Fotografas Ciprian Vladut

—Ar esate fotogeniškas?

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

—Kaip jūs atsiradote fotografijos industrijoje?

—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 :)

—Jūsų nuomone, kokie yra svarbiausi geros nuotraukos komponentai?

—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.

—Ar mėgstate keliauti?

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

—Kas šioje profesijoje Jums patinka labiausiai?

—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.

—Kas šioje profesijoje Jums patinka mažiausiai?

—Having too much to edit.

—Kokia bus fotografijos ateitis?

—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.

—Kuo ypatingas fotografijos žanras, kuriame jūs specializuojatės?

—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?

—Kaip susitvarkote su kritika?

—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

—Ar fotografijoje egzistuoja tendencijos?

—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.

—Kokie turėtų būti kliento kriterijai, kad pasirinkti fotografą?

—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.

—Kokių dalykų turi būti vengiama fotografuojant?

—Getting in front of the photographer.

—Kokias detales, kurios paprastai būna nepastebėtos, gali pastebėti fotografas?

—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.

—Kas įtakoja nuotraukos vertę? Kokie yra jos elementai?

—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).

—Koks žmogus Jūsų manymu galėtų būti 21 amžiaus simboliu?

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

—Ką norite fotografuoti?

—Led Zeppelin and U2 in concert.

—Ar turite profesinių tabu?

—No, not really.

—Su kuo norėtumėte kartu fotografuoti?

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

—Dėl ko nerimaujate ir kodėl?

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

—Kas yra įsimintiniausias dalykas nutikęs Jūsų gyvenime?

—I think that moment is still to come.

—Jeigu būtumėte animacinio filmo, knygos arba filmo veikėju, kuo norėtumėte būti ir kodėl?

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

—Kas ir kodėl Jus įkvepia gyvenime?

—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.

—Kaip Jūs apibrėžtumėte sėkmės terminą? Kaip ją "matuojate"?

—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?

—Geriau būti mėgiamu ar gerbiamu?

—Respected, since Facebook arrived likes can be deceiving.

—Kokia yra didžiausia klaida kurią padarėte darbe?

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

—Kuomet keliaujate, ką ir kodėl imate su savimi?

—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.

—Ar tarp turimų prietaisų yra tokių kurių geriau būtumėte nepirkę? Kodėl?

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

—Kaip mokotės gauti kokybiškesnes nuotraukas?

—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 :))

—Kieno darbas jus kaip fotografą įtakojo labiausiai?

—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.

—Išskirkite vieną dalyką kurį būtumėte norėjęs žinoti prieš pradedant fotografo karjerą?

—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.

—Ką norite pasakyti savo nuotraukomis?

—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.

—Kas motyvuoja Jus toliau fotografuoti?

—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.

—Jūsų tėvai turėjo būti labiau ar mažiau griežti?

—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.

—Jeigu galėtumėte grįžti į praeitį, ką darytumėte kitaip?

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

—Ką manote apie gyvybę kitose planetose?

—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.

—Kas yra jūsų herojai?

—The people that do good anonymously.

—Kam nejaučiate pagarbos?

—Cheaters.

—Ką veikite laisvalaikiu?

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

—Kokia yra Jūsų pusė, kurios visuomenė niekada nemato?

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

—Kada esate visiškai patenkinti savo darbu?

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

—Ar tikite tradicinėmis vyrų ir moterų rolėmis?

—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.

—Ar lengvai randate draugų?

—Yes.

—Kur norėtumėte gyventi?

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

—Koks yra kvailiausias dalykas kūrį buvote padarę?

—Moving in with the wrong person.

—Ar gyveimas tęsiasi po vedybų?

—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.

—Ar turite mėgstamą anekdotą? Papasakokite.

—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?

—Labiau mėgstate šunis ar kates?

—I like both.

—Ko nekenčiate?

—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.

—Geriausias dalykas gyvenime yra:

—Freedom.

—Labiausiai erzinantis dalykas gyvenime yra:

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

—Ar yra kas nors aplink jus, ką norėtumėte pakeisti?

—Yes, the political class in my country.

—Ką norėtmėte pakeisti savyje?

—Eliminate procrastinating.

—Ką norėtumėte pakeisti pasaulyje?

—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.

—Ar galite duoti keletą patarimų tik pradedantiems fotografams?

—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.

—Jei į žemę atvyktų ateiviai ir jūs būtumėte pirmas jų sutiktas žmogus, ką jiems pasakytumėte?

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

—Jei filmuotumėtė filmą, koks būtų jo žanras?

—Fantasy.

—Rytoj aš eisiu ir darysiu...

—... a corporate event in Sinaia.