In Sibiu, houses have eyes

You have been warned!

Week 3 - Lines

This week was kind of an adjustment for me, as we are back from the holidays and my husband has a ton of work to do and me and my darling daughter are pretty much on our own all day (no more visiting friends or grandmothers who can't wait to take the baby off my "tired" hands). It's also become pretty clear that the park where we go for our daily walk is pretty much horrible for photography purposes, so I had no idea what to do about the theme, or where to go for shooting.

Lucky for me, I woke up early on Wednesday morning. The sun was just rising and it was freezing outside, but as I looked out my bedroom window, people were already going about their business. Some city employees were shoveling snow right in front of my apartment building, and I found them interesting enough to photograph, so I went out on the balcony - in my pajamas! - and got to shooting.

I know it's not a very original idea, shooting the street from above, but it was the most originality I could come up with for this week. In the end, I got a couple of photos I was somewhat happy with, out of which I chose this one:

I think the road makes for a good leading lines example, and the fact that all the people are positioned alongside it really brings them into focus. I also like the lines of the fence and poles in the background, and the different activities of the people. While at first I thought that the car added some interest to the middle of the shot, in hindsight I think it maybe takes attention away from the human subject and creates confusion for the viewer.

I was actually deciding between two photos, one with a car on the road and one with the road just serving as negative space. This is the other shot:

What do you think? Should I have gone for the second one?

Good Morning, Bucharest!

View from my balcony at 8 am - that's what I like about living on the 7th floor :)

Week 2 - Silhouette

I put considerably more work into this week's theme - the weather was nicer and I had more time - but it's really thanks to my husband that I got the shot I finally submitted. I had some photos with my first idea, I kind of liked some of them and was almost content to choose one and just be done with it. He sent me out shooting a second time and so I got this photo that I really love:

First of all, I like the background - it's really what made me stop and take photos there; I like the half coloured wall and the fact that the white part still retains some texture, and I like the cobbled stone and the snow.

I like that I was able to capture two characters, one on each side, and I like the relationship between them. When I look at the photo, for a moment I feel like I'm seeing a man and his shadow walking away from each other and it confuses me for a little while and I like that.

I also like how the silhouette on the left seems a bit two dimensional (like painted on the white wall), while the background gives a real feel of perspective so the two impressions contradict themselves.

I like the half profile of the silhouette man: the outline of his nose and hair, and the small eyelash detail. I would have loved a better silhouette of the rest of his body, but everybody was wearing thick winter clothes so it wasn't really doable. The guy on the right helps a bit with this lack of detail because we can picture what the silhouette man is wearing by looking at him.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with my photo. What do you think of it?

Fun fact: I took 103 photos in this passageway, most of them with the same or similar angle as this shot, and in the end I had a shortlist of about 5 photos to choose from. I will make another post with my three ideas for the silhouette shot and all the photos I found acceptable.

Winter Still

Yes, I like square crops and symmetry :)

Week 1 - Self Portrait

This portrait is reflection in the window of my childhood room. Although I haven't lived in my home town for 13 years, I still return every Christmas. This year I am a first time mother - my daughter is 5 months old - so I find myself more nostalgic about my childhood than ever.

I had a different idea for my self portrait. I wanted to take a photo where I would stand still while a crowd of people would go about their way in the background. I borrowed a tripod from my sister-in-law and did a series of shots in the town centre, but I hated all of them. My pose was too stiff, or I had moved, I looked too fat, too plain, etc. 

I got home disappointed, then I remembered I had taken a selfie using the same curtain and Christmas lights some years back. I was still in college then, and that photo was more of a vanity shot, clear focus on my face and looking straight at the camera. I decided this second shot would be more fuzzy, so I shot my reflection, capturing the street outside as well. 

It is more 'me', as I feel right now: in two places at once, nostalgic about the time I was young and carefree and couldn't wait to leave home for college, but at the same time trying to embrace my 'true grownup' state now that I am a mother. 

As I give it more thought, a self portrait is also a good shot for a new year: 'forcing' us to think about ourselves, what we have achieved and what we want to achieve. Thinking about this I realize that I'm pretty happy with my life so far, and one can't ask for a better way to start the year. Here's to a great 2015 for everybody!

Long time no see

Da, n-am mai prea apărut pe-aici, pentru că:
1. N-am mai făcut așa multe poze
2. Nu am mai avut timp/chef să le pun online

Dar have no fear, for I am back! Anul ăsta m-am înscris într-un proiect fotografic în cadrul căruia va trebui să fac o poză pe temă dată în fiecare săptămână, și cum a început proiectul mi-am amintit și eu de acest spațiu virtual cam părăsit și am zis să încerc să-l împrospătez puțin…

De ce un proiect? Pentru că am nevoie de ceva care să mă motiveze să fac poze constant… în ultima vreme stând cam prost cu timpul și pe aparat s-a pus oțâr de praf. Și pentru că am aparatul nou de un an deja, și nu pot să spun că l-am testat la maxim (ba chiar aș zice că nu prea știu ce poate și ce nu).

So, stay tuned, pentru poze din proiectul 52 frames, și orice altceva îmi mai iese între timp.