We simply love beautiful images of our city, especially when there’s a good story behind them. A few weeks ago, we noticed a great Instagram account, and we instantly wanted to find out more about the creators behind these breathtaking photographs. It turns out these Croatian brothers, Boris and Sandro Erceg, basically travel the world together. They also take amazing photos on their journeys, write interesting captions and share them with their 27.3 K followers.
So we went behind-the-scenes with @brotherside to learn more about their visit to Dubrovnik, their career, travels and how the capture a sense of magic in their photographs.
What’s your connection to Dubrovnik and Croatia?
We were born in Rijeka, Croatia, and lived there for the majority of our lives, before moving to Norway for PhD studies. As for Dubrovnik, except for visiting twice in the past we never had any particular connection to it. In our part of the country, Dubrovnik doesn’t come across often in conversations, and when we think about it, we haven’t met more than a handful of people from your city.
What do you like about Dubrovnik?
We’re not going to say anything revolutionary about the beauty of Dubrovnik. The position of the city, the way it was built, and its glorious history speak for themselves. The feeling is that every corner of the city tells a story worthy of discovering.
As Croats who spent more time traveling around the world than in their own country, Dubrovnik represents the most painful symbol of how little appreciation we had for what was under our nose the whole time.

I think I visited Dubrovnik twice in the past. My first visit to the most famous Croatian city was so long ago that I’m not even sure it happened, but let’s say it did for the sake of dramatization. The second time was seven years ago, with my brain already fully developed and my ego high up in the sky. It took perhaps a 20-minute walk through the old town to extrapolate that I just hated the city for its crowds and crazy prices. The comfort of my echo chamber was just too high. This time, a bit older and less full of myself, what I saw in Dubrovnik just blew me away. Despite knowing all the standard facts about the city, there’s nothing that could have prepared me for such beauty. If there were one word to describe the city, it would be harmony – of colors, textures, and shapes. Hell, even the pigeons looked classy and clean there. Roadtripping Croatia w/ @LowridersRental === @SonyAlpha 7Sii + Mitakon 50 mm f/0.95 @ f/0.95, 1/400 s, ISO 125 === #lowridersrental #passionpassport #createcommune #experiencedubrovnik #wonderful_places #milliondollarvisuals #ourplanetdaily #tlpicks #SPi_Colour #depthobsessed #streetphotography #storytelling #earthpix #heatercentral #ourmoodydays #moodytoning #earthofficial #eclectic_shotz #bokehkillers #visualambassadors #fatalframes #randommagazines #hbouthere #shotzdelight #urbanandstreet #croatia_photography

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Is there something you don’t like?
During our few short visits to Dubrovnik, we were always annoyed by the traffic congestions and crowds in the old town, which are quite understandable given the layout of the city.
Of course, we can’t say that we liked the prices either, especially from a Croatian perspective. While on the one hand, as a world-class tourist destination, Dubrovnik is relatively inexpensive, on the other, it’s sad to see that an average Croat just can’t afford to spend their vacation in the most beautiful Croatian city.

Your Instagram looks like a fairy-tale. What are some of the best memories from your journeys?
We are inspired to seek for visually attractive places and moments. That fact alone guarantees that our photos will always represent only a part of the reality of a certain place.
We have traveled together to more than 15 countries, and there are so many memories, that our brain storage has already started forgetting some.
Our dearest journey was certainly the one to Cuba, where we came expecting the happy utopian land, and a month later left heartbroken about the sad reality of everyday Cubans. Also, sleeping in a tiny Toyota Yaris for ten days straight during our trip to Norway was definitely a memorable experience, especially for our spines.
What does it take for a good photo?
For start, it takes knowledge, but surely not as much as people often think. The basics of photography are pretty simple, and one starts seeing results rather soon. Later on, building up the knowledge and developing own style is fun.
There are lots of elements that make a good photo: composition, light, and editing, to name a few. But most importantly, we would point out patience. Patience to try and fail and do that daily until you manage to get the point acrosss. Nonetheless, if you manage to capture the perfect moment, all the things mentioned become irrelevant.
You travel a lot. Can you give us some tips for taking great photos at a new place?
When we have limited time in a certain place, we always make sure to do good location scouting beforehand. Because we mostly shoot during the soft morning and evening light, we heavily rely on photography apps that show the sunrise/sunset time, cloud coverage, and sun position.
Also, when shooting famous landmarks (like Dubrovnik old town), being on the spot well before sunrise is the only way to avoid the crowds.
Of course, a great photo can be taken any time at any place, but for good cityscape photography, these are paramount.

[#PhotoBeerWalk Zagreb] Saturday, October 7, 15:00 Meeting point: Europski trg People of Zagreb and nearby towns no one ever heard about. The walk day is approaching, and our hard-working research team led by @Ana.Leko has come up with a route. We will meet at the European square, of course, to celebrate Croatia’s accession to the European Union. The road will take us through many famous and less-known corners of Zagreb city center before we find a sweet spot for hopefully a rainless sunset. For more details, check the Facebook event (link in bio). Bring along your friends, pets, and beer openers. See you on Saturday! #PhotoBeerWalkZg === @SonyAlpha 7Sii + Mitakon 50 mm f/0.95 @ f/0.95, 1/1000 s, ISO 200 === #lowridersrental #passionpassport #createcommune #bokeh #wonderful_places #milliondollarvisuals #ourplanetdaily #tlpicks #SPi_Colour #depthobsessed #streetphotography #hvar #earthpix #heatercentral #ourmoodydays #earthofficial #eclectic_shotz #bokehkillers #visualambassadors #randommagazines #hbouthere #shotzdelight #urbanandstreet #croatia_photography

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If you could photograph just one place for entire life what place would it be?
That is not a tempting proposal whatsoever, but if we had to choose, we’d go for some major world city like New York or Paris. Not necessarily because they are the most beautiful, but because the dynamics of such places continually ensures new photo opportunities.
Where to next?
A week more around Croatia and then back to work and simulating ship-ice interaction up in the Arctic waters… Until some spontaneous trip emerges.

I was 23 when I left Croatia. Ambitious and fed up with the stagnant life of my hometown, I used the first chance to run away from the environment I thought was slowing me down. Occasionally, people would ask me what the thing I missed the most was. In the beginning, my answer was food, but over the years I started realizing how much I missed my language – being able to express myself fully and freely. The feeling intensified when I started writing, never achieving to be fully satisfied with my texts, no matter the feedback. A few months ago, when it became clear that I would move back to Croatia, I was looking forward to the smallest things – differentiating the subtle contrasts in tones, telling jokes using cultural references, not ordering coffee in English. In all the enthusiasm, I didn’t think much that it would also mean understanding the politicians spewing hatred, people on the street with their prejudice and annoying small talk, and my family’s saucy remarks. All the things I left behind, living abroad in my bubble, surrounded by a handpicked group of friends I spoke English with. After all these years with almost no connection to the problems and mindsets of every day Germans and Norwegians, the same beloved language made my Croatian experience overwhelming and tiring, to the point where I started missing my bubble that made me so unhappy in the first place. Roadtripping Croatia w/ @lowridersrental === #lowridersrental #passionpassport #createcommune #šibenik #wonderful_places #milliondollarvisuals #ourplanetdaily #tlpicks #SPi_Colour #depthobsessed #streetphotography #hvar #earthpix #heatercentral #ourmoodydays #earthofficial #kings_villages #eclectic_shotz #bokehkillers #visualambassadors #randommagazines #hbouthere #shotzdelight #urbanandstreet #croatia_photography

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Croatia is one of those unfortunate places where the living standard is too low for the average local to travel within their own country, making one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world mostly reserved for foreigners who can keep up with often ridiculous prices of accommodation and services. After already accepting that this road trip is going to be yet another experience of sleeping on beaches, in forests, and ferry terminals, a series of incredible circumstances hooked us up with @LowridersRental, a DIY mini camper rental company from our hometown. A week in the trip we visited the most remote islands, national parks, and slept both under the stars and in city centers, all while paying road tolls and ferry tickets the same price as if we were driving a Fiat Panda. Thinking of roadtripping Croatia? Check out @LowridersRental and see where the road takes you. Just don’t forget to buy mosquito spray. #sponsored === @SonyAlpha 7R + @ZeissCameraLenses 16-35 f/4 @ 16 mm, f/4, 25 s, ISO 3200 === #lowridersrental #passionpassport #createcommune #wonderful_places #ournaturedays #ourplanetdaily #tlpicks #nightphotography #sunrise #storytelling #earthpix #vanlife #sonyalpha #GermanDrones #earthofficial #eclectic_shotz #putopis #visualambassadors #fatalframes #randommagazines #hbouthere #shotzdelight #livefolk #sonyalphasclub

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I was 23 when I left Croatia. Ambitious and fed up with the stagnant life of my hometown, I used the first chance to run away from the environment I thought was slowing me down. Occasionally, people would ask me what the thing I missed the most was. In the beginning, my answer was food, but over the years I started realizing how much I missed my language – being able to express myself fully and freely. The feeling intensified when I started writing, never achieving to be fully satisfied with my texts, no matter the feedback. A few months ago, when it became clear that I would move back to Croatia, I was looking forward to the smallest things – differentiating the subtle contrasts in tones, telling jokes using cultural references, not ordering coffee in English. In all the enthusiasm, I didn’t think much that it would also mean understanding the politicians spewing hatred, people on the street with their prejudice and annoying small talk, and my family’s saucy remarks. All the things I left behind, living abroad in my bubble, surrounded by a handpicked group of friends I spoke English with. After all these years with almost no connection to the problems and mindsets of every day Germans and Norwegians, the same beloved language made my Croatian experience overwhelming and tiring, to the point where I started missing my bubble that made me so unhappy in the first place. Roadtripping Croatia w/ @lowridersrental === #lowridersrental #passionpassport #createcommune #šibenik #wonderful_places #milliondollarvisuals #ourplanetdaily #tlpicks #SPi_Colour #depthobsessed #streetphotography #hvar #earthpix #heatercentral #ourmoodydays #earthofficial #kings_villages #eclectic_shotz #bokehkillers #visualambassadors #randommagazines #hbouthere #shotzdelight #urbanandstreet #croatia_photography

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To the amazement of our mother and those two friends we still have left in Croatia, we are finally coming home! This time we will have enough time for a proper road trip that will hopefully show you that The Land of 1000 Islands and the second poorest country in the EU (soon to be first) offers far more than just sea and the sun. The route will roughly follow our famous coast from Rovinj to Dubrovnik, including some less-known places along the way. Also, for the first time ever, we’re gonna post day-to-day thematic stories including the best and the worst our country has to offer. That said, our fellow Croatians and expats (if such even exist), let us know if you’re around. We’d be happy to meet new people and drink a few. This is a new edit of one of our dearest photos, taken on the empty streets of Rovinj during the first hours of 2017, after a fervent brotherly argument. === #passionpassport #createcommune #alphahype #mgsoshauna @so.shauna #wonderful_places #milliondollarvisuals #ourplanetdily #tlpicks #wonderful_places #depthobsessed #sunrise #storytelling #earthpix #heatercentral #ourmoodydays #moodytoning #earthofficial #eclectic_shotz #putopis #visualambassadors #fatalframes #randommagazines #hbouthere #shotzdelight #urbanandstreet #croatia_photography

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