Davin Ellicson Photography

New Benko Ellicson Workshops Page on Facebook

2012-02-26T20:09:00.001+02:00

Emese and I now have a Facebook page dedicated to our photography workshops in Romania. First up is Orthodox Easter in Maramures, Romania.

Orthodox Easter Photography Workshop in Maramures

2012-02-23T11:38:00.060+02:00

Orthodox Easter in Maramures: Folk Traditions on Europe's Eastern Fringe

Join Davin Ellicson and Emese Benko in the Maramures region of northern Romania in April 2012 for a week of enchantment in one 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. The area is renowned for the strength of its traditions, folk costumes, idyllic landscape and is considered the heart of Romanian culture. In 2007 Romania joined the European Union and Maramures is at last changing. Come savor this rural life before it vanishes forever!

We are offering a five day documentary photography workshop based in the village of Valeni where Davin lived for a year with a family and fell under Romania's dark spell. Maramures is where he found his photographic voice. In Davin's second workshop in the village, he will be sharing his passion for Romania with students. Emese, a native of Timisoara, will provide valuable insights about Romanian culture.

The pair will be working closely with workshop participants and providing daily critiques and group discussions. We will begin with a review of participants' past work. The goal of this workshop is to learn to create strong personal photographs about Orthodox Easter and peasant life. We will shoot during the day and edit in the evenings. 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.

Everyone will enjoy great access to the Easter holiday celebrations which occur over three days. Homestays will allow for an immersive experience with local villagers and the opportunity to sample distinctive traditional Romanian food and 110 proof homemade plum brandy. 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! The five days promise to be an intense, intimate and unforgettable experience where students will get to know the villagers first hand and live a romantic way of life forgotten in the rest of Europe more than a century ago.

It is an all digital workshop limited to 12 students and everyone should come with their own laptop and editing software. Knowledge of your digital SLR or rangefinder and workflow is essential. Davin and Emese will be giving a tutorial of Adobe Lightroom.

DATES: 13-18 April

WORKSHOP LOCATION: Valeni, Maramures, Romania.

WORKSHOP FEE: €500. Students are responsible for their own transportation to Romania and up to Maramures. There are daily trains from Bucharest to Maramures. Accommodation and meals are included. Choice of homestays or a room at a pension.

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

CONTACT: For detailed travel and arrival information email Davin at: davin@davinellicson.com and please follow us on Facebook.

BIOGRAPHIES:

Davin Ellicson

Since 2000 Davin has been transfixed by the Eastern European country of Romania. Immediately after finishing college he lived for a year with subsistence farmers in a village in the Carpathian mountains suspended somewhere in the 18th century. The photographs from this period became his first major project: Maramures. Today, Davin works between New York and Bucharest, a beguiling little known EU capital that is in the midst of dramatic change and cultural regeneration after Ceausescu. An ongoing series on the city comprises his next book project.

Davin's work has appeared in such publications as The New Yorker, The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, Der Speigel, ART and The Chronicle of Higher Education. He regularly photographs and produces multimedia for the NGO's Ovidiu Rom, IREX (International Research and Exchanges Board) and Not For Sale in Romania.

Ellicson's work is included in two books: "East" which includes 20 years of photography by Anzenberger Agency photographers in Eastern Europe and beyond as well as "This Day of Change", a group project by Courrier Japon on the day of Barack Obama's inauguration. 132 photographers captured life around the world and English and Japanese versions of the book were published.

Davin's photography has been exhibited worldwide including at The Phodar Photography Biennial in Bulgaria, The Takashimaya Department Store in Tokyo, Japan and at The East West Gallery in Vienna, Austria. Awards and honors include two honorable mentions in Jen Bekman's Hey, Hot Shot! contest, the portfolio award at The 2009 Phodar Photography Biennial and a Larson Fellowship from Carleton College to photograph Saami Reindeer Herders.

Emese Benko

I was born and grew up in Timisoara, Romania and presently live in Vienna, Austria. After studying anthropology and psychology, I felt that I no longer wanted to explain the world but rather express it. My curiosity for everything that is human, the wish to "see" and get closer to people led me to photography. My work is distributed by ASAblanca in Vienna.

Finishing up the Maramures book maquette

2011-11-28T15:40:00.000+02:00

A Panoramic from Bucharest

2011-11-23T17:11:00.000+02:00

Bucharest, Romania. 2011.

Romania: A Trilogy of Photographic Works

2011-11-19T04:19:00.000+02:00

I am currently working on my final long-term project about Romania which uses the important American photographic tradition of the road trip to investigate the country's post communist evolution from a highly personal perspective. Here is a shot from the Polish village of Poiana Moicului in the northeastern Bukovina region.

Imacon 848 Scanning for Cheap

2011-11-18T10:06:00.003+02:00

I am offering Imacon scans at my Boreum Hill, Brooklyn apartment.

I have two options:

1. Rental at my Boreum Hill, Brooklyn apartment for $20/hr.

2. I make scans for you, any size negative up to 5x7 at full
resolution. All scans are color corrected:

Unspotted Spotted

Any Film Size 1 Scan 10+ 1 Scan 10+

35 - 580mb $7 $5 $12 $10
60 - 370mb
4x5 - 460mb
5x7 - 500mb

Brooklyn Creative Photo Workshop

2011-11-07T01:59:00.000+02:00

I'll be teaching a series of intensive personal vision photography workshops at Brooklyn Creative in DUMBO over the winter months. Just two three hour sessions to get you motivated and to help figure out why you feel compelled to photograph.

Maramures Work on Leica China Site

2011-11-03T23:44:00.000+02:00

The Leica China site has posted some of my Maramures work this week. Click above.

Richard Prince Interview

2011-10-31T05:05:00.003+02:00

An interesting interview with Richard Prince at his upstate New York compound. I got to sit in on a critique with him a month back at Yale.

The Opening of The Bronx Documentary Center

2011-10-24T21:32:00.001+03:00

Michael Kamber put on a stellar yet sobering event the other night when his Bronx Documentary Center officially opened with an exhibition of Tim Hetherington's last photographs from Libya. Hetherington's "Diary" video was projected on the wall of an adjacent building. What an interesting location and a great space.

New Work In Progress

2011-10-21T22:30:00.003+03:00

Ongoing work from the Saxon Villages, Transylvania, Romania. 2010-2011. Central Transylvania was home to scores of ethnic German villages from the 12th century onwards, but dictator Nicolae Ceausescu sold back around 90,000 Saxons to West Germany in the 1980s in an effort to rid Romania of the minority as well as to help pay off the country's foreign debt. The remaining Saxon population made a mass migration to Germany in 1990.

W. Eugene Smith Awards

2011-10-21T02:10:00.003+03:00

The crowd at the reception following last night's W. Eugene Smith Awards where Krisanne Johnson won for her project "I love You Real Fast". Check it out at The Half King if you haven't already. Sebastian Junger made a poignant keynote speech which paid tribute to his friend and colleague Tim Hetherington and many other fine folk were in abundance including New Yorker Magazine Director of Photography Whitney Johnson, Anthony Suau, David Burnett, Donna Ferrato, Paul Moakely, Katie Orlinsky, Naomi Harris and Ron Haviv and Stephen Mayes of VII.

Eizabeth Avedon Blog Mention

2011-10-18T20:42:00.000+03:00

Curatorial consultant Elizabeth Avedon has mentioned my Maramures work on her blog today. Click image above.

The Brooklyn Inn

2011-10-17T02:15:00.002+03:00

At The Brooklyn Inn in Boreum Hill for some Malbec. October 15.

Back in New York

2011-10-14T09:43:00.001+03:00

Outside my mother's house. Alford, Massachusetts.

Rouge Restaurant. West Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

The Wingdale Diner. Wingdale, New York.

Across from Byrant Park. Manhattan.

Outside The International Center of Photography. Manhattan.

Back at the apartment in Boreum Hill, Brooklyn.

Yale School of Art MFA Photography Critique

2011-10-12T07:59:00.001+03:00

I headed to Yale this afternoon to sit in on one of the weekly crits in the MFA Photography program. Tod Papageorge is away this semester, so Gregory Crewdson led the panel which included Ann Collier, Richard Prince, Shirin Neshat, Lisa Kereszi and John Pilson. There are some great students, the environment was welcoming and the critique was of the first order. The work of Elizabeth Bick, a first year student, was up first.

Students look at Elizabeth's work. Second year student Felix Rodriguez is in the foreground.

First year student Marzena Abrahamik. I really love her work.

The panel: John Pilson making a point on the left, Lisa Kereszi, Shirin Neshat, Richard Prince. . .

Snaps from Boreum Hill and Williamsburg

2011-10-06T21:59:00.003+03:00

At The Brooklyn Inn for some Shiraz. . .

Out in Williamsburg.

The Half King and Bushwick

2011-10-05T21:12:00.004+03:00

I had a great night out at the Half King last night on the occasion of Krisanne Johnson's excellent slideshow and exhibition "I Love You Real Fast". Susan Meiselas moderated the event and asked some great questions of Krisanne. This is very powerful and important work of the first order.

Afterwards, I headed to Bushwick, Brooklyn. . .

At El Maguey, my favorite Mexican/El Salvadoran cafe for a beer or two.

A Smart car tucked away near the Morgan L metro stop, the area that is fast becoming the new Williamsburg.

New York, Sunday, 2 October

2011-10-03T08:32:00.004+03:00

Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

East Village, Manhattan.

Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.

David Alan Harvey's Loft Workshop Slideshow

2011-10-01T20:45:00.008+03:00

I headed to David Alan Harvey's Williamsburg loft last night for a slideshow by his students as well as a great projection by fellow Magnum photographer Christopher Anderson. Above is a shot from his Hati project that launched his career. The boat was sinking and with supposedly an hour left to live, Chris began snapping pictures.

Bruce Gilden also made an appearance with some nice new work from Russia.

The view out Harvey's window to Manhattan.

The party afterwards. David's son Bryan is on the right. Danny Wilcox Frazier was in attendance as well.

On the way out, I passed Peter van Agtmael coming up and outside was Sarah Elliot just back from Libya. Another good time was had at the kibbutz. My most recent visit had been back in April 2010 when Harvey graciously put a Polish woman and I up for the night. We rode the elevator with Tim Hetherington.

The long walk back to the G train through industrial Williamsburg with parties in warehouses all along the way.

I lived in Willamsburg back in 2002 and the area was already inundated with hipsters but the place seems to have exploded in recent years with throngs of well-heeled folk. Many new cafes and restaurants have opened.

Dinner in Greenpoint at 12:30 am.

Outside ICP

2011-09-30T02:20:00.002+03:00

Outside The International Center of Photography yesterday in midtown Manhattan.

Phaidon & Humble Arts Cocktail Party

2011-09-29T07:29:00.003+03:00

The view from my spot at Caffe Reggio on MacDougal Street on the way to The Phaidon and Humble Arts Foundation Cocktail Party at the Phaidon Store tonight. The event was in honor of the release of The Collector's Guide to New Art Photography Vol.2.

On the way home on Spring Street. . .

Back in Brooklyn. . .

Are We There Yet?

2011-09-23T19:04:00.004+03:00

Last night I headed out to SVA to hear a panel discussion on the topic of women in photography. Former New Yorker Magazine visuals editor Elisabeth Biondi moderated the discussion which included writer Lyle Rexer, photographers Martine Fougeron, Lisa Kereszi and Sarah Silver as well as New Yorker photography critic Vince Aletti.

It was interesting to hear how there are many more female photo students and yet there seem to be many more well known male photographers working in the world. It definitely has been my experience that most photo editors are women for example. There are many women gallery and art museum directors as well. As I mentioned earlier in the week, at my first critique class with gallerist Michael Foley, there were eight women and three men.

It was agreed that women have made great progress in the world of photography in recent years but that there is still ground to cover. Many of the panelists mentioned how when they view photography they do not think about gender, it is the quality of the work that matters. In a closing comment in response to an audience member's question, Lisa cautioned against women using their beauty to get ahead in the art world as it will backfire at one point or another she said.

All in all it was a good talk and I sat next to photographer and professor Joseph Maida who answered many of my questions regarding the SVA and Yale MFA programs. Below are a few quick images from the trip back to Brooklyn.

Michael Foley Crit #1

2011-09-21T07:22:00.002+03:00

At the Sasha Wolf and Foley galleries this evening during the first of three critiques with Michael (on the right). Apparently many male photographers do not do critiques because the women out number us four to one here.

New York, September 19

2011-09-20T05:52:00.002+03:00

Enroute to B&H today to pick up some Ilford Fibre Silk Gold Paper in preparation for making new prints before heading to The Exhibition Lab with gallerist Michael Foley. While editing this evening, I found the following four new images from the Bucharest project that I quite like.

121 images from the Bucharest project

2011-09-19T10:03:00.000+03:00

A small part of my output from Bucharest lies as 4x6 prints on the kitchen table in the apartment in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn.

Autumn in NYC Part I

2011-09-18T10:17:00.004+03:00

I'm in New York to meet with friends, editors, galleries, art buyers and to get help editing and producing maquettes of my Maramures and ongoing Bucharest work. ETA Bucharest is 26 September.

Bucharest Work is on The New Yorker's Photo Booth Blog

2011-08-23T01:31:00.000+03:00

Many thanks to photo editor Elissa Curtis at The New Yorker today. Click above.

Oitzarisme features a few pictures of mine today

2011-06-15T20:08:00.000+03:00

Click on the image above.

Street Photography Workshop in Bucharest, 18-19 June

2011-06-01T23:14:00.001+03:00

I will be teaching a street photography workshop in Bucharest the weekend of 18-19 June through The Calea Victoriei Foundation.

Video Promo for Biblionet

2011-05-10T19:45:00.001+03:00

A short video promo for Biblionet is up on my Vimeo page. The program, which is funded by a grant from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through Washington, D.C. based NGO IREX, is building a modern library system across Romania by training librarians in new technologies and delivering computers and the internet to rural villages.

My Maramures Project on KickStarter

2011-05-06T18:08:00.000+03:00

I have a week left and I have received word that others will pledge soon. CENTER in Santa Fe has listed me on their KickStarter page. Click the image above to go to the project on KickStarter.

On Assignment for NGOs Not For Sale and GTR

2011-04-30T13:12:00.007+03:00

I was in Timisoara, Romania, a beautiful western city close to Belgrade for two days this past week documenting the critical work of GTR for their American partner Not For Sale. The NGOs help victims of human trafficking in Romania which is a center for the exploitation of young women in Europe. GTR runs a home in Timisoara where women can stay as long as they need to in a loving and supportive environment.

"Romania’s unique geographical position as a gateway between Europe and Asia makes it a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking. Victims of all ages are trafficked for prostitution, forced labor, organ trafficking, to be used as surrogate mothers, and into criminal rings used to steal, beg, etc. Children, women, and those of mental disabilities are particularly at-risk in Romania to be used in prostitution, pornography, as surrogate mothers, or drug trafficking.

When Romania joined the EU in 2007, border control became simplified, making it easier to traffic men, women, and children in and out of Romania. In 2009, the government restructured its lead anti-trafficking agency- leading to a significant negative impact on the progress towards combating human trafficking. No federal funding was provided, causing many NGO’s to close down or divert their focus elsewhere. Many argue Romania is left without a reliable government agency to provide direction, implement and protection for trafficking victims."

—Not For Sale

The IDC Photo Blog Featured Me

2011-04-22T12:04:00.002+03:00

Bruce Dorn of IDC Photo Video in Arizona makes great HD DSLR rigs and follow focusing units. He featured me on his blog a few days ago. The shoot was for the US based NGO IREX (International Research and Exchanges Board) which has a grant from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to build a modern library system across Romania. Click the image above to go to IDC's Blog. You can see our audio slideshow for IREX here.

Weekend Street Photography Workshop in Bucharest, 7-8 May

2011-04-03T11:36:00.021+03:00

Bucharest: Exploring Your Vision

Join Davin Ellicson for an intensive street photography workshop in May 2011 in Bucharest, one of Europe’s least known capitals.

The city is a beguiling place which still suffers from outdated Communist-era stereotypes. Well off the tourist track, there is a raw energy to Bucharest that has to be experienced to be believed. Globalization has yet to run its course here and a curious blend of old and new Europe exists side by side.

Davin will be working closely with participants and providing daily critiques. The goal is to perfect one’s street shooting skills and the art of spontaneous photography by exploring Bucharest as well as how to edit — select and sequence your photographs — intuitively. It’s a workshop open to amateurs and professionals alike.

Through group as well as one on one discussions of the best work, participants will see their picture making skills improve. 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 will show his own photography as well as the work of classic masters. We will then discuss the principles of street photography before we head out to explore the streets of Bucharest.

On Sunday morning Davin will review saturday's work as well as give a tutorial on the archiving and image manipulation software called Adobe Lightroom that he highly recommends.

The workshop is limited to 12 students.

DATE: 7-8 May

WORKSHOP LOCATION: My studio in central Bucharest.

WORKSHOP FEE: €99

Transportation, meals, and other expenses are not included.

REGISTRATION: The workshop is open to any professional or committed amateur who has knowledge of digital cameras and editing software. Participants must come with their own camera, laptop and editing software. All ages welcome!

Bio:

Davin is a freelance photographer based in Bucharest, Romania.

Since 2000 Davin has been transfixed by the Eastern European country of Romania. Immediately after finishing college he even went and lived for a year with peasants in a village in the Carpathian mountains lost somewhere in the 18th century. The photographs from this period became his first major project: Maramures. Today, Davin works between New York and Bucharest, a beguiling little known EU capital that is in the midst of dramatic change and cultural regeneration after Ceausescu. An ongoing series on the city comprises his next book project.

Davin's work has appeared in such publications as Der Spiegel, The New York Times, ART and The Chronicle of Higher Education. He has worked with the NGO's Ovidiu Rom and IREX. Ellicson's photography projects have been exhibited worldwide including at The Phodar Photography Biennial in Bulgaria, The Takashimaya Department Store in Tokyo, Japan and at The East West Gallery in Vienna, Austria. Awards and honors include two honorable mentions in Jen Bekman's Hey, Hot Shot! contest, the portfolio award at The 2009 Phodar Photography Biennial and a Larson Fellowship from Carleton College to photograph Saami Reindeer Herders.

Davin is represented by the Anzenberger Agency in Vienna, Austria.

2006 M.A. Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, London College of
Communication, London

2001 B.A. in Modern European History, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota

Check out Davin's website here.

Please contact him with any questions: mail: luczakowskaellicson@gmail.com

phone: +40 754 928 306

My ongoing project about Bucharest is in Vice Romania today

2011-04-01T12:56:00.000+03:00

Click on the screen shot above to see the story.

Night Street Photography Workshop in Bucharest

2011-03-31T13:27:00.002+03:00

Last night I headed out with the expats again for some fun street shooting in Bucharest.

Multimedia for NGO IREX in Romania

2011-03-27T02:51:00.003+02:00

A subtitled English version will be available soon.

Biblionet is a program that is helping to build a modern public library network in Romania. It is supported by the Washington, D.C. based NGO IREX (International Research and Exchanges Board) with a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. Through the delivery of new computers to more than 1500 libraries, Biblionet is fostering free access to information across Romania. As part of the program, librarians are trained in the new technology and how to teach and introduce it in their communities.

Librarian Gabi Tintea from the village of Poiana Marului attended a regional training seminar in the Transylvanian city of Brasov with nine other librarians before IREX delivered the new computers to her library.

photography Aga Luczakowska and Davin Ellicson
sound Davin Ellicson
editing Aga Luczakowska

special thanks to: Paul Pînzariu, Ruxandra Moasa Nazare and Gabi

Stills from IREX Multimedia Shoot

2011-03-25T13:56:00.001+02:00

I was back in the village of Poiana Marului, Brasov County, Romania last week to finish a multimedia production I am working on with Aga for IREX's Romanian program Biblionet which is building a modern library system across Romania. Click here to see more of the stills from the project.

More Work for NGO Ovidu Rom

2011-03-24T22:01:00.000+02:00

I drove all across Transylvania last week shooting for Leslie Hawke's NGO Ovidiu Rom again. Cofounder Maria Gheorghiu made visits to the villages of Nou outside Sibiu, Rosia Montana near Cluj and Coroieni near Tirgu Lapus. Check out the full gallery here.

Shooting Multimedia for NGO IREX

2011-03-18T20:23:00.001+02:00

Here I am shooting video and stills for the NGO IREX's program in Romania called Biblionet which is helping create a modern library system across Romania.

In the field with NGO Ovidiu Rom

2011-03-16T23:04:00.001+02:00

This is me today photographing at the village school in Rosia Montana, Romania alongside NGO Ovidiu Rom cofounder Maria Gheorghiu. She was there as part of the NGO's effort to put every Romanian child in school by the year 2020.

Event coverage gallery on the commercial site

2011-03-14T16:33:00.001+02:00

I now have an event coverage gallery on the commercial site. Click the image above to see it.

New Work for NGO Ovidiu Rom

2011-03-11T22:39:00.001+02:00

Last week I headed into Transylvania with Leslie Hawke to again document her NGO Ovidiu Rom's activities. Check out the rest of the new pictures here.

NGO Cofounder Maria Gheorghiu.

NGO founder Leslie Hawke.

Support Page on My Portfolio Site

2011-03-11T00:06:00.000+02:00

I have a new support page on the website. I am currently exploring a variety of alternative funding models. For the moment, anyone who contributes through Paypal $200 or more will receive an archival 11x14 inch pigment print of their choosing in return. Click the image to be taken directly to the page.

Archival Prints Available!

2011-03-10T16:56:00.000+02:00

Click the image above to be taken directly to my portfolio site.

New "Published Work" Portfolio

2011-03-08T21:21:00.001+02:00

I have a new "Published Work" portfolio on my website.

Street Photography Workshop in Bucharest, 2 March 2011

2011-03-07T13:11:00.002+02:00

Last week I headed out into central Bucharest with a group of expat women to practice the art of street photography. It was cold but a great time!

New portfolios up on the commercial site

2011-03-05T14:49:00.009+02:00

Check them out here!

New Saxon Villages Portfolio

2011-03-04T19:38:00.013+02:00

I have a small portfolio from Romania's Saxon Villages up on the commercial site. Check out Aga's as well!

Back in Bucharest

2011-02-27T15:19:00.002+02:00

I am back in the Paris of the East to continue my project on the city as well as do a few 5D MKII multimedia pieces for the Washington, D.C. based NGO IREX. Below are a few shots from the series.

Scene from Romania - Summer 2010

2011-01-05T07:19:00.001+02:00

Sulina, Romania, 2 August 2010.

New York Times Publication

2010-10-18T19:30:00.000+03:00

Check out the story here!

New Commercial Website

2010-09-26T02:20:00.000+03:00

Check it out here.

New Vimeo page and Bucharest workshop promo

2010-08-30T14:17:00.000+03:00

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/14530767 w=400&h=300]

I now have a Vimeo page with Aga with a promo video for our series of Bucharest street photography workshops.

Bucharest: Exploring Your Vision

2010-08-19T21:14:00.000+03:00

Bucharest: Exploring Your Vision

Join Davin Ellicson and Aga Luczakowska for an intensive street photography workshop in September 2010 in Bucharest, one of Europe’s least known capitals.

The city is a beguiling place which still suffers from outdated Communist-era stereotypes. Well off the tourist track, there is a raw energy to Bucharest that has to be experienced to be believed. Globalization has yet to run its course here and a curious blend of old and new Europe exists side by side.

The workshop is the only one of its kind to be currently offered in Bucharest. The pair will be working closely with participants and providing daily critiques . The goal is to perfect one’s street shooting skills and the art of spontaneous photography by exploring Bucharest as well as how to edit — select and sequence your photographs — intuitively. It’s a workshop open to amateurs and professionals alike.

Through group as well as one on one discussions of the best work, participants will see their picture making skills improve. 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. We will then discuss the principles of street photography before we head out to explore the streets of Bucharest.

On Sunday morning we will review saturday's work as well as give a tutorial on the archiving and image manipulation software called Adobe Lightroom that we highly recommend.
The workshop is limited to 12 students.

DATES: 4-5, 18-19 and 25-26 September

WORKSHOP LOCATION: Our studio in central Bucharest.

WORKSHOP FEE: €250.

Accommodation, transportation, meals, and other expenses are not included.

REGISTRATION: The workshop is open to any professional or committed amateur who has knowledge of digital cameras and editing software. Participants must come with their own camera, laptop and editing software. All ages welcome!

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 Lorenzo Castore At Masterclass Focus on Monferrato in Tuscany.
Davin worked at National Geographic photographer Steve 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 Polish newspapers and magazines 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).

Check out Davin's archive on Bucharest here.

Please contact us with any questions:

mail: luczakowskaellicson@gmail.com

phone: +40 754 928 306

Documentary Photography Workshop in Maramures 9-13 August

2010-07-28T02:32:00.000+03:00

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

Bucuresti: EXPLOREAZA-TI VIZIUNEA

2010-07-21T15:28:00.000+03:00

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

Just another sunday in Romania

2010-07-20T16:59:00.000+03:00

Sintesti, Romania, 18 July 2010. Gypsies in front of their home and BMW X5.

From the archive

2010-07-10T18:14:00.000+03:00

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. . .

New website under construction

2010-07-03T15:59:00.000+03:00

My new Photofolio website is finally under construction. Please check back frequently as I finish the galleries.

New Work in Anzenberger Archive

2010-07-02T00:53:00.000+03:00

Check it out here.

New Work in Art Magazine, Germany

2010-06-19T06:50:00.000+03:00

In May I covered the Bucharest Biennale for Art Magazine from Hamburg.

Spread in Reader's Digest Romania

2010-04-09T10:02:00.000+03:00

Documentary Photography Workshop in Rural Romania Summer 2010

2010-03-12T06:23:00.000+02:00

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: TBA

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.

PAYMENT: A non-refundable deposit of € 100 is payable to confirm a place. The balance is due 4 weeks before the commencement of the course.

*Please check if you need a visa

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

Bucharest Street Photography Workshop

2010-03-11T03:37:00.000+02:00

Bucharest: Exploring Your Vision

Join Davin and Aga Luczakowska for an intensive street photography workshop in Bucharest, Romania, 24-25 July 2010, one of Europe’s least known capitals.

The city is a beguiling place which still suffers from outdated Communist-era stereotypes. Well off the tourist track, there is a raw energy to Bucharest that has to be experienced to be believed. Globalization has yet to run its course here and a curious blend of old and new Europe exists side by side.

Bucharest suffered the worst of the former Eastern Bloc Communist regimes under dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. By 1989, Romania was a police state akin to North Korea with the feared Securitate (secret police) waging a war of psychological oppression against ordinary Romanians. Bucharest and its citizens emerged from Communism dramatically changed. The once elegant city had been stripped of its beauty and its citizens severely traumatized. But two decades since Ceausescu’s overthrow, Bucharest is finally poised for revitalization.

Although economic progress was slow in the 1990s, the last five years have seen nothing less than astounding change as banks began to make loans and the entire population went on a shopping spree for the first time. Today, the citiy is full of sharp contrasts. While the scars of Ceausescu are still visible, the city is forging a new identity. Some of the trendiest fashions and nightlife outside Moscow exist against a backdrop of spectacular urban decay and it remains to be seen what will become of the city known between The World Wars as “The Paris of the East”.

Since 2000, Davin has been transfixed by Romania. Immediately after finishing college he even went and lived for a year with peasants in a village in the Carpathian mountains lost somewhere in the 18th century. In 2007 Davin decided to base himself from Bucharest and has since fallen under its dark spell. In 2010 Aga joined him.

This is the first photo workshop of its kind ever to be held in Bucharest.

The pair will be working closely with workshop participants and providing daily critiques and group discussions. The goal of this workshop is to perfect one’s street shooting skills and the art of spontaneous photography by exploring Bucharest as well as how to edit – select and sequence your photographs -- intuitively. It’s a workshop open to amateurs and professionals alike. We will shoot during the day and edit in the evenings. Through group as well as one on one discussions of the best work, participants will see their picture making skills improve each day. 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 an expert tour of the historic center as well as lectures about Bucharest and its architecture by Romanian historian Valentin Mandache. Romanian reportage photographers will also join us, presenting and discussing their work and their own experiences of Bucharest. Davin and Aga will show their own photography as well as the work of classic masters.

The workshop is limited to 12 students.

WORKSHOP LOCATION: Café Verona at Carturesti

WORKSHOP FEE: €300.

Accommodation, transportation, meals, and other expenses are not included.

ACCOMMODATION: €15/night La Historia youth hostel
Hotel suggestions are available upon request.

REGISTRATION: The workshop is open to any professional or committed amateur who has knowledge of digital cameras and editing software. Participants must come with their own camera, laptop and editing software. All ages welcome!

PAYMENT: A non-refundable deposit of €100 is payable on confirmation of a place. The balance is due 4 weeks before the commencement of the workshop.

*Please check if you need a visa

Helpful links:

Bucharest In Your Pocket

Bucharest Life

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 Lorenzo Castore At Masterclass Focus on Monferrato in Tuscany.
Davin worked at National Geographic photographer Steve 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 Polish newspapers and magazines 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).

Check out Davin's archive on Bucharest here.

Please contact us with any questions:

mail: luczakowskaellicson@gmail.com

phone: +40 754 928 306

New Website!

2010-03-10T14:04:00.000+02:00

I have switched over to a Rob Haggart A Photo Folio website. Just a few images there right now.

Publication in Turkish Magazine Fotoritim

2010-03-08T21:23:00.000+02:00

The Turkish magazine Fotoritim has done a nice spread of my Maramures project this month.

Representation by Karousel Gallery in Bucharest

2010-02-27T17:19:00.000+02:00

I now have collector's prints shot in Maramures available at Karousel Gallery, Romania's only gallery exclusively devoted to photography.

Bucharest fashion in the snow

2010-02-07T21:02:00.000+02:00

Bucharest is snowy this winter.

Maramures: Europe's Most Traditional Rural Life in Transition

2010-01-30T20:45:00.000+02:00

My new collaborative project with Aga Luczakowska!

The Maramures region of northern Romania is home to the most traditional rural life in Europe. In the idyllic valleys along the Ukraine border, cone shaped haystacks made with wooden pitchforks dot rolling hills and houses are without running water. Nowhere else in Europe do folk costumes persist so strongly with elaborate traditions and Romanian Orthodox ceremonies dominating village life.

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. Youth from the villages now spend most of their time working in Western Europe and send back thousands of euros to their families. Modern cement villas with satellite television stand where wooden peasant homes did just last year and strict EU agricultural regulations are threatening the beautiful way of life.

We are working as a team to document life in the villages at this moment when the pace of change is rapidly increasing. Our intent is to return in each of the seasons over the coming year to photograph village youth upon their return from working abroad. We will photograph all that surprises us. Modernity is mixing with 18th century village life in unusual ways.

A second part of our project will be to collect historical photographs of traditional peasant life and rescue them from almost certain obscurity. We will digitize the collages of family photographs that are often framed over religious icons and displayed on the walls of homes. These found images will be combined with our reportage work of contemporary village life to form a comprehensive visual document of Europe’s peasantry at a critical point in its history. The project will be equally of an historical, ethnographic and documentary importance.

Commercial photography in a reportage style

2010-01-21T15:28:00.000+02:00

My new commercial site with Aga

An Honorable Mention in Jen Bekman's Hey, Hot Shot! Contest

2009-12-19T19:41:00.000+02:00

I just learned I am an honorable mention in this great contest for a series of pictures from my Bucharest 20 Years Later work. Read about it here. The three images and text below are what I submitted for review.

Project Statement:

Since 2000 I have been transfixed by the Eastern European country of Romania. Immediately after finishing college I even went and lived for a year with peasants in a village in the Carpathian mountains lost somewhere in the 18th century. Today, I work from the capital Bucharest and in this 20th anniversary year of The Fall of Communism and The Romanian Revolution I am attempting to capture aspects of the current state of this city that suffered the worst of the former Eastern Bloc Communist regimes under dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

By 1989, Romania was a police state akin to North Korea with the feared Securitate (secret police) waging a war of psychological oppression against ordinary Romanians. Ceausescu starved his own people and, at the end, shops were empty and electricity and heat intermittent. While economic progress was slow in the 1990s, the last five years have seen nothing less than astounding change as banks began to make loans and the entire population went on a shopping spree for the first time. Almost overnight top of the range BMWs and Mercedes flooded the streets, hip fashions appeared and trendy cafes and restaurants opened everywhere. Yet Bucharest is still plagued with myriad problems. The society has never fully confronted its past and former Securitate continue to operate within the government. Romania is famous for its fatalism having suffered centuries of foreign domination long before its 40 years of totalitarian rule, and today the majority of the population seems to have accepted the rampant corruption.

Through photographing the fashions and trendy new life along with remnants of the Communist regime I am seeking to translate the enigma of Bucharest. The reportage is less a photojournalistic documentary but what one foreigner seeks to find in Bucharest 20 years later. It remains to be seen what will become of the city once known between The World Wars as ‘The Paris of the East’.

Bucharest 20 Years later

2009-12-13T15:12:00.000+02:00

I am constantly adding to my Bucharest 20 Years archive. 220 images are there right now.

An interview. . .

2009-12-08T01:59:00.000+02:00

Interesting articles on Romania 20 Years Later

2009-11-28T21:19:00.000+02:00

Check out this one about Herta Müller from The Guardian and also this overview of the situation in Romania from The Huffington Post as the country faces a heated presidential election 20 years after the Revolution.

Reality tempers joy of Romania's 1989

2009-11-16T05:30:00.000+02:00

Nouveaux riche at the expensive Balthazar restaurant in Bucharest, 14 November 2009.

Listen to this damning NPR report about the corruption in Romania 20 Years after The Revolution here and read a Guardian article about it here.

Back in Bucharest

2009-11-12T01:10:00.000+02:00

I just got back from a nice weekend in Poland. I am continuing my 'Bucharest: 20 Years Later' Project and am photographing luxury cafes, bars and restaurants, shopping malls, luxury stores and luxury apartments this week.

Autumn in Bucharest

2009-11-02T17:47:00.000+02:00

Autumn has arrived and it is suddenly freezing and dark outside.

Ovidiu Rom Charity Event at Ceausescu's Palace

2009-11-02T17:40:00.000+02:00

Guests arrive.

Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu speaks to the press. Mungiu is one of the leading filmmakers of Romania's New Wave of the past few years. His film '4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days' won the Palme d'Or at The 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

Leslie Hawke in a black wig at the cocktail hour.

300 Euro a plate dinner.

Ethan Hawke with Cristian Mungiu to the right.

The after party.

On Halloween I took photos at the annual charity event for Leslie Hawke's NGO Ovidiu Rom which seeks to help put impoverished Romanian children in school. The gala took place in Ceausescu's Palace and it was simply a spectacular event with beautiful people in an amazing location. I also got to meet one of my favorite actors of all time, her son Ethan. Ovidiu Rom is doing work of the first order and I was happy to be there.

Assignment for The Chronicle of Higher Education

2009-10-30T09:22:00.000+02:00

I did a portrait assignment here in Bucharest recently for The Chronicle of Higher Education back in the US. I spent some time with Zoe Petre, a professor of Ancient History at The University of Bucharest. You can read the story about how academia has changed in Eastern Europe in the past 20 years here.

PhotoShelter Archive update

2009-10-27T11:28:00.000+02:00

Check it out here.

Website update: Bucharest 20 Years Later (In Progress)

2009-10-27T09:48:00.000+02:00

See it here.

Romanian Newspaper Gandul's spread on me

2009-10-27T05:25:00.000+02:00

I previously linked to the online version of the interview that the Romanian newspaper 'Gandul' did with me back in September, but above is what it looked like in print.

This Day of Change Tearsheets

2009-10-24T00:51:00.000+03:00

In January I had the privilege of participating in a group project titled 'This Day of Change' organized by the magazine Courrier Japon which sent 132 photographers from around the world out to capture life on Barack Obama’s inauguration day. Both Japanese (pictured above) and English language versions of the book have been published. Check out the website devoted to the project here and my page on the site. The Japanese version can be purchased from Amazon Japan and the English version from Amazon.com. The book was recently nominated for a Lucie Award.

Romania's Bloody Revolution: 20 Years Later

2009-10-23T09:36:00.000+03:00

Read this piece on Romania's Bloody Revolution: 20 Years Later.

New project in progress: Bucharest 20 Years Later (Continued)

2009-10-19T03:27:00.000+03:00

More photos from my ongoing project about Bucharest 20 years after The Fall of Communism and The Romanian Revolution. Well dressed women are everywhere, nightclubs abound and yet remnants of the Communist era remain such as this kiosk. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the first set of pictures.

Back in Bucharest!

2009-10-17T04:35:00.000+03:00

Back from The Eddie Adams Workshop

2009-10-15T08:50:00.000+03:00

This is how I spent Saturday afternoon. . .

and this is how I spent Sunday afternoon at The Eddie Adams Workshop.

Bucharest Beauties

2009-10-07T01:19:00.000+03:00

Twins I found this evening.

Late Night Vintage Fashion Show in Bucharest

2009-10-05T05:04:00.000+03:00

The Clothes Next Door
fashion + vintage after party
@ LaScena
19 September 2009, Bucharest, Romania

I have the cover of the latest Bucharest In Your Pocket

2009-10-03T06:09:00.000+03:00

This shot was too risqué though so they ended up going with another one, although the image appears on the inside.

New York Times publication

2009-09-30T21:50:00.000+03:00

A New York Times blog twice reproduced a photograph I shot last February for Bloomberg News about the financial crisis in Bucharest, Romania to illustrate a piece about bad customer service. They make no mention of the photograph's location and it's interesting how readers could think it's a photo from downtown Manhattan. See the original post here and the follow-up here after the post received more than a hundred comments.

Romanian Newspaper 'Gandul' profiles me

2009-09-18T01:17:00.000+03:00

You can read the story and see a few pictures here. Anyone who is in Bucuresti please pick up a printed copy Friday morning.

Bucharest's Underground Music Scene Part I

2009-09-13T17:14:00.000+03:00

The middle of the night in a fantastically dilapidated building with angels on the facade in central Bucharest, 12-13 September 2009.

"Lets get back on the toes- Summer break over - bring on the Bangers and Faders! Ladies get those nice dresses out, guys polish your dancing shoes and practice your smart look as we need the Bucharest Top Friends up there at the front".

Heating it up, melting it down:

SPATIALU
SILENT STRIKE Live!
http://www.myspace.com/ststrike
TOM WILSON
http://www.myspace.com/thetomwilson
RUSU
http://www.myspace.com/rusu
DJ ARVEENE (UK/IRELAND)
http://www.myspace.com/arveenej

New Website Coming Soon!

2009-09-11T00:37:00.000+03:00

I have outgrown my current Livebooks site and am in the process of switching over to a Rob Haggart A Photo Folio website.

Bucharest's Art Scene Part I

2009-09-10T19:38:00.000+03:00

The opening of the exhibition “Nu te supara frate” curated by Cosmin Nasui and Adina Zorzini at Point Contemporary Gallery, Bucharest, Romania, 9 September 2009. Nine Bucharest based artists chose nine compatriots in Cluj to exhibit with.

Harrowing 1988 Time Magazine report about life in Romania

2009-09-09T02:07:00.000+03:00

The account puts into stark relief why Romania is the way it is in 2009. Oppression was so great under Ceausescu and life became so bizarre, that no wonder Romania is a bit wild these days. The pendulum just had to swing the other way.

"Under Nicolae Ceausescu, 70, Rumanians have long been subjected to one of the world's most repressive and eccentric regimes, a situation that is worsening as Ceausescu imposes ever greater privations on his people while indulging his wild-eyed ambitions".

Bucharest's Underground Art Scene Part I

2009-09-06T19:56:00.000+03:00

The middle of the night on 3-4 September in central Bucharest at an event called 'Izola'. "Izola is a small town on the Slovenian Riviera. This spot is our inspiration for a stunning dress-code that doesn't lead to isolation"—Stefan Cosma.

New project in progress: Bucharest 20 Years Later

2009-08-28T20:10:00.000+03:00

I have begun shooting on the street here in Bucharest capturing the youth, the nouveaux riche and the fashions as the 20th Anniversary of the Romanian Revolution approaches. No one ever seems to capture the city in color, so I am going to try. The last five years have seen dramatic change as banks began to make loans and the entire population went on a shopping spree for the first time. Almost overnight BMWs and Mercedes flooded the streets, hip fashions appeared and cafes and restaurants opened everywhere. Yet Bucharest is still plagued with myriad problems such as one of the most corrupt governments in Europe, a crumbling infrastructure, an out-of-control stray dog problem and an obsession with consumer culture even though their continues to be no real middle class. It remains to be seen what will become of the city once known as 'The Paris of the East'.