Fotograaf Ciprian Vladut

—Bent u fotogeniek?

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

—Hoe bent u beland in de fotografie-industrie?

—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 :)

—Wat zijn volgens u de belangrijkste elementen van een goede foto?

—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.

—Houdt u van reizen?

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

—Wat vindt u het leukst aan uw beroep?

—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.

—Wat vindt u het minst leuk aan uw beroep?

—Having too much to edit.

—Wat ziet u de toekomst van fotografie?

—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.

—Wat is er bijzonder aan het fotografiegenre waarin u zich specialiseert?

—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?

—Hoe gaat u om met kritiek?

—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

—Zijn er bepaalde trends in fotografie?

—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.

—Welke criteria moet de klant hanteren bij het kiezen van een fotograaf?

—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.

—Wat is er totaal uit den boze bij het fotograferen?

—Getting in front of the photographer.

—Welke details die vaak onopgemerkt gaan, kan een fotograaf vastleggen?

—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.

—Wat beïnvloedt de waarde van een foto? Wat zijn de elementen ervan?

—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).

—Welke persoon kan volgens u symbool staan voor de 21e eeuw?

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

—Wie wil u graag fotograferen?

—Led Zeppelin and U2 in concert.

—Heeft u bepaalde taboes op professioneel vlak?

—No, not really.

—Met wie zou u graag fotograferen?

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

—Waar maakt u zich zorgen over en waarom?

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

—Wat is het meest indrukwekkende moment van uw leven?

—I think that moment is still to come.

—Als u een personage van een cartoon, boek of film was, wie zou u dan zijn?

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

—Wie inspireert u in uw leven en waarom?

—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.

—Hoe definieert u succes? Hoe meet u het?

—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?

—Bent u liever graag gezien of gerespecteerd?

—Respected, since Facebook arrived likes can be deceiving.

—Wat is de grootste fout die u ooit begaan heeft op professioneel vlak?

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

—Wat neemt u mee op reis en waarom?

—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.

—Is er iets dat u liever niet gekocht had tussen de gadgets die u bezit? Waarom?

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

—Hoe leert u bij om betere foto's te maken?

—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 :))

—Wiens werk heeft u het meest beïnvloed als fotograaf?

—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.

—Wat had u graag geweten toen u begon als fotograaf?

—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.

—Wat wil u graag zeggen met uw foto's?

—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.

—Wat motiveert u om foto's te blijven maken?

—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.

—Hadden uw ouders strenger of minder streng moeten zijn?

—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.

—Wat zou u anders doen als u in de tijd kon terugkeren?

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

—Wat denkt u over leven op andere planeten?

—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.

—Wie zijn uw helden?

—The people that do good anonymously.

—Voor wie kan u geen respect opbrengen?

—Cheaters.

—Wat doet u in uw vrije tijd?

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

—Welke kant van u krijgt het publiek niet te zien?

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

—Wanneer bent u helemaal tevreden over uw werk?

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

—Gelooft u in een traditionele rolverdeling voor man en vrouw?

—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.

—Maakt u gemakkelijk vrienden?

—Yes.

—Waar zou u graag wonen?

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

—Wat is het domste waarmee u ooit akkoord bent gegaan?

—Moving in with the wrong person.

—Is er een leven na het huwelijk?

—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.

—Heeft u een favoriete mop? Vertel ...

—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?

—Houdt u van honden of van katten?

—I like both.

—Wie of wat haat u?

—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.

—Het beste in het leven is:

—Freedom.

—Het vervelendste in het leven is:

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

—Is er iets rondom u dat u graag zou veranderen?

—Yes, the political class in my country.

—Wat zou u graag veranderen aan uzelf?

—Eliminate procrastinating.

—Wat zou u graag veranderen aan de wereld?

—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 u tips geven voor beginnende fotografen?

—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.

—Als buitenaardse wezens naar de Aarde komen en u bent de eerste persoon die ze ontmoeten, wat zal u hen dan zeggen?

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

—U wordt gevraagd om een film te maken, welk genre wordt het?

—Fantasy.

—Morgen zal ik ... doen

—... a corporate event in Sinaia.