A hillside on Santorini can feel like two different places in the space of an hour. As daylight fades, the sea loses detail and the windows begin to glow. In the travel photographs of Nikolay Pandev, also known as Nick Pandev, that shift in light often becomes the main event.

This selection revisits images shared in a 2015 feature, with subjects ranging from Bulgaria to Greece and other European destinations. It is a look at a photographer’s work, not a claim that every location still looks exactly as it did when the shutter clicked.

Warm lights illuminating Santorini buildings beside the darkening sea
Warm lights illuminating Santorini buildings beside the darkening sea. Gallery attribution: Nikolay (Nick) Pandev.

The photographer comes before the travel list

Pandev is a Bulgarian photographer whose work includes travel and landscape subjects. His photostream provides a direct route to more of his images, while his Pandevonium account identifies his broader creative work.

The earlier article borrowed a writer’s recollection of being his schoolmate. That relationship belonged to the original writer, so it is not presented here as our own. The photographs offer more than enough to discuss without inventing a personal introduction.

Three details worth slowing down for

The lit hillside: in the Santorini image, warm building lights draw the eye through a much cooler evening scene. The contrast gives structure to what could otherwise become a busy mass of terraces. Notice how the buildings form a path for your attention.

The small church: a modest building beneath a dramatic sky creates a different balance. The church gives the scene a recognisable scale, while the sky supplies atmosphere. Removing either would change what the picture feels like.

The night sky: the Milky Way image asks you to notice how little land is needed to anchor a large sky. A dark silhouette can be enough. It is also a reminder that a finished night photograph is not a guarantee of what the unaided eye will see on any particular evening.

A practical exercise with one location

Choose a place where you can stand comfortably and take three photographs over a short period as the light changes. Keep the main composition similar. Later, compare the brightest area, the colour of the shadows and the point your eye notices first.

Small church below a dramatic evening sky in Nick Pandev’s photograph
Small church below a dramatic evening sky in Nick Pandev’s photograph. Gallery attribution: Nikolay (Nick) Pandev.

You are not trying to copy Pandev’s processing or reproduce a particular sky. The exercise is to discover what the light is doing before you start changing camera settings. Even a familiar street corner can teach you that.

Let the photograph open the itinerary

If the hillside scene has you thinking about Greece, explore our Santorini guide and how to choose a base on the island. They help turn a beautiful view into decisions about where to stay and how much time to allow.

A night landscape beneath a bright band of stars in Nick Pandev’s photo collection
A night landscape beneath a bright band of stars in Nick Pandev’s photo collection. Gallery attribution: Nikolay (Nick) Pandev.

For another way of seeing a place after dark, compare Albert Dros’s Dubai cityscapes. Different architecture and different surroundings, but the same rewarding question: where is the light leading your eye?

Andy Lee’s road photographs offer a useful comparison in how a line through a landscape can direct the eye.