TAT Christmas Action

Holidays are a horrible time of year to do anything and blog posts are down at the bottom of the list. Still, here are a few pictures from our weekend humanitarian off road event, done in the area where the TAT is hosted every year. Maybe i'll find the time to write later but of now i have stuff to read, a research paper to write, articles to publish and so on and so forth. Happy holidays and all that to everyone.

The home we missed

As time passes, i enjoy coming back home more and more. Coming home is something that brings me back from the slightly annoying scheduled life i have in the UK. As Mr. Pocock put it "Hey, i'm allowed to complain about this country because i am British". True, true, so very true. But still, bit of complaining is mandatory.

We're back home, with the large format camera, the Canon, the beyond brilliant Ilford HP5 large format slide films and with a lot of ideas. This'll be epic, i guess.

To begin with, Lavinia, Ramses and myself took up the challenge to participate in a humanitarian off road event. We thought that we'd sign up for the standard class race but when we got there, we reconsidered. I really wanted to run around and take pictures and Lavinia was walking Ramses all the time. Apart from that, the track wasn't that appealing so we decided we're just going to run around, stare at trucks, write an article and, when we get too cold, pack our stuff and head for shelter. Which we did. All in all it was a good day out, even though it kinda puts British cold weather into perspective...

WE are waiting for the next weekend really. If all works out right, we should help out with the Christmas Humanitarian Action organized by Ionut Macri in the area where the Transilvania Adventure Trophy takes place every year. It should be, as i picture it now, a lovely mix of soft off road, perfect scenery and excellent company. For now, here's what happened today:

6 AM rants

image courtesy of... well Google because that's where i found it.

I couldn't sleep so i started checking my mail and facebook. In my FB inbox, there is a mail from someone i know saying "check this guy's website. his images are legendary". What's on there? HDRs and nudes. and HDR nudes sometimes. No, people. Pretty colors do not make a pretty picture. Deal with it.

HDRs are a photographer's way of being a fucking child and stopping himself from evolving. How come? That's easy - people like them, thus you'll think you're good and don't need to do any better. Well your images are probably shit and when you think you need not work harder, guess what? There's a big chance that's exactly the moment you should...

Hint: if you want to have perfect exposure why not ... mm ... try harder? Use lighting or maybe, just maybe, shoot film. Less stops of light means you have a bigger chance of being incredibly inaccurate exposure wise and still getting some "amazing images".

This blog post had no other use than to complain about HDRs. Just like nudes, more often then not, they are shit. There's not a fine line between good HDRs and bad HDRs. There's a goddamn wall of China, with armed guards every 20 meters. You can't miss it.

Finally, stuff

The day has come when i put some creative stuff on here as well. Do refrain from publicly observing the fact that the pictures are overexposed and crooked. I have a fever, feel like i just swallowed a fistful of glass and my nose is running like the Amazon river. The images are for information purposes alone. This is the first series of prints made directly on canvas - closest to how the final work will look like. Maybe soon i'll have the energy to put better pictures on here, but for now (at a few people's request) here's the in-progress development









Apart from that, i also had the fortune of stumbling over a first edition "L'art Renaissance", printed 1945. A bit worn out at the edges, but otherwise in good condition. Will be given as a gift - but beforehand i took the liberty to try and read it (with some difficulties, considering that my French is ... well... fairly rusty)





Last but not least, this is my last night here. I shall see most of you in January. Best of luck (people working on their research papers will need it)

R.

Presedinti si senzatii

In perioada alegerilor ziarele se vand ca painea calda. Si ce vinde mai bine in Romania decat senzationalul? Avand in vedere ca prin intermediul blog-ului am fost contactat de cativa jurnalisti de mare calibru, Ovidiu Zara si Madalina Prudea intre altii, va aduc la cunostinta faptul ca scandalurile cu Dl. Traian Basescu nu ma preocupa. Imaginile semnate de mine din campania 2004 nu arata presedintele lovind vreun personaj.

Pe de alta parte, cu doar foarte putina obiectivitate ati realiza ca este inadmisibil pentru un candidat la presedentie sa faca un asemenea gest, in special in public, in fata a zeci de camere si mii de oameni - si deci foarte probabil imposibil. Nu e o acoperire guvernamentala - pur si simplu evenimentul nu a avut loc. Nu gasiti ca este o coincidenta ciudata faptul ca a reaparut dupa 4 ani acest video, intr-un singur loc, la o calitate proasta si dintr-un singur unghi?

Domnule Zara - ce aveti de impartit cu presedintele nu este problema mea, cum nu este nimic din ce se intampla in politica. Inteleg ca vreti sa publicati articole senzationale, dar aparent articolele cu teme inteligente sunt mai bine vazute. Pentru o clarificare, va rog frumos sa lecturati motto-ul propriului Dumneavoastra blog. Poate ati uitat de ce sunteti jurnaist.

Doamna/Domnisoara Prundea - "nu vrei sa afle lumea adevarul? lasi un om ca el sa ne conduca?". Presa este, din ce stiu, o putere in stat. Daca ati aborda subiecte mai importante si/sau interesante, poate ati reusi sa faceti o schimbare adevarata.

Cand a fost ultima data cand ati publicat un articol despre proiectul de transport ecologic de la Londra, actiunile Greenpeace sau expozitia Titian de la Luvru?

Stiu, stiu, doriti sa aratati adevarata fata a tiranului care ne va conduce sau nu in urmatorii ani. Nu va faceti griji - daca la Facultatea de Drept se puteau cumpara voturi pro-Basescu la 50 de lei, la Gara daca nu ma insel se practica aceeasi metoda pro-Geoana.

Cred ca ar fi bine sa va revizuiti pozitia ca jurnalisti integri si obiectivi si sa va dati seama ca aceste stiri de senzatie ar trebui pastrate in gunoiul ce se intituleaza "Libertatea". Ultima data cand am verificat, EVZ avea niste oarecare standarde, dar observ ca se muleaza destul de bine pe segmentul de piata ocupat de publicatia mentionata anterior.

Arhiva de articole si imagini publicate de mine pe care o detine (ilegal de altfel - conform contractului au dreptul sa imi foloseasca materialele pe o perioada de 3 ani, dupa care intervine dreptul de autor - alt mit urban in spatiul mioritic din ce imi dau eu seama) nu va face obiectul nici unor discutii sau dezbateri pro sau contra Traian Basescu. Va rog frumos sa nu ma mai contactati pentru detalii sau marturisiri senzationale pentru ca ele nu vor avea loc. Apucati-va sa scrieti articole mai cu cap, lasand la o parte vedetele de carton, stirile bomba si masinile de lux. Romania merita jurnalisti mai buni decat voi.

Cu stima,
Radu Tudoroiu