Laurens


The path finder

My passion for the awe-inspiring beauty and wilderness of the Soča Valley and my fascination for the challenging and elegant art of fly-fishing began 20 years ago when I was only twelve years old. Motivated by an article in a fishing magazine, I begged my mother take me to Slovenia where I immediately fell in love with the raw, untouched nature of the Triglav National Park and the crystal clear, pristine waters of the Soča River and its tributaries. A few years ago, I realized my dream and moved here, to my paradise.

Gregor


The pilot

The Soča Valley is my home. Since my father was a dedicated fly-fisherman, I had my first experiences in casting a fly rod before I was a teenager. It's almost a tradition in our valley to be a fisherman. Over the years, I found myself doing all kinds of other outdoor sports like kayaking, mountain biking and paragliding. Motivated by my two friends from Austria and the Netherlands, I found myself fly-fishing again after a decade of doing other sports. Now I have spent several years learning how to improve drone shots, and I am the one who takes care of all language barriers and local communication management.

Vanja


The enthusiast

Coming from the Soča Valley, I studied photography in secondary school in Ljubljana. By doing various student jobs, it came clear to me that I wanted to expand my knowledge about videography. Back home I heard about the Emerald Paradise project and the idea behind it – and I wanted to be a part of it. Being out there in nature made me realize how beautiful my home region actually is. By correcting colors for photos and working on creative camera movements and much more I can now do all of the things I like to do most.

Žiga


The tech pro

Photography and videography started to grow on me in high school. I was mountain biking a lot and got my first camera, a GoPro, which was a very big deal for me back then. I am still studying graphics and interactive communication to add broader-based knowledge to my skills. As a second job, I worked as a camera specialist for Sony. This helped me to gain a deeper knowledge of the technical aspects of a variety of digital tools. The Emerald Paradise project is an opportunity for me to stay in the valley and to continue my quest of becoming a professional filmmaker.

Klemen


The multi talent

My perception of photography and videography was mainly influenced by the beautiful Soča Valley where I live. Even in my childhood days, I would often borrow my father’s old camera with the intention to show everyone the beauty in nature as I saw it from my perspective. Seeing life in pictures allows me to appreciate the special moments even more. That explains why I always press the record button to save them. By studying administrative information systems and working for Apple, I have been able to learn more about computer systems, software and communication. Being part of this project has allowed me to make a profession out of my hobbies and to meet a lot of wonderful people who love nature like I do.

Daniel


The yogi

I started my photographic journey in 2004 with my first digital DSLR camera. As I love nature, my first pictures mainly showed forests, landscapes and animals. Soon though, I immersed myself in the microcosm of macrophotography. These pictures show foreign worlds and alien landscapes, often magnetized in symmetrical compositions. Yoga brought me to Slovenia in 2016, and I fell in love with the Soča River the first time I saw it. So just one year later, I decided to leave Germany and move to the Soča Valley. Unfortunately, Lyme disease forced me to spend two more years in Germany in order to get healthy again. I finally made my dream come true in 2019 when I moved to Slovenia. One week after my arrival I met Laurens, and now I am very grateful to be part of his great team and to be able to create some marvelous impressions of the breathtaking nature in the Soča Valley.