«Sky in the Ocean» was photographed on the shore of the Indian Ocean in Sri Lanka at sunset after rain. As the clouds began to open, the sky filled with dense warm tones and the surface of the water absorbed their reflection. The horizon holds the composition, while the glass prism disrupts the usual division between sky and ocean: light, cloud, and water begin to pass into one another.
In this photograph, Bulat works not only with landscape but also with optical displacement. The prism introduces a second space into the frame — soft, fluid, and almost mirror-like. As a result, the sunset is perceived not simply as a view of the ocean, but as a post-rain state: a moment when the air is still saturated with moisture, the light becomes heavier, and the boundary between the real and the reflected is nearly impossible to fix.
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About the Author
Bulat Asyanov
Bulat Asyanov is a photographer and videographer. He was born in Oktyabrsky, Bashkortostan, and has lived in Ufa, Saint Petersburg, Sri Lanka, Bali, and Thailand. He is currently based in Vietnam, where he continues to explore the visual stories of Southeast Asia.
His path in photography began with film, a simple camera, and the urge to capture everything happening around him: friends, music, travel, nature, and chance encounters. Over time, this personal way of shooting developed into a professional practice spanning travel photography, reportage, portraiture, commercial projects, and video.
At the center of Bulat’s work are people, nature, and the immediacy of presence. He photographs from within events, seeking direct contact with his subjects, the place, and the surrounding environment. His photographs often emerge on the road and preserve states that cannot be repeated: a glance, movement, light, inner tension, or the quiet of a moment.
Bulat’s key themes are travel, diverse cultures, street life, spirituality, the connection between human beings and nature, and a sense of the unity of the living world. Through photography, he explores the interconnectedness of people, places, and events, finding what they have in common in things that may at first seem different.
Main Exhibitions
Bulat has been working professionally in photography for over eight years and in video for over five. His projects include documenting retreats in Sri Lanka and Phuket, the international project «Sing with MED-EL!», and a short film shot in the mountains of Adygea. He has participated in «The Most Beautiful Country», a competition run by the Russian Geographical Society, and in «35AWARDS», as well as the exhibition «Kapusula» in Ufa.
