Fotografer Ciprian Vladut

—Anda fotogenik?

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

—Bagaimana awal Anda masuk ke bidang fotografi?

—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 :)

—Apa komponen terpenting dari foto yang baik menurut Anda?

—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.

—Anda suka bepergian?

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

—Apa yang paling Anda suka tentang profesi Anda?

—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.

—Apa yang paling tidak Anda suka tentang profesi Anda?

—Having too much to edit.

—Bagaimana masa depan fotografi?

—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.

—Apa yang istimewa dengan genre fotografi kekhususan Anda?

—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?

—Bagaimana Anda menangani 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

—Adakah tren dalam fotografi?

—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.

—Apa yang seharusnya menjadi kriteria bagi pelanggan dalam memilih fotografer?

—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.

—Hal-hal apa yang harus dihindari saat pemotretan?

—Getting in front of the photographer.

—Detail apa yang umumnya lewat tanpa disadari yang tertangkap oleh fotografer?

—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.

—Apa yang memengaruhi nilai sebuah foto? Apa saja elemen-elemennya?

—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).

—Siapa yang dapat menjadi simbol abad ke-21 menurut pendapat Anda?

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

—Siapa yang ingin Anda jepret?

—Led Zeppelin and U2 in concert.

—Anda memiliki tabu profesi tertentu?

—No, not really.

—Dengan siapa Anda ingin menjepret?

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

—Apa yang Anda khawatirkan, dan mengapa?

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

—Apa momen paling mengesankan dalam hidup Anda?

—I think that moment is still to come.

—Jika Anda karakter kartun, buku, atau film, siapakah Anda dan mengapa?

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

—Siapa yang menginspirasi Anda dalam hidup dan mengapa?

—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.

—Bagaimana Anda mendefinisikan kesuksesan? Bagaimana Anda mengukurnya?

—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?

—Anda lebih senang disukai atau dihormati?

—Respected, since Facebook arrived likes can be deceiving.

—Apa kesalahan terbesar yang pernah Anda lakukan di tempat kerja?

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

—Saat Anda akan bepergian, apa saja barang yang Anda bawa dan mengapa?

—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.

—Di antara gadget yang Anda miliki, adakah yang Anda harap tidak pernah Anda beli? Mengapa?

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

—Bagaimana Anda mengajari diri sendiri untuk mengambil gambar yang lebih baik?

—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 :))

—Karya siapa yang paling memengaruhi Anda sebagai fotografer?

—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.

—Apakah satu hal yang Anda harap Anda tahu saat mulai mengambil foto?

—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.

—Apa yang ingin Anda katakan dengan foto-foto Anda?

—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.

—Apa yang memotivasi Anda untuk terus mengambil gambar?

—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.

—Apakah orang tua Anda seharusnya lebih atau tidak terlalu ketat?

—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.

—Jika Anda dapat kembali ke masa lalu, apa yang akan Anda lakukan secara berbeda?

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

—Bagaimana tentang kehidupan di planet lain?

—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.

—Siapa saja pahlawan Anda?

—The people that do good anonymously.

—Siapa yang tidak Anda hormati?

—Cheaters.

—Apa yang Anda lakukan di waktu luang?

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

—Sisi diri Anda manakah yang tidak pernah dilihat orang?

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

—Kapan Anda merasa benar-benar puas dengan pekerjaan Anda?

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

—Anda percaya akan peran tradisional untuk pria dan wanita?

—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.

—Anda mudah menjalin pertemanan?

—Yes.

—Di mana Anda ingin tinggal?

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

—Hal terbodoh apa yang pernah Anda setujui untuk dilakukan?

—Moving in with the wrong person.

—Adakah kehidupan setelah pernikahan?

—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.

—Anda punya lelucon favorit? Beri tahu kami.

—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?

—Anda suka anjing atau kucing?

—I like both.

—Siapa atau apa yang Anda benci?

—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.

—Hal terbaik dalam hidup itu:

—Freedom.

—Hal paling menjengkelkan dalam hidup adalah:

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

—Adakah hal di lingkungan sekitar yang ingin Anda ubah?

—Yes, the political class in my country.

—Apa yang ingin Anda ubah dalam diri sendiri?

—Eliminate procrastinating.

—Apa yang ingin Anda ubah di dunia ini?

—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.

—Dapatkah Anda memberi kiat untuk fotografer yang baru saja memulai karier?

—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.

—Jika alien mendatangi Bumi dan Andalah orang pertama yang mereka temui, apa yang akan Anda katakan pada mereka?

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

—Jika Anda dipanggil untuk mengambil gambar film, apakah genrenya?

—Fantasy.

—Besok saya akan pergi...

—... a corporate event in Sinaia.