Spin it!

Bogdan spinning on a chair in an abandoned bar on the side of a lake.

Pre-election rally

Ten-year-old Valentin Penciu (C), and George Muhulica (R), wave flags during a pre-election rally in Bucharest, Romania, 23 November 2007. Romanians will cast their vote the European Parliament this week-end.

Snuggle

A couple enjoys a private moment in a bar downtown Bucharest.

Nationalized houses

After World War II, the communists in Romania started nationalizing businesses and properties from the "enemies of the people". That basically meant everyone who was not a communist and had saved any money or properties worth taking.

Afterwards, they gave these houses away or rented them to different people, varying from members of the Communist Party to singers to people in the military.

The original owners now go through a lot of trouble to get their properties back. The problem is that the Romanian State has sold many of these houses after 1989. Therefore, both the original owners and the new ones have papers claiming they are the rightful proprietor. That lead to countless law suits, evictions and lots of unpleasant events. Most lawyers say the State is the only one to blame and that both the original owners and the new ones are victims of bad legislation and governing.

I've started a story on this topic. This past week, I've photographed a couple of people moving out of the apartment they have been living in since 1964 and had bought in 1997. The original owners live in the same building (that their ancestors rightfully owned when the communists abusively nationalized it), in pretty bad conditions (two families in a basement).


Constantin Darniceanu, 93 years old, reads the eviction note. He has been living in this apartment since 1964, when the Romanian government gave it to him because he was an officer in the Romanian army.


His wife, Paraschiva Darniceanu, 83 years old, sits surrounded by all their stuff, that they have to pack before moving out.


Constantin Darniceanu gets lost in the middle of an argument between his nephew and the rightful owners.


Mrs. Darniceanu watches the movers pack their stuff.


Mr. Darniceanu holds on to a bag while trying not to get in the way of the movers. In front of him on the floor lies his old closet, ready to be moved. Despite his age, he worked tirelessly to get things done that day.


Mrs. Darniceanu takes a moment to rest in the middle of what used to be their bedroom.

3 Points of View

I had to photograph a press conference this morning about a new jewelry collection. This was my behind the scenes refuge.

Model Cecilia Miloiu waits backstage for her turn to showcase some pieces of jewelry.


A waiter and a waitress preparing the last details of the buffet organized for the journalists who attended the press conference.


The remainders of the press conference.

In Trance

Deep Purple kicked off their European tour with a concert in Bucharest. It was the first time my parents' generation had the chance to see these guys live.

The Godfather himself

This morning, I went with a reporter to photograph Francis Ford Coppola during an interview. "No pictures while I speak, please!" he said. So I waited till the end of the interview. He gave me 2 minutes. Which meant 18 frames. This is my favourite.

Lens baby

Andreea, reluctant to what she called "visual abuse" by a lens baby.

You like the obscure

"I see you like the obscure."

All the President's men. And women. And children.

This past week-end, Traian Basescu, the Romanian president, came to downtown Bucharest to deliver a speech. A few hours earlier, Emil Constantinescu, a former president, tried to gather a small crowd across the street to protest against the presidential speech. I tried to approach the event in a Christopher Morris kind of way.

Two old men read a promotional paper during the protest against the presidential speech, while a girl runs past.

Former president Emil Constantinescu smiles while talking to his followers. His goatee was almost a trademark when he was in power.

Agrecii Mihaela, 19 years old, holds a flag during the antipresidential rally. "I came from Constanta to Bucharest to rally for freedom", she said.

On the other side of the street, a couple holds hands while waiting for the president to show up.

Police officers waiting for the presidential convoy.

Hundreds of people waited in front of the stage for Basescu to show up.

Police officers in the crowd.

Secret Service agents scout the crowd while the president takes a break inside a tent next to the stage after the speech.

Most TV stations used a lot of logistics in covering the speech, since the president planned his public appearance for prime time hours.

A boy climbed up a tree to get a better view of the president.

Official restroom

One of the players takes a leak on the side of the field. There is no restroom, no locker, nada.

Home

Went to my hometown over the week-end.


Mom and dad.

Cute little neighbour. She was almost half this size when I last saw her.

Uranus

Believe it or not, there's an outdoor cinema called "Uranus" in Bucharest. The planet, that is. Still, odd name. I checked it out last night and snapped a few pictures of a few friends to keep warm.

Stamatin. Bogdan Stamatin.

More football

Two of the team leaders just got back from Germany, where they went to buy the first set of official football equipment for the team.

Two of the guys use a car door as a mirror to check out the way they look in their new equipment.

Florin smiles during practice. He says he thinks the new equipment allows him to throw better passes.

Roman, the only team member who played in the US, explains to the others how to wear the equipment.

Florin organizes the attack during a drill.

Not everyone got to wear the new equipment. Some guys couldn't afford to chip in, while others simply refused to pay for what they say is just a hobby.

Football

I spent some more time with the football guys to get to know them a little better.


"Ogarul" (The Greyhound) makes a run during practice.

Practicing a kick.

The guys concentrate to hold their position while Mihai, third from the right and one of the team leaders, counts out loud during an exercise meant to strengthen their legs. Though it looks like they're sitting, there is nothing under their butts in this painful exercise.

Esquire, the begining of a beautiful friendship

I've recently started what I hope would be a long cooperation with the newly launched Romanian version of the Esquire magazine. It'll mostly consist of little (three weeks' time) picture stories and environmental portraits.

I won't post any portaits before they are published in the magazine. However, I'll post pictures from stories I'll be working on and I will appreciate all the feedback I can get.

For the upcoming number, I'm working on a story about a bunch of Romanian guys that started an American football team here in Bucharest. The reporter who came up with the story, a former Mizzou grad, is my friend Cristian Lupsa - staff writer for Esquire here. These guys play on a rough soccer field and don't even have equipment yet or a team to play against. Still, they have a lot of enthusiasm, which some papers that covered the story briefly kind of neglected.

Here are couple of pictures from the first training session I witnessed.

The guys warm up before their practice. When the team started, it was just about kicking the ball around. The compulsory warm up was the first sign that they were beginning to take things a little more seriously.


The guys take a short break in between drills. The field they play on is really rudimentary.

Costesti

I took Ikuru to the Gypsy fair in Costesti, where rich Gypsies get together to show off and party. Here are a few snaps.

A child runs past tow luxurious cars waving a toy gun. Mercedes and BMW are the most popular cars in this community. A man's car represents his status and can affect his image in Costesti.


A man drinks while loud music blasts from the speakers outside his tent.


A young Gypsy poses for a portrait.


Liviu Silvestru wraps his coat tightly around his body once the sun goes down and the cold sets in. Not everyone parties. Liviu has been selling second-hand clothes all day long.

Alby

The King of Music

During the photo workshop we're at here in Timisoara, we spent several nights drinking and laughing our asses off with Tamango, a popular Gypsy singer who calls himself the King of Music.

Tamango tries to light a cigarette with his pistol-like lighter.

Ikuru, The Guru

My friend Ikuru has landed in the beautiful Romanian landscape. He plans to live and work here for a year, more or less.


Ikuru talks to Andreea, a Romanian journalist, on the night train to Timisoara, a city in Western Romania that hosts a Gipsy festival.


Bogdan (one of my dearest) and Ikuru in the backstage at a concert.