Photographe Ciprian Vladut

—Êtes-vous photogénique ?

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

—Comment avez-vous commencé à travailler dans la photographie ?

—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 :)

—Selon vous, quels sont les éléments les plus importants d'une bonne photo ?

—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.

—Aimez-vous voyager ?

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

—Quel aspect de votre profession préférez-vous ?

—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.

—Quel aspect de votre profession aimez-vous le moins ?

—Having too much to edit.

—Quel est le futur de la photographie ?

—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.

—Qu'est-ce que le style de photographie dans lequel vous travaillez a de spécial ?

—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?

—Comment gérez-vous les critiques ?

—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

—Y a-t-il des modes dans la photographie ?

—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.

—Quels devraient être les critères pour qu'un client choisisse un photographe ?

—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.

—Quels sont les interdits lors de photographie ?

—Getting in front of the photographer.

—Quels détails seul un photographe peut-il remarquer ?

—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.

—Qu'est-ce qui influence la valeur d'une photo ? Quels en sont les éléments ?

—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).

—Quelle personne peut être le symbole du 21ème siècle selon vous ?

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

—Qui aimeriez-vous prendre en photo ?

—Led Zeppelin and U2 in concert.

—Avez-vous des tabous professionnels ?

—No, not really.

—Avec quel photographe aimeriez-vous faire une séance photo ?

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

—De quoi vous inquiétez-vous, et pourquoi ?

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

—Quel a été le moment le plus impressionnant de votre vie ?

—I think that moment is still to come.

—Si vous étiez un personnage de dessin animé, de livre ou de film, qui seriez-vous et pourquoi ?

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

—Qui vous inspire dans votre vie et pourquoi ?

—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.

—Comment définissez-vous le succès ? Comment le mesurez-vous ?

—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?

—Préférez-vous être aimé ou respecté ?

—Respected, since Facebook arrived likes can be deceiving.

—Quelle a été votre plus grande erreur professionnelle ?

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

—Quand vous partez en voyage que prenez-vous avec vous et pourquoi ?

—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.

—Est-ce que vous regrettez d'avoir acheté un de vos gadgets ? Lequel et pourquoi ?

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

—Quelle méthode utilisez-vous pour améliorer vos prises de photo ?

—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 :))

—Qui vous a influencé le plus en tant que photographe ?

—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.

—Quelle chose auriez-vous aimer connaître avant de vous lancer dans la photographie ?

—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.

—Qu'aimeriez-vous dire avec vos photos ?

—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.

—Quelle est votre motivation pour continuer la photographie ?

—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.

—Pensez-vous que vos parents auraient dû être plus stricts ? Moins stricts ?

—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.

—Si vous pouviez revenir dans le temps, que changeriez-vous ?

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

—Que pensez-vous de la vie sur d'autres planètes ?

—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.

—Qui sont vos héros ?

—The people that do good anonymously.

—Pour qui n'avez-vous aucun respect ?

—Cheaters.

—Que faites-vous pendant votre temps libre ?

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

—Quel aspect de votre personnalité le public ne voit pas ?

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

—Quand êtes-vous complètement satisfait de votre travail ?

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

—Croyez-vous en le traditionalisme des rôles de l'homme et de la femme ?

—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.

—Vous faites-vous facilement des amis ?

—Yes.

—Où aimeriez-vous vivre ?

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

—Quelle est la chose la plus stupide que vous ayez accepté ?

—Moving in with the wrong person.

—Existe-t-il une vie après le mariage ?

—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.

—Avez-vous une blague préférée ? Racontez-la.

—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?

—Préférez-vous les chats ou les chiens ?

—I like both.

—Qui ou que détestez-vous ?

—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.

—La plus belle chose de la vie est :

—Freedom.

—La chose la plus ennuyeuse de la vie est :

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

—Changeriez-vous quelque chose autour de vous ?

—Yes, the political class in my country.

—Que changeriez-vous chez vous ?

—Eliminate procrastinating.

—Que changeriez-vous dans le monde ?

—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.

—Auriez-vous quelques astuces pour des photographes débutants ?

—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.

—Des extraterrestres arrivent sur Terre et vous êtes le premier à les rencontrer. Que leur dites-vous ?

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

—Vous êtes appelé pour tourner un film. De quel genre serait-il ?

—Fantasy.

—Demain, je vais aller faire...

—... a corporate event in Sinaia.