Anybody know anything about Romania?

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As a couple of you know, I'll be travelling shortly to Bucharest, Romania, for a couple months to work on a photo project. I'll likely be bringing a ton of film, and trying to process it there.

So I'm wondering, does anybody here know anything about the following:

* travelling with chemicals * purchasing film/chemistry in Romania or nearby * photographers working there * other resources * shipping film/chemistry to myself as alternative to flying with it

Any advice is welcome. I've travelled and lived abroad plenty, but this will be my first large-scale, photo dedicated project.

On Topic: I will be shooting much of this with my newly overhauled CL thanks to Sherry Krauter. See this space in near future for URL reference to project info/journal site.

Cheers, Scott Squire

-- Scott Squire (scott_squire@hotmail.com), May 02, 2002

Answers

Scott, what is the nature of your Romanian photo project?

-- Dave Jenkins (djphoto@vol.com), May 02, 2002.

Scott, when are you going to be in Romania? I'm going to be there in about two months, starting a photo project for a NYC-based charity. Shit... watch, we'll be working on the exact same project.

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), May 02, 2002.

FWIW, I was in Bucharest for a week in 1991. Scary place, the buildings still had bullet-holes from the 1989 revolt. For some photos, see the pages on my site at 4020.net/eastbloc

-- Andrew Nemeth (azn@nemeng.com), May 02, 2002.

Here's what I know about Romania:

1. The women have mustaches. 2. A good way to commit suicide is to inhale next to a Romanian.

Hope this helps.

-- Julio (Julio34295@yahoo.com), May 02, 2002.


I don't know much about Romania. Worked with a very pretty woman from there a while back. She had one of those smoky, husky voices and long black hair. Have a friend from there who shoots Canon and speaks 5 languages. Probably help to have a backup body; Hexar, R2, M2/4/6. Of course keep your eyes open and watch out for Vampires. Actually I'm just envious because I started back to work after 3 months off. Good luck!

-- Gil Pruitt (wgpinc@yahoo.com), May 02, 2002.


While I can't help you with particulars about Romania, I'd recommend not trying to travel with chemicals. Whether in powdered or liquid form, airport security may have a hissy. There should be shops in Bucharest that can supply reasonable alternatives to your favorites. I'd check with several of the travel sources for names of camera shops there, and try to contact them in advance.

-- Ralph Barker (rbarker@pacbell.net), May 02, 2002.

check out Kyle Cassidy's travelogue: Stiles@metrocast.net), May 02, 2002.

Kyle Cassidy

-- Phil Stiles (Stiles@metrocast.net), May 02, 2002.

Hi all, Thanks for your words of wisdom. Well, for most of them. I've responded to a lot of you in person, so I apologize for not getting the answers up here sooner.

I'm doing a ten-week project working with street children. If all goes well, I'll be working and sometimes living with the kids who live in the disused sewer tunnels under Bucharest. Presumably they also have a day life--I'm told it is often one of drug addiction, petty thievery, prostitution, random beatings, and all-around merrymaking.

I really hope to do some good with this work, so if anybody has connections with editors who are open to publishing brutal stuff from foreign lands--or other ways of getting the word out, please let me know.

Oh, and anybody have a CV 15mm they'd like to lend me? It'll be insured, and if you don't like how I bring it back, I'll buy it for market price upon publication of the first article. [Yes, I know that's not how the real world works, but I thought maybe here in Leicaland... ]

-- Scott Squire (scott_squire@hotmail.com), May 03, 2002.


I should note, too, that I will be working closely with the abovereferenced Kyle Cassidy on this. My project will be a sort of extension of his--more in depth, but starting with the same set of contacts/cast of characters. It's a humbling task I'm laying out for myself here, and I honestly would appreciate well-meaning advice from anybody who feels qualified to give it. Thanks,

Scott

-- Scott Squire (scott_squire@hotmail.com), May 03, 2002.



Thanks for the Kyle Cassidy link. His writeup is hilarious:-D Good luck, Scott! Sounds like a great project. The Romanian photography scene is seemingly quite active. Some links to get you going... http://www.fotomagazin.ro/portfolio.html

http://domino.kappa.ro/kappa/grup09.nsf/SubgrupLinksEng/C 2256AD1004F5F30C2256AE8002C2BA6?OpenDocument

http://www.artexpo.ro/en /photography.htm

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), May 03, 2002.


Mani, Thank you for the links. You've just made my day. I've been too busy looking for BIG answers to go surfing for little ones like this. Good golly I love this internet thingie.

Scott

-- Scott Squire (scott_squire@hotmail.com), May 03, 2002.


Scott - No one's seems to have mentioned this guy, but Ettore Malanca did some amazing work on street children in Bucharest that won in the 1998 World Press Photo competition and the pictures should give you a few ideas to say the least. Here's a link to a site with some of the images: . Hope this helps. - Jason

-- Jason Guyer (
suite_cheetah@hotmail.com), May 03, 2002.

Dang it, I ganked that link. Here it is in text form. It's late, sorry. http://www.sipa.com/sipa-archivex/malanca/malanca.htm - Jason

-- Jason Guyer (suite_cheetah@hotmail.com), May 03, 2002.

Some good links above, especially the work of Ettore Malanca.

As it turns out, there will be some overlap in what Scott and I are shooting in Bucharest. However, that's not a bad thing. We're going to be pooling some resources/contacts/etc. The topic is big enough that he and I will come out with two very different bodies of work.

-- Richard (rvle@yahoo.com), May 03, 2002.



Jason, That Malanca link--WOW! I've seen some of that work before, but of course now it reads a bit different to me. Thank you.

-- Scott Squire (scott_squire@hotmail.com), May 03, 2002.

romania is named after the romans.

gypsy's are called/call themselves roma.

-- Steve (leitz_not_leica@hotmail.com), May 03, 2002.


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