Maica Paraschiva
Somewhere, on the hills overlooking the small town of Gura Humorului, I was introduced to this 82 year old lady, living alone with only her animals, no electricity, no running water. Always praying and thanking God for what she has, never asking for anything. If ever I saw a saint, she is the one. Her favorite pass time is reading from her "holy books", as she calls them. And she's doing it without glasses.
Charcoal makers
Few people know how charcoal is made. Fewer know that there are only a handfull of charcoal makers left in our country. I had the privilege, a few years back, to visit and photograph one of them, in the county of Sibiu.
About blacksmiths
Blacksmiths are a dying breed. Unfortunately, there are not so many of them left, so I considerew myself lucky to live so close to a few of them. I had the opportunity to be there when they were working and photograph their activity. I was especially happy to be able to document fitting a couple of oxes with "shoes", since there are extremely few of them being used for traction in my area.
All aboard the Hutsul train!
For a few years now, I've been photographying the narrow gauge steam train in Bucovina, called "Hutulca". No doubt, it's the number one attraction for the tourists that visit this beautiful region, a chance to step back in time and take a ride through the fairytale landscape. Apart from capturing Hutulca making its way through the countryside, I always enjoyed to photograph the people aboard, starting with the mechanic, the "soul" of the train and ending with the passengers.
Over the hills and far away
On the left, Bucegi Mountains, on the right, Piatra Craiului and everywhere in between rolling hills, small houses and forrests. This is the view people in Holbav, Brasov wake up to every day. There, in a small house, my dear friend and teacher Sorin Onisor introduced me to the world of Miruna. She has no smartphone, tablet or any of the gadgets that make up the world of almost any kid nowadays. But she has rosie cheeks and a contagious laughter. We played and we photographed her, her grandfather Marcu and great-grandmother Ana, wonderful and welcoming people. The last photo is just to show you their view.
Frozen Danube Delta
The Danube Delta is full with tourists almost all year round. But in the winter, when the lqkes and the channels freeze and the tourists are gone, the Delta falls silent. For the locals it's a hard time, many of them being isolated from the rest of the world, they have to make due with the provisions stored over summer and by fishing through the thick ice. Not many outsiders get to witness and photograph the winter activities of the local fishermen. It was a difficult thing to get there, but it was worth all the effort.
Photographying people is always a challenge, because it's not so easy to just walk up to them and ask if they want to be photographed. But sometimes you just know it's going to be worth it.
The shepherd. Moldovita, Bucovina, 2017