Born as Rumyana Petrova from the small town of Montana in North-western Bulgaria, I take the artistic alias Anq Hа́riz to represent my journey in photography storytelling.
I do not have the romantic story of “my grandpa giving me my first camera when I was 5 and ever since…” On the contrary – Photography and I found each other rather late, I would say. But ever since childhood, I have been guided by the inextricable connection between nature and humankind. When I am not with my camera, I immerse myself into the topics of Economy, and Ecology, and a bit of the Pathologies of our time. My previous experience is also connected to sustainability issues, climate change and human rights and this path naturally finds its way through the lens.
At the beginning of 2022 I started as a student at BECA Before Creating Academy, the first private photography academy in Bulgaria, where I completed the Documentary Profile and the Master class, both led by Dimitri Stefanov. During the Documentary course, I developed two bodies of works: Damnatio memoriae and Lock-Unlock. The master class elevated my knowledge and vision of the photographic narrative, provided an opportunity to interact with well-known photographers from the European photography scene, and resulted in another body of work – Equilibrium and a set of ideas to be yet developed. The training at BECA provided a strong foundation and exceptional guidance in forming an artistic awareness and discovering my photographic voice. In the last 2 years, I am more focused on my development as a visual storyteller by working on long-term projects with a documentary approach and a bit of poetry. My aim is to combine a documentary approach with a conceptual perspective as a way of examining neglected social, environmental, and socially significant topics.
Awards and participation in workshops:
- 2025 “Creating the Visual Naratives” photo essay workshop with Magnum photographer Thomas Dworzak, Alan Chin and Iva Sidash
- 2025 “Shaping the Story” with Magnum photographer Carl De Keyzer – a project-focused workshop, part of the Photovacation 2025 program
- 2025 2nd Place in Book/Documentary category of the 2025 International Photography Awards & Selected in Jury Top 5 >>>
- 2025 BECA and Magnum Photos workshop with Magnum photographer Peter van Agtmael
- 2024 BECA and Magnum photos workshop with Magnum photographer Rafał Milach
- 2023 Scholarship for a BECA and Magnum photos workshop with Magnum photographer Olivia Arthur
- 2023 “Secrets of Visual Storytelling” workshop with David Linuesa and Antonio González Caro
- Participation in 2023 XXII and 2024 XXIII Seminario de Fotografia y Periodismo, Albarracín, Spain, directed by Gervasio Sánchez
Photo: Petar Sertov