“Tomorrow is no longer today” my grandma used to say. My journal follows suit and offers some insight into the everyday lives of Romanians, starting with the late ’90s and early 2000s, when I began photographing people and places all across Romania. Most of the images are random snaps made in or nearby Cluj-Napoca, a town very close to my heart. I never traveled much around the world, but I can say that for as long as I can recall I never really ran out of interesting things to shoot in Romania. Living in this country is an adventure all by itself, and there’s always a bitter-sweet feeling that goes along with that. Nevertheless taking pictures of people and places I care about is always refreshing to me, and sharing them with you is a bliss. For full stories please visit my menu.
I started taking snaps on black&white film at first as a joke, but I soon fell in love with it and, although the digital age came into my life in 2005, I’ve never really put down my 35mm film camera. To me it’s like a childhood dream come true.
In short, Romania is a country where moonshiners thrive making their plum brandy (highly appreciated at the countryside), peasants use a knife to slaughter pigs (usually named Ghitza) sometime before Christmas, politicians steal public money, talented young people leave the country, and so on. Still, the devil is not as black as he’s painted!
Young Romanians who travel abroad and return home even briefly bring back with them high hopes. “Don’t worry everything will be all right” (“Nu te mai preocupa totul va fi bine”) is written on a random wall. Meanwhile, life changes slowly, a man sleeps outside in front of a window (“Frumuseţe Sănătate” means “Beauty Health”), a lady is waiting for the bus on the sidewalk and someone repairs a cash machine in the middle of the street.
In Cluj-Napoca there was a small tea house called Bahia where I took some portraits of the waitresses. Some of them I knew, but the one in the snap below somehow remains nameless to this day.
The bouncer from Jay’s Club and a random young lady – sometimes an image comes out with all the bells and whistles once you take a good look at it. Other times, the snap you take is just a big surprise that puts a smile on your face. Photography doesn’t lie, and if it lies sometimes then it’s doing it in the most wonderful way possible, and that’s why photography is so addictive.
A man displays his happiness on the street nearby Cluj-Napoca rail station. He told me he’s happy because he never stole anything and never allowed anything to steal his joy.
Sometimes funny stuff comes out of boring situations. Some say ignorance is a blessing. Not so in creative photography. The only good secret in photography is to remain receptive while not being seriously.
To drink or not to drink. That is the question. I saw this guy in the market taking a nap in front of the pub. He wasn’t very happy to be disturbed.
Once I went to a Gypsy party in the Făget forest. The family told me their way of life never really changed during and after communism. Sometimes I wonder to this day if they still live in the forest sleeping in improvised shelters.
“Jaguar Paw” my tomcat isn’t bothered heaving his lunch between the cigarette butts thrown away by my neighbors.
Gyuri (if I remember his name right – cause it was a looong time ago) begs in front of a mobile phone shop four days before Christmas. So does the big mobile phone if you really push your mind.
Just putting aside for a moment the genuine Romanian talents and decent people who live in this country, if there’s anything really, but really good about Romania, I’d summarize it like this: exquisite wines, beautiful women and spectacular mountains. One should try to figure out if I’m right on point here. Maybe there’s something more, but in my opinion these three are here to stay. Here are the mountains.
Like in a XVII century painting the view from Omu Peak in the Bucegi Mountains is mesmerizing.
Ioana works as a puppeteer in Cluj-Napoca.
Didi. Bahia tea house. 2003.
Wondering around on Tampa hill from Brașov I found these young guys enjoying a nice social media brake.
In Romania people have lots of dogs. Keeping dogs is not cheap. But older people in general have at least one dog, usually half breed.
Stray dog traveling by bus in Bucharest (most certainly without a ticket).
This is the lonely bench on top of the boardwalk where my brother met his wife, somewhere on Chios lake.
Almost 600.000 protesters rocking the boat of power are represented in a single hug of a couple.
Andrea and her mother, Paraschiva. For the full story please check out The Stancius portfolio.
Please take note that my home photos are just a teaser of things to come on my website. These are just random snaps. For full stories visit my menu links. Thanks.