This is the first episode of “The Nowhere Archives” — a video series where I take you along on photography journeys and share the behind-the-scenes process of how a project comes to life on location. For this episode, I’m in the mountains of Bulgaria, documenting a gathering of the Universal White Brotherhood. Emerging in the early 20th century outside the country’s Orthodox tradition, the movement is known for its practice of paneurhythmy — a form of collective movement guided by music, intended by participants to explore harmony between body, mind, and the natural world. Each summer, followers from Bulgaria and beyond gather in the Rila Mountains to practice together. The main gathering takes place on August 19, considered the beginning of the “Solar New Year” within the tradition, when hundreds of people meet on open mountain meadows to perform the ritual at sunrise. standing at the edge of the ritual, I watched patterns repeat, bodies move in unison, and music set a shared tempo. These images come from a distance, shaped by observation rather than participation. What interested me was not belief, but the structure of the practice itself — how rhythm, repetition, and collectivity shape a temporary way of living. In this episode, I share moments from the field, how I worked on location, and how the documentary photo series "Byalo Utro" slowly took shape.

CREDITS:

A Film By Danijel Tomic

Cinematography by Danijel Tomic

Editing by Melisa Krasniqi & Danijel Tomic

Color Grading by Danijel Tomic

Sound mixing by Andreas Fennes