International recognition for Athlone amateur photographer

An Athlone resident has been recognised in multiple international photography competitions throughout the past year for his impressive shots of everything ranging from nature to landscapes and architecture.

Todor Tilev, from Bulgaria but living in Athlone since 2007, said he had only been taking photography seriously for the past three years.

"Before that, like everyone, I used to just take photos," Todor told the Westmeath Independent. "I had a bridge camera, which someone stole from my car, and it was after that happened that I started to take it more seriously."

Todor has an interest in nature and landscape photography, and takes advantage of the many photography competitions that are available to enter online.

"There are websites which inform me about which competitions are taking place, so I check those regularly."

He has also regularly submitted shots to the Westmeath Independent’s 'Reader’s Photos' section.

"Readers Photos' was the first place I started submitting pictures," he said.

"The reactions and positive comments of the people gave me the confidence to start participating in international competitions. The Westmeath Independent is the place where my journey in photography started and I am very grateful for that."

Todor's most recent and greatest achievement so far comes from the Tokyo International Photography Awards, where he was awarded a gold medal and three honourable mentions for his photograph 'Lost Into The Forest,' taken at Mullaghmeen Forest in Westmeath.

"I like forests and spending time in them," he said. "My favourite time of the year to go to the forests is the autumn because of its beautiful colours. I adore going in Mullaghmeen Forest when there is fog. It gives this magical and mysterious feeling to the forest and I feel lost."

Another success comes from the 'Historic Photographer of the Year' competition, where photographers from around the globe are asked to explore and capture the very best historic places and cultural sites the world has to offer. Todor was recognised as being among the ten best historic photographers of 2020 for his photo 'Sunset at Poulnabrone Dolmen' in Clare.

The International Photography Awards (IFA) is also known as ‘the Oscars for Photographers,’ where Todor won third place in the category 'Nature' with the sub-category 'Sunset' for the photo ‘Sunset at Dunmore Head.’

Taken while on holiday at the Dingle Peninsula, this achievement places Todor’s name on the IFA’s list of '100 Best Amateur Photographers in the World', and has seen him receive an invitation to an awards ceremony in Carnegie Hall in New York in October.

The photograph ‘Book of Kells’ also earned him bronze at the Paris International Photography Awards, which is one of the biggest and most diverse competitions in the world. Todor spent four hours in the Long Room in Trinity College to get this shot, as he was waiting for the crowds to get smaller.

Similarly, the photograph ‘Devil’s Bridge’, which Todor took in Bulgaria, gave him the third spot at the Moscow International Photography Awards in the category of ‘Architecture/Bridges.’

Todor says photography is just a hobby which he likes to carry out alongside working in the Hodson Bay leisure centre.

"In one week, in normal times, I would spend a day taking photos," he explained. "I haven't gone out and done that in a few weeks because of the 5km limit. I have the town in my 5km, but normally I like to drive further away and spend a full day doing it."

Details of Todor’s awards and his work can be found at: www.todortilev.com