Fotograaf Ciprian Vladut

—Kas sa oled fotogeenne?

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

—Kuidas sa sattusid fotograafiamaailma?

—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 :)

—Mis on sinu arvates hea foto kõige olulisead komponendid?

—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.

—Kas sulle meeldib reisida?

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

—Mis sulle sinu töö juures kõige rohkem meeldib?

—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.

—Mis sulle sinu töö juures kõige vähem meeldib?

—Having too much to edit.

—Millisena näed sa fotograafia tulevikku?

—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.

—Mis on sinu fotograafiažanris erilist?

—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?

—Kuidas sa suhtud kriitikasse?

—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

—Kas fotograafias on teatud trende?

—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.

—Millised peaksid fotograafi valides olema kliendi kriteeriumid?

—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.

—Mida pildistades kindlasti ei tohiks teha?

—Getting in front of the photographer.

—Mis võiksid olla need detailid, millele tavaliselt tähelepanu ei pöörata, kuid mida fotograaf võib märgata?

—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.

—Mis teeb fotost väärtusliku? Mis elemendid on olulised?

—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).

—Milline inimene on sinu arvates 21. sajandi sümbol?

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

—Keda sa sooviksid pildistada?

—Led Zeppelin and U2 in concert.

—Kas sul on teatud ametialaseid tabusid?

—No, not really.

—Kellega koos sa tahaksid pildistada?

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

—Mille pärast sa muretsed ja miks?

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

—Mis on olnud su elu kõige kõige muljetavaldavam hetk?

—I think that moment is still to come.

—Kui sa oleksid tegelane multikast, raamatust või filmist, siis kes sa oleksid ja miks?

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

—Kes sind su elus inspireerib ja miks?

—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.

—Kuidas sa defineeriksid edu? Kuidas sa seda mõõdad?

—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?

—Kas sa tahaksid, et sa pigem meeldiksid inimestele või et nad austaksid sind?

—Respected, since Facebook arrived likes can be deceiving.

—Mis on suurim viga, mida sa töötades oled teinud?

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

—Mida sa endaga reisides kaasa võtad ja miks?

—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.

—Kas sul on mõni vidin, mida sa omad, aga sooviksid, et poleks ostnud? Miks?

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

—Kuidas sa ennast koolitad, et paremaks fotograafiks saada?

—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 :))

—Kelle töö on sind kui fotograafi kõige rohkem mõjutanud?

—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.

—Mis oleks see üks asi, mida sa sooviksid, et oleks teadnud enne fotograafiaga alustamist?

—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.

—Mida sa oma fotodega öelda soovid?

—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.

—Mis motiveerib sind fotograafina jätkama?

—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.

—Kas sa arvad, et sinu vanemad oleksid pidanud sinuga olema rangemad või leebemad?

—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.

—Kui sa saaksid ajas tagasi minna, mida sa teeksid erinevalt?

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

—Kas sa arvad, et teistel planeetidel on elu?

—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.

—Kes on su kangelased?

—The people that do good anonymously.

—Keda sa ei austa?

—Cheaters.

—Mida sa vabal ajal teed?

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

—Millist poolt sinust avalikkus kunagi ei näe?

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

—Millal sa oled oma tööga täiesti rahul?

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

—Kas sa usud meeste ja naiste traditsioonilistesse rollidesse?

—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.

—Kas sa leiad kergesti sõpru?

—Yes.

—Kus sa tahaksid elada?

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

—Mis on kõige rumalam asi, mida sa kunagi oled nõustunud tegema?

—Moving in with the wrong person.

—Kas pärast abielu on elu?

—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.

—Kas sul on lemmiknali? Räägi see meile.

—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?

—Kas sulle meeldivad koerad või kassid?

—I like both.

—Keda või mida sa vihkad?

—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.

—Parim asi elus on:

—Freedom.

—Kõige ärritavam asi elus on:

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

—Kas sa näed oma ümber midagi sellist, mida sa tahaksid muuta?

—Yes, the political class in my country.

—Mida sa iseenda juures tahaksid muuta?

—Eliminate procrastinating.

—Mida sa maailmas tahaksid muuta?

—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.

—Kas sa võiksid anda mõned näpunäited alustavatele fotograafidele?

—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.

—Kui Maale saabuksid tulnukad ja sina oleksid esimene inimene, keda nad kohtaksid, mida sa neile ütleksid?

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

—Kui sul oleks võimalik vändata film, siis mis žanrist see oleks?

—Fantasy.

—Homme hakkan ma...

—... a corporate event in Sinaia.