28 July 2010

Documentary Photography Workshop in Maramures 9-13 August



Maramures: Reportage at its Limits

Join Davin and Aga Luczakowska in the Maramures region of northern Romania in summer 2010 for a week of enchantment in some of the most traditional villages left in Europe.

For decades Romania’s closed border policy under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu as well as a natural fortress of mountains kept Maramures isolated from the rest of Europe. Even after the fall of Communism change was slow to enter the region. But Romania joined the European Union in 2007 and Maramures is at last changing. Come savor this rural life before it vanishes forever!

We are offering a week-long documentary photography workshop based in the village of Valeni where Davin has photographed since 2002 and has extensive contacts and experience. Everyone will stay with a family and have great access to village life and enjoy traditional Romanian food. The pair will be working closely with workshop participants and providing daily critiques and group discussions. The goal of this workshop is to create one’s own personal photo essay on peasant life. We will shoot during the day and edit in the evenings. Over the course of the week participants will perfect their storytelling abilities and learn to edit — select and sequence your photographs — intuitively. It’s a workshop open to amateurs and professionals alike. Technical, theoretical and aesthetic issues will be discussed as attendees work towards honing their individual visions. The workshop will begin with individual portfolio reviews and Davin and Aga will show their own photography as well as the work of classic masters.

It will be an opportunity to witness the last peasants in Europe living life as they have for millennia albeit with a few aspects of modern life mixed in! It is an all digital workshop and students should come with their own laptop and editing software.

The workshop is limited to 12 students.

DATES: 9-13 August

WORKSHOP LOCATION: Valeni, Maramures, Romania.

WORKSHOP FEE: €400 and includes lodging and meals. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to Romania and up to Maramures. Many airline carriers fly to Bucharest.

ACCOMMODATION: Homestays with families which will include all meals.

REGISTRATION: The workshop is open to any professional or committed amateur who has knowledge of digital cameras and editing software.

Bios:

Aga and Davin are freelance photographers based between Katowice, Poland and Bucharest, Romania.


Aga studied in the US with National Geographic photographer Gerd Ludwig and National Geographic photo editor David Griffin. Later, she studied with photographers Stanley Greene, Alex Majoli and Lorenco Castore at Masterclass Focus on Monferrato in Tuscany.

Davin worked at National Geographic photographer Steven McCurry's studio in New York and studied with photographers Eugene Richards, Ken Light, Constantine Manos, George Tice and Paul Lowe. In 2006 he completed an MA in documentary photography at The London College of Communication.

Aga has worked for the Polish newspapers Polska The Times (Dziennik Zachodni) and Gazeta Wyborcza and her photographs have been published worldwide (Poland, Turkey, Germany, China, USA). She has won numerous awards including one from the Office for the City of Katowice, Poland, Newsweek Poland and National Geographic Magazine.

Davin has completed assignments for such publications as The International Herald Tribune, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Courrier Japon, Bloomberg News. His work has appeared in The New York Times and Der Spiegel and the book This Day of Change, among others. The recipient of the 2009 Portfolio Award at The Phodar Photography Biennial in Bulgaria, Davin has also won an honorable mention in Jen Bekman´s Hey! Hot Shot Contest in both 2008 and 2009. He has worked for various NGOs such as Leslie Hawke's Ovidiu Rom in Bucharest and The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) whose Romanian staff he trains in photography.

Check out Davin's archive on Maramures

Please contact us with any questions:

mail: luczakowskaellicson@gmail.com

21 July 2010

Bucuresti: EXPLOREAZA-TI VIZIUNEA



Bucuresti: EXPLOREAZA-TI VIZIUNEA

Vino cu Davin Ellicson si Aga Luczakowska la un workshop intensiv de fotografie de strada in Bucuresti, Romania, una din cele mai putin cunoscute capitale ale Europei, intre 24-25 iulie 2010.

Acest oras este un loc inselator, care inca nu a depasit stereotipele invechite ale perioadei comuniste. Totusi, departe de obiectivele turistice, Bucurestiul are o energie bruta care trebuie traita pentru a fi inteleasa. Nefiind inca atins complet de globalizare, orasul ofera un amestec ciudat intre vechea si noua Europa la un loc.

Davin a fost atras si absorbit de Romania inca din 2002. Dupa ce a terminat facultatea, a plecat sa locuiasca la o familie de tarani dintr-un sat in Muntii Carpati ramas inca in secolul XVIII. In 2007, Davin a decis sa se mute in Bucuresti si de atunci a ramas sub vraja lui. Aga i s-a alaturat in 2010.

Cuplul va lucra indeaproape cu participantii la workshop, contribuind cu critica si discutii de grup in fiecare zi. Scopul workshopului este sa perfectioneze metoda de fotografiere stradala si manuirea artei fotografiei spontane explorand Bucurestiul. Participantii vor invata si cum sa editeze – sa selecteze si sa organizeze fotografiile – intuitiv. Workshop-ul este deschis atat amatorilor cat si profesionistilor.

Participantii isi vor vedea fotografiile imbunatatindu-se, prin discutii de grup sau individuale asupra lucrarilor lor. Vor fi dezbatute probleme ce tin de tehnica, de teorie sau de estetica, astfel incat cei prezenti se apropie cat mai mult de viziunea personala.

Workshop-ul va incepe cu comentarea portofoliilor individuale. Davind si Aga vor prezenta atat fotografiile lor cat si cele ale unor maestri clasici.

Limita workshop-ului este de 12 studenti si se va tine in LIMBA ENGLEZA.

TAXA DE APRTICIPARE: €200.

Pentru mai multe detalii acceseaza link-ul urmator:

Davin's website
Aga's website

luczakowskaellicson@gmail.com
phone: +40 754 928 306

20 July 2010

10 July 2010

From the archive



Liviu and Ancuta, Breb, Maramures, Romania, 4 September 2006.

I will be heading up to Maramures in August to continue my long-term project on the transformation of rural life in the most traditional area of Europe. I wonder what I will find this time around. . .