These days...

Hasselblad Masters - Berlin

2011-11-24T07:22:00.001-08:00

Right. After leaving Paris, i had a few days in Berlin. I was to attend the Hasslelbad Masters 2012 event there, which sported 100 of the chosen photographers, finalists in the Masters Programme. All fine. We got to the event, which took place at the Delight Studios - for anyone looking to rent out studio spaces in Berlin, they are very good.So we get to the event. We get the branded bracelets, and are allowed in. We got the same feeling as being in a gallery. Everything was neat, labeled and presented in a very tidy manner. We got to play with the new Hasselblad models, H4D60 and the 200mpx product camera.The image on the right is Nick Brandt's. He shot it some years back and

The great thing about having played with the 200mpx camera was ruining the myth. The system is really just a 50mpx H4D, which takes 6 separate shots. Two of them are shot on a Red filter, two on a Green and two on a blue. The Phocus system manages pretty much everything, leaving you with an image made of the 6 overlapped frames. This is pretty awesome if you shoot products. The level of detail in the 1.4 gb image is truly impressive. It also goes to show that the optical side of the Hasselblad is just as great as it was 20 or 40 years ago. The thing was, like with other Hasselblad events i've been to in Europe, that they're sales directed. I learned pretty much everything there is to know about the new models, including something geeky but impressive: How ti control your Hasselblad via your iPhone/iPad, wirelessly through Phocus. I have seen this particular idea before, but in action, it was pretty impressive.

I've been to Hasselblad events in other places in Europe as well, as i mentioned. However, i kinda had high hopes from Germany. Let's say they have a history of being well organized. This was clearly not the case. However well oiled the machines are, the presentation and basically the whole day, lacked any sort of coherence. You had to go around, asking for things about each camera, new lenses, new features, sync options and so on. Rather than having everyone sit down, listen quietly and then fiddle with the cameras, the Berlin team opted for something more towards the "Brownian movement" system. Not the ideal choice, by far.

The models we shot were cool, the lighting was quite impressive (they also showed some Broncolors but really nobody figured they were commercial promotions since it didn't say so anywhere), the space was great. In the evening, we had the classic schedule: wine, dine and gallery show. Pretty good prints of some of the finalists, not all of them. And this is where i come to the end of the post but also to an issue i am curious about:One of the finalists,

i've seen it in dozens of places, including Photomagazine and this year's Paris Photo Show. Good. Great. It means it's famous. Now the picture with the baby elephant with the exact same pose is Joachim Schmeisser's image. I agree that both images are good quality photographs. But, is it not awkward at all that they would pick an image which is post processed in the exact same way as a famous one? Same halo, same vignetting, same pose, same crop (if you look at the web pics, not my screen shot comparison).

Paris Photo

2011-11-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

Photography has become a daily occurrence. Sadly, most of it is digital. People have gotten used to the idea of seeing images on a screen. I completely and utterly dislike that. There is a reason for printing images. There is a reason for seeing them in properly lit galleries, archival inkjet printed on Hahnemuhle paper or proper Ilford. Thus you learn to appreciate what a photograph is, beyond the pixels of a monitor. The touch of a satin fiber base print, the physical manifestation of a past event. Seeing it on a computer deprives the photograph of it's weight and depth...

I made a habit out of having some constant events. Some have Christmas. I have Paris Photo. Not sure if it's indeed the biggest event in Europe, but it counts among them for sure.

I went to see it during my university years, and I've continued afterwards. It's there that i first saw most of the legendary images I've only read about throughout the years. Irving Penn, Edward Burtynsky, Andreas Gursky (who's recently just broken all previous price records for a sold image at an auction, taking $4.3m for the "Rhein II"). More than that, I saw people I've researched, like the Starn Brothers, Mary Alpern and so on. In my view, this keeps me anchored into the international ways of the art, good quality print, trends and more.

This year, for the first time since i've been going, the venue has changed. Maybe for the better, i can't be sure just yet. I've always gone to the Carrousel. I silently complained every year about the queue for the entrance. Then i went to the 2011 edition, at the Grand Palais. I saw a sign saying "you are now one hour and 30 minutes from entering the gallery". It was also the first time i gave up queuing for a show i liked, because the 1:30 mark was about 1 hour away. I saw the show in the last day possible, going in the early hours in the morning. Neat.

Now, every year, there are things that are shown, that have been on my "want to see this" list. This year, was the NASA Rare Prints edition. I also saw one of the Hasselblad Masters finalists, in a show by one particular galleries. To be noted also was the initiative of private collectors exhibiting in a separate part of the space with the sole purpose of promoting young and upcoming photographers. There's more. So much more.

The show is designed to bring together an incredible amount of information which is photography related. Magazines, shows, collages, historical imagery, fashion documentary, etc. In order to explain all of this, i would need to write a booklet. But i won't. Basically, if anyone doing photography really wants to get a breath of fresh air, image wise, November 2012 should be on your calendar.

Working on a dream

2011-09-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

I always felt quite close to films. Somehow, coming to the realization that Anton Corbjin managed to pull both out of the hat, meant i could too. True story.

Now, my first fun assignment had to do with Land Rovers. I couldn't have picked it any better.

We had a 5D Mk2, follow focus rig, dolly and tracks, and a bunch of lenses to go with them. 2 Arri lights, not used that much, and a whole lot of questions i had no answer to. So, armed with all this shit, i proceeded to put on a brave face and go shoot my first presentation film.

These days i'm making real good friends with Final Cut Pro and it's features, trying to get the best of what i shot. Will try to remember all the things i shouldn't do, should do better and so on.

'Till then, here's a couple of film stills.

Alina Manole

2011-09-16T10:44:00.001-07:00

Album cover i shot a few weeks ago.

In light of recent religios fuck ups

2011-08-02T01:24:00.001-07:00

via thevandallist.blogspot.com

The Commission

2011-07-19T06:35:00.000-07:00

We're experimenting heavily. Stay tuned, something really cool is about to be presented.

Stable

2011-07-12T16:53:00.000-07:00

What it is and why it's here, later.

Again

2011-07-09T02:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwVTLq28_y4

Be the storm i'm waiting for

2011-06-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

I just came back from the wilderness. 5 days in the mountains with friends, helping out on an interesting project. I missed how it felt to wash in a river and spend the night in the tent. There's a whole lot more but we'll stick to the obvious for now.

No it's not

2011-06-17T04:16:00.001-07:00

When i posted this, some time back, i had a range of rather different and misguided convictions. Cleaning out my hard drive, i stumbled onto the image, saved in one of the backup folders. However, between then and now, we learned a valuable lesson. Never go against your better judgement.

If you do go against it, your mistakes and bad decisions will gang up on you. And ...

You won't be one of them.

Defender for sale!

2011-06-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is selling his Rally Raid truck.

Land Rover Defender 90 TD5 2005 - 25.000 kms
Upgrades
- HD KAM transmission Front+Rear
- ARB lockers with independent compressors Front+Rear
- AlliSport Intercooler Kit - 165 bhp.
- AlliSport Modified Radiator
- Performance&Protection interior rollcage
- OMP racing seats
- OMP 5 point seat belts
- OMP steering wheel
- OMP fire extinguishing system
- IPF 930 Super Rally Raid Spot Lights
- TerraTrip 303
- Diff/tank gurards
- HD steering bar
- OME suspension kit + adaptation for two shocks per wheel
- 7 x Performance Wheels rims
- 6 x BFG MT 245/75/16
- dual battery system
- Safari Snorkel
- general power switch
- Valeo HD clutch
- Front+Rear diffs and shafts for spares
- Extra fuel tanks
- co-pilot lights
- many more extras...

Old images from a broken drive IV

2011-05-29T04:59:00.000-07:00

Old images from a broken drive III

2011-05-22T03:01:00.000-07:00

Linda and Trevor i kept bumping into, in Uni.

Old images from a broken drive II

2011-05-20T02:35:00.000-07:00

There were these days i'd just take the camera, a few films, and go walking by, hunting people. I shot hundreds of rolls of 120 film in this manner, with people i'd only meet for a couple of minutes and then never see again. Sadly, most of the scans were lost in the accident, but the negs are still around. Perhaps one day I'd find the time to re-scan them all. One day ...

Megan

2011-05-19T02:39:00.000-07:00

I met her in a small jewelry store. I found something interesting in her face so i asked if i could take pictures of her.

Old images from a broken drive

2011-05-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

Back when i started photography, my mom would save all the pictures I'd send her. Meanwhile i broke the hard drive, one evening and lost quite a bit. I had already gathered quite a little archive which also contained bits from the first semester of Uni. Years later, she's remembered that she kept them and mailed everything back to me. Seeing them all these years later, turns out i wasn't exactly a genius back then - but some aren't half bad. Those I'm going to start posting every now and again, for a little while.

Back then. working on a Nikon FM2 was really the thing to do. These were actually test shots from my first "paid" shoot. I got twenty quid, basically the film money. I must say, i was shit at negotiating.

Razvan Ion II

2011-05-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

I got a few of my shots back from London a little while back. Among all of them, which were pretty alright, i was looking forward to seeing one that i am particularly excited about. For the second time on the blog, Mr. Razvan Ion

Silvia Santa

2011-05-11T00:09:00.000-07:00

recent stuff i've done. More to come as things unfold ...

Greenlaning

2011-05-10T03:27:00.000-07:00

Sighisoara 2011 Land Rover Meering

2011-05-09T02:46:00.001-07:00

It's always surprising when forum members get together. You have somebody pegged down as a certain kind of person from the stuff they write on one forum or another. However, adding a face to the nickname is always a surprising thing to do. 30 LR forum members did just that this weekend ...

Late(st) work

2011-05-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

This last week we shot a fashion collection. Basically, all fun. Images to come soon.

For now, the Defender and i are going to the national Land Rover meeting for a few beers and a lot of mud. This is not how it'll look Sunday evening :)

Video

2011-04-26T23:44:00.000-07:00

Here's the video from the Easter Danube trip. Sorry, it's in Romanian, but the images still work :)

Another Easter

2011-04-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

This year, the Easter period was stranger than usual. Somewhat interesting, but strange none the less.

We took 24 tons of food and gifts to one of the most secluded parts of the country, the tip of the Danube Delta.

People and places were indeed outer-worldly.

We spent Easter with friends at the countryside. Drinks, midnight shootings, morning omelets.

I should probably write more but really i couldn't find the time or state of mind to put down my thoughts. I shall thought. Quite soon. I haven't bragged about anything in a long while. It just don't feel write for this much time to pass ...

Oh yeah. Because a shit idea never goes unsupported :)

Untitled

2011-04-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

Digital Pentax 645

2011-03-29T05:19:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to check out the new Pentax digital camera. The presentation wasn't quite my cup of tea but the camera has a nice feel to it. Although not a full frame 645, the large sensor sure knows how to make the 40 mega pixels be worth their money. With a serious range of functions, some quite fun - like the built in level finder for when your tripod's level is confused - the 10.000 EUR Pentax with the 55 millimeter lens was presented as the ultimate device in landscape photography. Again, not my cup of tea, but hey, to each his own. Basically what i found quite convenient is that it weighed less than the Hasselblad H40 counterpart - 1400 grams vs 2290 grams - makes it rather obvious which of them you'd shove in a backpack.

Now having had a run in with both of them, i can say that my first impression still lasts. They are great. Both of them. All medium format digitals are brilliant pieces of equipment. But they do something to you - like religion, they indoctrinate the photographer. I deeply dislike that and the only company that has successfully pulled this off is Leica, with their elegant scarfs and red dot cameras and sonce their response to the format i have yet to test out - i shall not discuss the matter. I am however a firm believer that anything over 15 mpx is Enough. The rest is down to the person behind the display and God knows I've seen some except images taken with very expensive cameras. The opposite applies just as well...

Observations on Orchid Offering rituals

2011-03-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

One lovingly unlocks the golden cages where fears lie trapped and allows for the unsavory spectacle to parade down the cobbled Main Street. These days one bows to no gods save for his own fears. They whisper in the ear. They trace the outlines of nightmares, with long bony fingers, on forearms and spines. Hair standing on the edge is a reminiscence of our primal nature - our body's need to react to fear's embrace and to the devastating thought that one's mind allowed for its creation.

Too often have i, the mortal not I the God, lost sight of what is important in favor of what is convenient. The days have been kind and the world has come to terms with the matter because it knows that, in the end, we all react in such a positively savage fashion. Tacit agreement, it is so courteously entitled. Two gazes cross paths - their mutual understanding unassailable.

There is that one moment, however. The split second when the lines are clear and the fog rises and one is allowed to step back and admire the whole picture. However, like waking up from any other dream, when the moment passes, so does everything it brought. The undeniably cruel anguish of having been offered the absolution of pure truth cannot bear comparison to any other feeling in our repertoire.

It is only so, with heavy mind rather than heart, that we take it upon ourselves to retrieve and conceal these beings in Nelda's baltas kastites. Come morning, all traces of the sleepless promenade would have been erased. The poles have long ago reversed and shall forever be kept in this fashion. They have done so to such an extent that the words that need saying are shamefully hidden from sight in a whirlpool of dissociated fragments while the demons that need be enshrouded in silence are proudly allowed to develop their distasteful practices out in the open, like extraordinary children whose parents allow for their virtues to be shown to the stunned audience.

The thick red curtains are drawn yet again (one of the curtains is burned in a corner, from a previous show perhaps). Nineteen orchids are thrown to anyone on stage who might still take them. A camera snaps the last few images of the actress walking away. "The concert is either too long, or not long enough", he thinks while carelessly letting the camera tumble in the bag. On the road to the exit, he steps on roses that missed their mark. Waste of a good intention.

Good stuff

2011-03-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

My picture and our race in this month's edition of Vogue Italy

http://www.vogue.it/en/uomo-vogue/what-and-where-to-buy/2011/03/transilvania-trophy

This is becoming a habit

2011-03-01T12:11:00.000-08:00

Razvan Ion

2011-02-14T14:39:00.000-08:00

Here is a preview of a shoot i did with Mr. Razvan Ion, Director of the Pavilion Unicredit Center for Contemporary Arts. Along with this, he also manages the Bucharest Biennale, another interesting arts event.

Dana

2011-02-10T06:34:00.000-08:00

Catalina

2011-01-23T12:19:00.001-08:00

Charming

2011-01-10T10:56:00.000-08:00

Leslie Hawke

2010-12-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

Ethan Hawke's mother before giving TEDxWomen talk

6 Days of Snowboarding

2010-11-26T23:53:00.000-08:00

This morning i woke up feeling like I've had a difference of opinions with a freight train. Obviously, due to life experience and extensive knowledge of the world, he was right. Now, six days of boarding left me with a not-so-painful knee bruise but a really really uncomfortable rib bruise. See, the thing is, while one snowboards, one also learns the intricate workings of the human skeleton and it's amazing abilities to stretch and withstand repeated knocks against large immovable objects.

The important lesson i've learned, while attempting to pull a 360 tailgrab (which as you guessed, failed miserably), was that one can somehow elbow himself in the ribs. Due to lack of air time, my 360 turned into ... well ... about 264.7 degrees. This lack of precision combined with the tailgrab (which between you, me and whoever is reading this, made me look absolutely fabulous on a 3300m empty ski slope), meant my board got stuck nose first into the deep snow. Since we, the board and i, had a pretty decent speed, i successfully managed to front flip and somehow land on my hand, whose elbow met my left lower ribs. So, due to this unfortunate event, today i might post pictures on the blog because i don't quite see how i can even tie my own boots, let alone bind and unbind my board.

So, yeah.

Ötztal 2666m

2010-11-23T09:42:00.000-08:00

New toys to play with:

Toyo 4x5 cam
Planar 135 F3.5
Rodenstock 300 F9
Ilford HP5 4x5 slide film

Burton Operator Black Edition snowboard
Burton Custom 2009 straps

9 days of pure powder

Just seconds ago

2010-11-21T15:45:00.000-08:00

Wien

2010-11-21T15:44:00.001-08:00

Paris Catacombes

2010-11-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

November

2010-11-15T12:28:00.000-08:00

This month, in pictures

From art to elegance to decadence to bruises. We shall have it all.

Defender

2010-11-12T15:18:00.000-08:00

This is what my truck can do. It's up for sale.

Playing in the chop shop

2010-11-11T04:01:00.000-08:00

A favor for a friend.

The Defender

2010-11-06T03:25:00.000-07:00

Broken Leg

2010-10-29T02:16:00.001-07:00

Intangible Observations on Human interactions

2010-10-17T11:14:00.001-07:00

"Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge" - Plato

I thought that by now i would understand things. Some at least. I've always been under the impression that, as time goes by, the issues i could not find a solution to, in the past, would somehow whither and disappear and that i would never come across them. But the trick is that, when you follow the same path, you tend to reach the same result. More often than not, the world appears to be disguised in a wise manner as such, behind these rows of linear events.

The more i spend trying to understand some people (the very few i am bothered to attempt and do so) the clearer it is that i will never succeed. Push comes to shove, it would seem that the people i try hardest to understand are those i least manage to, in the end. And just to make things absolutely maddeningly unhelpful, the reciprocity of this action is amazing. Amazing and annoying. People i cannot possibly care less about are easier to get along with than the few i do seem to care.

I quoted Plato because it promoted me to write about this subject in particular. Desire, Emotion and Knowledge. I have the Desire. That's most certainly checked. I should think that the emotion is still there, for the time being at least. However, by following this logic, it would seem that the thing i am quite proud to say i possess in a fair amount in all other aspects, i lack in a dreadful way with regards to the said topic. Knowledge.

Right. That's about it for my two cents on people and the unbelievably awkward, backwards and illogical way in which they seem to behave. Strange.

Addendum: wrote this while sitting at a pub, looking at the people around. Seems like quite the zoological garden this pub, if i am not mistaking.

TEDxBucharest

2010-10-13T23:48:00.000-07:00

See, i usually sleep very well. I very rarely have any problems with this. But last night, i managed to sleep for 2 hours and spend the rest staring at the pillow, hoping for something interesting to happen. I am still trying to figure out if it's due to the excitement of being a part of TEDx, which is something fairly interesting in itself, or just some messed up underlying reason. I love TEDx, but the second option seems more plausible ...

haha

2010-10-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

via modernism.ro

Interior Design

2010-10-10T02:10:00.001-07:00

Here's a few pictures from an Interior Designer and her last project, an exclusive penthouse for rent.

The Reader

2010-10-04T06:41:00.003-07:00

Spatiu pentru Studio

2010-10-04T02:33:00.000-07:00

Am inceput sa ma uit dupa un spatiu de studio in Bucuresti. Pentru ca nu am sa il folosesc la capacitate maxima, ar fi interesant sa mai gasesc inca una sau doua persoane cu care sa inchiriez. Ideal ar fi zona centrala a orasului dar sunt deschis sugestiilor. Daca sunteti interesati, dati-mi un mail si vedem ce si cum.

R.

The Bible Experiment

2010-09-30T06:35:00.001-07:00

Back to work

2010-09-27T06:57:00.000-07:00

So we've had some good times and i've had the pleasure of not writing on the blog for a long while now. I never really knew how many people read the things i post here until i stopped posting - and then there would not be one day that i wouldn't get the "When are you going to update your blog?" question. Made me feel quite good, i must admit. So, quick update of these last weeks:

1) Mr. Ciprian Strugariu and i went to Suzuki Fest. Great off road meeting, great trip. On the way back we got to do some off road as well, getting to the Saschiz ruins.

2) Let's Do It Romania - Off Road style. We gathered together, the off road forum and it's members and participated in the Let's Do It campaign, picking up hundreds of kilograms of rubbish from the forests and mountains.

3) Mr. Strugariu and myself planned a day out but due to technical issues on his Mitsubishi, we ended up just doing a soft track in the Defender. Pictures courtesy of Mr. Strugariu

Last Week

2010-09-04T22:46:00.000-07:00

Maria

2010-08-29T01:32:00.000-07:00

a day of soft off road and baptizing a little girl that our friends adopted

:)

2010-08-27T13:09:00.001-07:00

Two More

2010-08-04T07:11:00.001-07:00

I've done 20 or so cyanotypes during this last week. But i haven't got the patience to scan and show them. But here's two:

We are all capable of horrible things if put in the situation

2010-07-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

I just got my Mac stolen yesterday. I have never been so angry in my life. We were on our first day of the two week trip which went horribly wrong. I got my Macbook and 30 cyanotypes stolen and my friend Bogdan has absolutely no clothes left. Along with my Mac the fucking imbeciles also took random stuff like: an elastic wrap for joint problems, napkins, a box of fuses, an elastic cable and some other shit.

On the way back, Bogdan and i wondered: "What would we do if we caught them?". This post is about contemplating that question.

The only verdict is vengeance and if i had the chance, i would mutilate the person without the least bit of humanity. It's the circle of life and, if push comes to shove, he'll be at the losing end of it all. One of the things i appreciate about Arabs is that they cut the thief's hands off, if convicted. Simple, yet so efficient.

To my own thief: pray to whatever deity you pray to that we don't meet - the savage beating you will get will be an unforgettable experience.

4 more tests before we part

2010-07-24T10:51:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow i'm leaving for the mountains. No civilization, no phone signal, no problem. Here's some of the last tests i've done. I've just coated 33 more papers to take along for the ride - we'll see how that goes.

Cyanotype

2010-07-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from the UK, where we attended my graduation. Surprisingly enough, i did graduate with a First Class BA(Hons). Now i am beginning work on my second project, and the first after leaving school. It'll be cyanotype based, but more information will be provided later on in the process. For now, all i can say is that the first tests have been a success (to my own surprise) and that i have built my own exposure frame (there is very little that power tape and a small screw driver cannot conquer or create). So, here are my first tests:

We're leaving Sunday on a long trek in the mountains to work on a common project, Bogdan and I, and i will be taking a fairly large number of cyanotype-coated papers and will try to keep a record of our journey in this particular way. So far, so good ...

Found ...

2010-07-18T11:55:00.001-07:00

TAT 2010

2010-07-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

nothing.

2010-07-06T12:56:00.001-07:00

I won't be writing on the blog for a while. Got stuff to do. Race to organize. Places to go and people to avoid. Do the same.

About my little holiday

2010-06-16T05:11:00.000-07:00

I finally found the time to write a little bit. I am back in Bucharest and i can never stop myself from wondering why ... Poland was beyond brilliant. I am not that fond of my series but people seemed to like it, asked questions and generally had a pretty great private view night. It was a lot of hard work but we pulled it off. The city is, as i said, pretty amazing as well, with the lovely Brama Jazz Cafe where i spent half of my days writing and doing various other cvasi-creative stuff. The prices were fairly low and the atmosphere was lovely.

Later on i jumped on the bus and headed for Berlin, where i crashed at Jessie's and Tommi's place for two nights (thanks guys) and had the most amazing time. Berlin is definitely one of the best cities i've ever visited and it would be nice to live there part time. Tommi and i spent a whole day cycling around the city and visiting all the tourist places while hunting a rare item (when the time will come, the item shall be revealed to the general public). All in all, it was a lovely holiday with small exceptions. I reflected a bit on or image in Europe and got to some 1930's Germany suggestions, but that's another post.

A lesson in exhibition lighting

2010-06-12T01:19:00.000-07:00

I can now honestly say i've seen my fair share of galleries and gallery spaces throughout Europe. But, in this small Polish gallery, i saw something that i was busy imagining a long time ago. The way lights work in this particular gallery made me rethink all the ideas i had about lighting and shadows in galleries. In the two spaces at the 13 Muz they had a brilliant system of lighting that focused all the energy exactly on the image. Like so:

These are very approximate sizes - i photographed them while they were shuffling images around but the idea still remains. With the aid of a barn door like system, the little lights kept the photographs in full light while keeping the rest of the room pitch black.

Poland: Part I

2010-06-10T01:28:00.000-07:00

It's the relaxing morning after a long and hot day. Yesterday i've traveled from Romania to Germany by plane and from there to Poland, by car. The guys at the gallery knew i like off road cars so they arranged to have me picked up in a Grand Cherokee. That just made my day ...
Arriving there, i met Jerzy and we got to talking. Apparently i am to be showing in two galleries in this time, one of which, as i understood is actually a museum room of sorts. Well, that went well anyway.

As we were sitting down having a chat, we got to talking about accommodation and Jerzy said: "Oh, we got you a room in the castle". I thought he was kidding because he tends to make this kind of jokes. But he wasn't. I actually have a room in the castle. Granted, it's not the master bedroom but it's free, it's mine and it's overlooking a brilliant backyard with red brick and stone walls. Just to make things even better, the Castle is home to the Opera House as well. Something must go horribly wrong right about now because it's unnatural for everything to be so spot on.

Debriefing: The first exhibition of the series

2010-06-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

So, the first big night was gone. It was quite interesting, to say the least. It had it's ups and downs but all in all it went fairly well. The downside of being me is that i'm never going to be happy with what i do and will get annoyed with pretty much anything that goes wrong. The first thing that made me smile is that we had tickets - literally tickets with the exhibition's name and everything (they were all sold out - i managed to save this one from under one of the seats, after the show ended):

I got pissed off at some things. It was nobody's fault really. It was an experimental evening, as it were, so things were bound to go wrong at some things. Anyways, we had excellent lighting (with small exceptions), and a great movie - everyone loved it.

My girlfriend performed brilliantly, as usual (on some accounts people began crying) so yes, it was very very good, music wise. It took me a while to calm down, as i was paying attention to every little derail that anyone made and i treated it as the end of the damn world. Dana on stage:

We got some good feedback - well, decent, not good. I need people to leave speechless so i have a long day to go. I do wish more people would have walked around to see the images from up close. That was really my biggest regret, that the kind of missed the whole point of the first-private-view-part of the event. Of course, i shall conclude with a small image that feeds my ego:

Excellent Ad

2010-06-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

via coffeedubs.wordpress.com

Life Begins

2010-06-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

I am currently sitting on a tea house in Bucharest and loving every second of it. University is over and done with and this is where life begins. I'm quite contempt with the way things are going now. It's a rough period and i understand that it'll be difficult to get something going the way i want it but i am too proud to give up and too stubborn to admit that it may be impossible.

In this last week, i met some of the most amazing people, through my girlfriend. I met her canto teacher's boyfriend which just happened to love my Ambassadors and thought: "Let's shoot a movie on this!". When i told him i had plans to shoot myself shaving my head, he went ballistic and so the madness began. We met on and off and discussed lighting and setting up the space for the first show. FYI the images will be set up on the music stands they use in opera concerts so ... there's a win. So, we got to talking and that and set the dates for the shoot. My Defender is currently having an open heart surgery over the weekend so i had to get the Toyota. We shot for 40 hours in a 48 hour time frame and were only fueled by ... well ... momentum. Because as soon as things started slowing down, we fell like flies, dead tired.

Anyway, we shot a 90min experimental film which (fuck it, i am ruining the surprise for Monday - just a good heads up to those who read my blog) will be shown in sync with the classicl music. Each aria of the concerto had a frame thought up which pretty much rocks. It includes me almost falling out of a boat a few times, jumping out of trees, getting my head shaved half naked in a poppy field and many other insane ideas that our tired brains managed to duct tape together. The film will then be a full part of the show, and will be traveling around as a whole. Now all we have to do is sit tight and wait to become famous ... This is how things work, right?

Finance wise, student life is not yet over. I am broke beyond belief and am trying to figure out things ... University is gone and so is all the free equipment. This means investment as well as a great big hit in my already precariously balanced budget (strapping a ridiculously expensive camera to the side door of the Land Cruiser and driving around 60mph also put in a new light the idea of bankruptcy in case the camera fell off. No my bankruptcy however - but the faces of the people we overtook - worth every penny). But you need to spend money to make money and i suspect that this is the part where i have to spend ... That's it for now.

Despre Sunete si Lumina

2010-06-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

Mai multe informatii puteti gasi aici:

http://www.sunetesilumina.tk/

She was laughing and crying a single sound

2010-05-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

Katy Thorogood

Still alive

2010-05-23T04:18:00.000-07:00

It's safe to assume we've mostly finished university. I've been busy with the final project and all that and couldn't find the time to write - but now we are back on track.
Here's some images from two shoots i had yesterday.

Oh yes, and thanks to Mr. Pocock, i am now the proud owner of a brand new obsession: Google SketchUp - PROOF

The Foyer from the Bucharest Operetta ... more or less

Preview

2010-05-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a small preview of a part of the exhibition series - as well as the brilliant darkroom where i am creating them

Shoot

2010-05-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

Preview of my latest shoot. I need a website.

Facebook fail

2010-05-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

i actually got this ...

The Duster

2010-05-08T08:31:00.001-07:00

Last month i had the chance to test out the brand new Dacia Duster - an article is coming soon, but until then here's some images from the off road test drive. I must say it was quite an pleasant drive, surprisingly so. I would not be surprised if it became, like the previous models, an European hit. Nice.

Bukowski

2010-05-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

How Photography is actually done

2010-05-08T06:47:00.000-07:00

My City of Ruins X

2010-05-08T05:32:00.000-07:00

My City of Ruins IX

2010-05-07T08:31:00.001-07:00

Changing of the places

My City of Ruins VIII

2010-05-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

no logic to this image...

Experiment

2010-05-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

My City of Ruins VII

2010-05-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

:)

2010-05-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

My City of Ruins VI

2010-05-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

Good quote of the day

"Just as everyone has a novel inside them, many believe they have an
artwork. The purpose of a good art school is to seek out these people and
stop them."

My City of Ruins V

2010-04-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

about these days

2010-04-30T00:44:00.001-07:00

My City of Ruins IV

2010-04-30T00:22:00.000-07:00

My City of Ruins III

2010-04-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

We are all just liars or lunatics

An Evening of Light and Sound

2010-04-28T04:22:00.000-07:00

In addition to the summer exhibitions that will take place, we're adding another one-night-only event hosted by the Bucharest Operetta. Together with Dana and her colleagues we will be having an evening of photography and classical canto. More news as we organize the event. It would probably take place sometime between the 1st and the 8th of June.

My City of Ruins II

2010-04-28T00:39:00.000-07:00

Triptych

2010-04-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

triptych [ˈtrɪptɪk]
n
1. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) a set of three pictures or panels, usually hinged so that the two wing panels fold over the larger central one: often used as an altarpiece
2. a set of three hinged writing tablets
[from Greek triptukhos, from tri- + ptux plate; compare diptych]

My City of Ruins

2010-04-27T06:44:00.001-07:00

The city i grew up in has always had a special place in my photography (to be read as "i've never actually ever taken proper photographs of Bucharest, except journalism stuff). So, since i got stuck there, volcano and all, i figured i should shoot some large format images of how i feel about the place. I got asked why do i want to move back, quite a few times and in shot, the images are a bit of an answer. I'll post a couple every day until they are all exhausted.

PS: I've also got the whole final project series done, but that's only going to be shown later on in the year, during the exhibitions.

Bogdan

2010-04-25T14:15:00.001-07:00

and another one. And that's about it for now.

Dana

2010-04-25T14:13:00.001-07:00

sorry for not posting more images ... no time, no mood and no images. Soon. Patience is a virtue. Until then, my far better half on a side note:

Alter-post-surrealist modernism

2010-04-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

Thank you Cherie for the picture

Last Stand

2010-04-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

Yeah, we're coming. And i am considering giving some people a piece of my mind that day, just for the sake of ruining the day. See you there.

This last week

2010-04-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

I am sorry i haven't been writing anything this last week. I've been running around shooting for my project, went to the countryside for off road but couldn't, because of worn out steering bushes and spent the whole of last evening chatting with my parents who've just come back from a 2500 km race in Morocco. Will put some pictures of them and us during the weekend sometime this week.

Later edit: we're still stuck in Bucharest due to the volcano (my Icelandic editor went off roading and photographing the whole of the first eruption btw) and there's no sign i will be leaving soon so we're having a concert on the 22nd in Slobozia, in The Barn. See you there.

Good Weekend II

2010-04-12T01:55:00.000-07:00

Well, i noticed i don't post that many images i take these days. Will do so when i am back in the UK and will have processed my large format images. For now, courtesy of Mr. Calin Jurca, images from Sunday with Ciprian Strugariu and myself at the wheels. Damage: the LR on the grill got taken off while Ciprian had a few issues with the alternator getting semi flooded. No worries, glue will fix everything.

Good Weekend

2010-04-10T08:41:00.001-07:00

She's unafraid

2010-04-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

To my critics

2010-04-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

I really think you need to be better than me to be able to criticize my work. And you need me to consider that you are. This is just an observation on the comments that we got on the article about me as well as a thread post that a little fuck put up here (it's in Romanian and you should only translate it if you want to read pointless ranting). I really wish that old frustrated photographers would start selling newspapers and stuff. It would make our life so much easier. I do mean to be disrespectful because, as St. Vincent (the chick, not the saint) says "fear no gods, regardless of who they are". This little post just came along because i am who i am and because i completely disagree with the stupid way that some people see things. Old unsuccessful photographers that shoot weddings need to understand simple things like:

1) if you were good in the 80's, they passed.
2) you're probably way behind and stuck in your loop out of which you're too stubborn to get out.
3) by the end of the decade you'll be dead so you have to square with that. you're time passed. If you did your best, be happy. If you didn't there's loads of corners you and sit in and cry.

Later edit: when i say too old, there's a little quirk. If you're not willing to change your perspectives and adapt, you're too old. It's never been about age.