Fotograf Ciprian Vladut

—Ste fotogenický?

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

—Ako ste sa dostali do fotografického priemyslu?

—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 :)

—Aké sú podľa vás najdôležitejšie súčasti dobrej fotografie?

—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.

—Máte radi cestovanie?

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

—Čo máte najradšej na vašej profesii?

—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.

—Čo sa vám páči najmenej na vašej profesii?

—Having too much to edit.

—Aká bude budúcnosť fotenia?

—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.

—Čo je výnimočné na žánri fotografií, na ktorý sa špecializujete?

—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?

—Ako zvládate kritiku?

—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

—Sú nejaké trendy v oblasti 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.

—Aké by mal mať zákazník kritérium pri výbere fotografa?

—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.

—Čomu sa určite vyhnúť pri práci?

—Getting in front of the photographer.

—Aké detaily, ktoré zvyčajne prejdú bez povšimnutia, si môže fotograf všimnúť?

—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.

—Čo ovplyvňuje hodnotu fotografie? Aké sú jej prvky?

—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).

—Ktorá osoba môže byť podľa vás symbolom 21. storočia?

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

—Koho chcete fotografovať?

—Led Zeppelin and U2 in concert.

—Máte nejaké profesionálne tabu?

—No, not really.

—S kým by ste chceli fotografovať?

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

—Čoho sa obávate a prečo?

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

—Aký bol váš najpôsobivejší okamih v živote?

—I think that moment is still to come.

—Ak by ste boli animovaná, literárna alebo filmová postava, kto by ste boli a prečo?

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

—Kto vás vo vašom živote inšpiruje a prečo?

—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.

—Ako definujete úspech? Ako ho meriate?

—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?

—Boli by ste radšej obľúbení alebo rešpektovaní?

—Respected, since Facebook arrived likes can be deceiving.

—Aká je najväčšia chyba, ktorú ste kedy v práci urobili?

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

—Keď cestujete, čo si so sebou beriete a prečo?

—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.

—Existuje niečo, čo by ste si boli radšej nekúpili zo zariadení, ktoré vlastníte? Prečo?

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

—Ako sa vzdelávate, aby ste robili lepšie fotografie?

—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 :))

—Koho práca vás ovplyvnila najviac ako fotografa?

—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.

—Jedna vec, ktorú by ste chceli vedieť, keď ste začínali s fotením?

—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.

—Čo by ste chceli povedať cez vaše fotografie?

—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.

—Čo vás motivuje v ďalšom fotografovaní?

—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.

—Mali byť vaši rodičia menej alebo viac prísni?

—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.

—Ak by ste sa mohli vrátiť v čase, čo by ste urobili inak?

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

—Čo tak život na druhých planétach?

—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.

—Kto sú vaši hrdinovia?

—The people that do good anonymously.

—Kto nemá u vás žiadny rešpekt?

—Cheaters.

—Čo robíte vo svojom voľnom čase?

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

—Akú vašu tvár nikdy neukazujte na verejnosti?

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

—Kedy ste úplne spokojní s vašou prácou?

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

—Veríte v tradičné role mužov a žien?

—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.

—Získavate ľahko nových priateľov?

—Yes.

—Kde by ste radi žili?

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

—Čo je tá najhlúpejšia vec, na ktorú ste kedy pristúpili?

—Moving in with the wrong person.

—Existuje život po svadbe?

—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.

—Máte obľúbený vtip? Povedzte nám ho.

—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?

—Máte radi psy alebo mačky?

—I like both.

—Koho alebo čo nenávidíte?

—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.

—Najlepšia vec v živote je:

—Freedom.

—Najviac znepokojujúca vec v živote je:

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

—Existuje niečo okolo vás, čo by ste chceli zmeniť?

—Yes, the political class in my country.

—Čo by ste chceli zmeniť na sebe?

—Eliminate procrastinating.

—Čo by ste chceli zmeniť vo svete?

—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.

—Môžete dať niekoľko tipov pre fotografov, ktorí práve začínajú?

—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.

—Keby prišli na našu planétu mimozemšťania a vy by ste boli prvou osobou, s ktorou sa stretnú, čo by ste im povedali?

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

—Ak by ste mali natočiť film, aký žáner by to bol?

—Fantasy.

—Zajtra pôjdem a urobím...

—... a corporate event in Sinaia.