is because it was posted during the prime season for peaches, but this post (that is still trending as I type this) contains one of the most delicious Ice Cream Recipes you will ever eat!
July 2014: Summer in the Woods
While the picture above doesn't depict woods, the post that houses it sure does. This was the most popular post in July, that is still trending today!
August 2014: The New Kitchen
August was a big month for me. I moved into a new house. And while I did an elaborate house tour post, this one here with some first images from my new kitchen, was more popular.
September 2014: Reflections on the Lake
These wonderful reflection images from the Jablanica Lake marked the highlight from September 2014. The scenic views from this post, were amongst my favorite lake images I had ever taken.
October 2014: Cherry Strudel Recipe
October had two baking posts. This one here as well as the Greek Baklava Recipe. This wonderful Cherry Strudel Recipe post by my good friend Selma, was the most popular post in this month.
November 2014: The Vanishing Road
My introductory post to the "Visiting Rujiste" travel series was the highlight of November. Followed by a three-part photo series, "The Vanishing Road" set the stage for one of the weirdest road trips I took in 2014!
December 2014: Stars over Mostar
As the nights were getting colder and colder in Mostar, going out was more and more challenging. The city is known for heavy winds in winter. But on this winter night everything was perfect, and I managed to capture (thanks to some long exposure) stars glowing over the city.
How will you be spending New Year's Eve?
Thank you so much for all your visits and for your continued support.
Where I'm Linking To
Monday, December 29, 2014
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Misty Valley of the River Neretva
I promise to stop with the valleys after this post, but I just couldn't leave these images here in the archives. While returning home, from the shoot out for my latest photo series, as I was beginning the drive down to Mostar, I had to stop once I saw this sight. The sun was setting and luckily I had an ND-filter by my side, because the first two shots were taken into direct sunlight.
click on the images for a bigger view
You can see the river Neretva reflecting through the evening fog.
A more sombre view from the road down the mountains.
As I am writing this, massive snow falls have covered up most of the country, and I wonder what these mountains and valleys look like now...
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Friday, December 26, 2014
The Forgotten Valley [Part 3/3]: Remains of Years Past
As we departed from the village we had visited in the previous part, it seemed that we saw and captured everything that was there. But as the sun was slowly starting to set over the mountains, not only did we start to see the whole place in a different light, but we also began discovering sights spread out through the valley that we hadn't seen on our journey there.
So sit back, and enjoy the final part in this series, where we take one final look at a valley, that I now hope won't stay forgotten.
This is a multi-part travel series. Other parts include:
Part One: Drive into the Unknown
Part Two: The Village Zijemlje
Part Three: Remains of Years Past
click on the images for a bigger view
The Old Graveyard
We took a different road out of the village, then the one we drove in, and on our way back we saw this really old graveyard, probably dating back to when the Ottoman Empire was ruling these regions. The various headstones were spread out in a fenced in field, peacefully overlooking the surrounding mountains. Not a bad place to spend eternity.
The sun had already began to set, and I was surprised how quickly the light started to fade in the valley. It didn't stop us from further exploring what was there, but I couldn't wait to drive up the mountains again to see some of that lovely golden light from the sunset.
Leaving the Village
As we were leaving behind the frontiers of the village, we saw another (more modern) graveyard, as well as the administrative center of this municipality. At first I wondered if there were any objects of government here, but I did see a house (second image down), that I later found out was a, albeit modest and small, town hall.
The road was starting to take us up into the mountains and out of the shadows that were increasingly starting to surround the valley. The peaks of mountain Rujiste could be seen in the far distance, as we were heading toward them. Some dark clouds started rolling in from the north, but luckily never reached us.
The golden valley was behind as the sun was setting and we were back on the mountain road, we came in at first.
Mountain Views
We were driving up the mountains, slowly but surely driving back to the main road that would take us home. I stopped the car frequently so that we could take some images of the surrounding landscapes. From forests to mountains, everything was preparing for the day to come to an end.
We had a great time here, and I was glad that the we took the side road into the unknown, and saw this valley and the village. As a thank you, the valley sent us off with some great light from the sunset, and we made our way to a mountain lodge and restaurant, just 3 miles down the road to get something to eat. A great day in the mountains came to an end.
The End
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
The Forgotten Valley [Part 2/3]: The Village Zijemlje
The village Zijemlje is so small, and consists of so few houses, that you can almost drive by, without even noticing that you are inside a populated place. And the phrase "populated place" is stretched very thinly. There are about 30 houses in the village. Some of them are lived in, while only the outer structure remains from the others.
In 1991 Zijemlje counted 153 inhabitants, but I don't think that more then 70 people live here now, at least by the look of it all. But there is a political background to this place as well. It is also known as Serbian Mostar, and was created from a part of the pre-war municipality of Mostar (the other part of the pre-war municipality is now in the city Mostar, where I live today).
What the village lacks in people, it certainly makes up by it's rugged and rustic charm, and the surrounding fields of the valley are more then inviting for any visitor.
This is a multi-part travel series. Other parts include:
Inside the Village
We came to the end of the road that leads to the village. There is a turning point here to go back, and a small side road that leads up another mountain (we went of course up the other mountain, which you will see at the end of this post). Some agricultural fields were in front of us, loosely divided by brown picket fences. I stopped my car at the side of the road, and we took a walk.
The vast valley was spread in front of us, seemingly nothing between us and the foothills of the surrounding mountains. Snow was to be seen on the mountain Velez, on the left side of this next image. But those are only the mountain tops that are covered in the white of snow. The rest of the slopes are enjoying the sunny times.
On the Lookout
Taking in the sights inside the valley was the highlight of the trip. There is just so much to see and take in. Maybe having all of these images in front of you right now is overwhelming, but I do encourage you to enlarge the photos and slowly go through them. There are many details that would otherwise go unnoticed.
The next image is a black and white shot of the valley. I think it works well, since there were some clouds in the sky and because of the angle. Through it I can imagine what this place must have looked like many years ago.
Nothing but Calm on my Mind
The calming effects of nature can be quite striking. Here, on these open roads, the feeling of freedom is very strong. You can go for miles and not encounter a living soul. I can only imagine how beautiful the valley must be when snow falls.
The Journey Goes On
As we left the village, the sight of the valley started to fade, and soon we were back in the mountain slopes on the other side. This stretch of unpaved road leads to Nevesinje, a small city, just 29 kilometers (18 miles) away. Of course we didn't go to Nevesinje, but we drove up the mountain to a nice look out spot, from which I got a great view of the valley looking north.
End of Part Two