Fotograf Ciprian Vladut

—Er du fotogen?

—I consider I ain't, but it so happens that on occasion some other photographer catches the good/bright sight of me.

—Hvordan blev du en del af fotografiindustrien?

—I started taking pictures in 2000 and shooting weddings in 2008. At first, I didn't want to do weddings, I thought it would diminish my work. But I started anyway and found the most challenging environment, I discovered that no matter what type of photography you do, you can always reinvent yourself and find new ways to tell a story. Especially when you meet extraordinary people all the time :)

—Hvad er de vigtigste komponenter i et godt billede efter din mening?

—First & foremost, the people involved and their mood (if you're shooting people), then the light (I began ”seeing” the light after years of shooting) and the decisive moment. I don't agree that the quality of a photograph is not important, but it indeed comes in second after the feelings it produces.

—Elsker du at rejse?

—So much that if it would be possible I would be traveling all the time.

—Hvad kan du bedst lide ved dit fag?

—The diversity – today I'm shooting a wedding, tomorrow a baptism, after tomorrow a concert, then a family portrait, a corporate event or some landscape. It's what keeps me connected all the time.

—Hvad synes du mindre godt om ved dit fag?

—Having too much to edit.

—Hvordan ser fremtiden ud for fotografering?

—I think it is constantly evolving and that we'll always see changes for the good. We'll always have trends that come and go, the important thing is to know who you are and do what you really like, not necessarily follow the hype.

—Hvad er der specielt ved den fotografigenre, du specialiserer dig i?

—Oh, everything about it is special. I must admit I suffer when someone refers to it as a banality, thinking that ”real artists” don't do wedding photos. Special is meeting new people, seeing new places or facing new challenges. Besides war photography, I find it the most challenging type, you get to meet all kinds of situations during one day: different light every minute, you get to shoot outdoors and indoors, in plain sun or in the shadow of a tree/building, inside a cave or on a mountain top etc. etc. Need I say more?

—Hvordan håndterer du kritik?

—I'm all in for constructive criticism, don't like destructive one. That's why we're here on My Wed, right? To constantly learn from other photographers and document ourselves about where we are as wedding photographers. I, for one, would like to hear more criticism about my work and where to improve. Here's an idea: you could implement a section where each photographer could post one photo/week for critique :D

—Er der nogen tendenser inden for fotografering?

—Of course there are, but these come and go, the important thing is to never let go of who you are and follow your own way. If you have your style, there will probably come a moment when it will be trending, but when it's gone it doesn't mean you have to go with the flow. Out there, there will always be people who will appreciate you, your work, your style and your way of being.

—Hvad bør kriterierne være for en kunde, der skal vælge en fotograf?

—First of all, it's important that the bride and groom identify themselves with the photographer and his work, the choice should be made by whether they consider he is the one who's worth recording their lifetime memories. Then, they should absolutely watch an entire wedding shot by the one they chose. I like being approached by future weds who know a thing or two about photography and who got their mind set on what they really want.

—Hvilke ting er slet ikke tilladt under fotograferingen?

—Getting in front of the photographer.

—Hvilke detaljer, der som regel går ubemærket hen, vil en fotograf bemærke?

—The wedding photographer sees the extraordinary where other people see normality. It's not about things, it's about the ”vision” he/she has and the ability to transfer this vision into reality.

—Hvad påvirker værdien af et foto? Hvilke elementer indeholder det?

—Composition, light, placement of subject, vision, editing. Generally speaking, a photographer must be three things: a good shooter (if you don't do it right straight out of the camera, it will be hell afterwards), a good selector (choosing the photos that remain it's not an easy task) and a good editor (I know some of us prefer the ”raw” images – I consider that editing can be a form of art, the same as creating the image with the camera).

—Hvilken person kan være symbolet på det 21. århundrede efter din mening?

—I have no idea, you should ask me the same in 2115 :))

—Hvem vil du gerne fotografere?

—Led Zeppelin and U2 in concert.

—Har du nogen professionelle tabuemner?

—No, not really.

—Hvem ville du gerne fotografere sammen med?

—Sebastiao Salgado, then David LaChapelle or Erwin Olaf. And I'd like to see Marius Bărbulerscu or Adina Dumitrescu at work :D

—Hvad bekymrer du dig om, og hvorfor?

—Not being able to deliver photos on time, I'm always busy shooting.

—Hvad har været det mest imponerende øjeblik i dit liv?

—I think that moment is still to come.

—Hvis du var en animeret figur, en fiktiv person eller en person i en film, hvem ville du så være, og hvorfor?

—Dorian Grey, I like the idea of being able to stay forever young. But keeping my personality :P

—Hvem inspirerer dig i dit liv, og hvorfor?

—The people in general and the places I visit. The diversity of people and the situations we meet in a lifetime are infinite and life is too short to be able to register them all.

—Hvordan definerer du succes? Hvordan måler du det?

—Success is when you feel accomplished, when you're happy with your work and with your family. Success is measured inside one's mind, not on the outside. Can we measure happiness?

—Foretrækker du, at folk kan lide dig, eller at de respekterer dig?

—Respected, since Facebook arrived likes can be deceiving.

—Hvad er den største fejl, du nogensinde har begået i dit arbejde?

—Going to shoot someone's portrait and leaving all my cards at home.

—Når du skal rejse, hvad tager du så med dig, og hvorfor?

—The normal luggage and my photo bag, along with some filters and my tripod. Struggling hard to make it easier to carry. Why? Because I like to be prepared for any situation I meet.

—Er der noget, du ville ønske, du ikke havde købt blandt de tingester, som du ejer? Hvorfor?

—No, not a single thing, I still use everything I own, depending on the situation.

—Hvordan uddanner du dig selv til at tage bedre billeder?

—By practicing all the time, either shooting, choosing pictures or editing. That's how you discover new angles, that's how you start to ”see” things in a certain order. One day I was surprised to discover that, while marching on the street, I was involuntarily framing everything I saw, even though my mind was completely elsewhere. Probably that's when you may consider yourself a photographer :))

—Hvis arbejde har haft størst indflydelse på dig som fotograf?

—As I am 95% self thought, I cannot say there's one particular wedding photographer that influenced me. When time allows me I take a look at the work of other photographers, but mostly I try and work with things I find in the places I go and see them with my ”creative” eye. A big change for me came when I started working with fixed and wide aperture lenses.

—Hvad er det eneste, du ville ønske, du vidste, da du begyndte at tage billeder?

—That it's not wise to make loans when you want to buy photo gear. But I know I couldn't have done it otherwise.

—Hvad vil du gerne fortælle med dine fotografier?

—I try to tell the story of that special day, the story of that beautiful couple and the people surrounding them in order that, when you look at the pictures, you may re-live the feelings and emotions that you felt on place. Or, if you weren't there, to make you feel as if... I try to build memories that last, I consider that the value of the wedding pictures increases with time.

—Hvad motiverer dig til at fortsætte med at tage billeder?

—The fact that I know I can reinvent myself for each wedding, meeting new people every week and giving myself new challenges all the time.

—Burde dine forældre have været mere eller mindre strikse?

—They've tried to be more strict, but I didn't let them. If I would have, I wouldn't be a photographer nowadays. My special thanks go to my mom, who stood beside me when all others didn't.

—Hvis du kunne gå tilbage i tiden, hvad ville du så gøre anderledes?

—I would try to be more organized and kill the laziness in me.

—Hvad med liv på andre planeter?

—Since we can't even imagine how big the Universe is, there's not one single chance that we're alone... there's life out there, we'll probably be allowed to go find it when we'll stop killing each other.

—Hvem er dine helte?

—The people that do good anonymously.

—Hvem har du ingen respekt for?

—Cheaters.

—Hvad laver du i din fritid?

—There's not much time to spare, but when I have it I do some biking, trekking and traveling. Occasionally fishing.

—Hvilken side af dig viser du aldrig offentligt?

—The tons of pictures on my hard drives and the huge amount of time spent in front of my computer, editing.

—Hvornår er du helt tilfreds med dit arbejde?

—Never. Comfort and self appreciation are our biggest enemy.

—Tror du på de traditionelle mande- og kvinderoller?

—If you're asking about the man providing the goods and the woman raising children and cooking, definitely no. We're not living those times anymore.

—Har du let ved at få nye venner?

—Yes.

—Hvor vil du gerne bo?

—On the road, traveling most of the time. Eight months/year would be perfect.

—Hvad er det dummeste, du nogensinde har indvilget i at gøre?

—Moving in with the wrong person.

—Er der liv efter ægteskabet?

—Of course there is, if three vectors are met: respect, admiration and dialogue. Real love comes with time and is nurtured by the vectors mentioned before.

—Har du en yndlingsvittighed? Fortæl den til os.

—I have many favorite jokes, let's stick on one about photography:A mathematician enters a photo lab and says:
- I'd like to print a few photographs from my holiday.
- 9x13? – asks the man in charge.
- 117, why do you ask?

—Kan du lide hunde eller katte?

—I like both.

—Hvem eller hvad hader du?

—Hate is a strong word, let's use dislike. People that disappoint. I know that sometimes I disappoint, too, so there are moments when I dislike myself.

—Det bedste ved livet er:

—Freedom.

—Det mest irriterende ved livet er:

—Not having the time to do all things you'd like to.

—Er der nogen ting rundt omkring, som du gerne vil ændre?

—Yes, the political class in my country.

—Hvad vil du gerne ændre ved dig selv?

—Eliminate procrastinating.

—Hvad vil du gerne ændre i verden?

—Eliminate inequity and inequalities worldwide. There are plenty of resources for all of us to be able to live decent lives, without war or starvation. All human being should have access to education and a chance to a better life.

—Kan du give et par råd til de fotografer, som lige er startet?

—Take each step one at a time and grow steadily. I know the impulse is to go big right away, but you'll discover, as we all did, that experience and vision come with time. Try and discover things your own way, go ask only about the things you feel are keeping you down or cannot explain on your own. Practice every day, shoot as much as possible and edit a lot. Don't let anything get in your way, believe in yourself even when others don't.

—Hvis nogle rumvæsner kom til jorden, og du var den første person, de mødte, hvad ville du så sige til dem?

—”Welcome! I knew you were real... when do you get married?”

—Hvis du bliver spurgt, om du vil indspille en film, hvilken genre vil det så være?

—Fantasy.

—I morgen tager jeg ud og...

—... a corporate event in Sinaia.