Autor/photographer : Ovidiu Gordan

street portraits poster

In perioada 9-11 decembrie, 10 studenti ai Universitatii de Arta si Design, Cluj-Napoca, sectia Foto-Video procesare computerizata a imaginii, au participat la un workshop de “street portraits” sustinut de Lauren Hermele, fotograf american.
Pe parcursul celor trei zile s-au discutat diferite probleme de tehnica, estetica, motivatie si etica referitoare la realizarea portretelor pe strada.
Prima zi a fost dedicata analizei portofoliilor cursantilor şi expunerilor teoretice. Pe parcursul zilei de joi s-a fotografiat prin centrul Clujului, iar vineri au avut loc discutiile de final, analiza si selectia imaginilor pentru expozitie.
Cursantii au avut abordari diferite din toate punctele de vedere, fapt care a dus in final la o expozitie eterogena, asemeni grupului.
Fotograful american Bruce Gilden spunea “If you can smell the street by looking at a photo, it’s a street photograph,… you feel like you are really there…”
Daca si noi vom reusi sa va facem sa simtiti strada, sa simtiti curajul si temerile noastre, sa fiti partasi pentru o clipa la trairile celor surprinsi in fotografii, ramane de vazut la vernisajul expozitiei care va avea loc miercuri, 16 decembrie 2009, pe strada, in fata Casei Matei, la orele 14:00, unde vă asteptam cu drag.

[english]
Between the 9th and 11th of December 10 Photography and Video students from the University of Art and Design, Cluj-Napoca took a workshop in street portraiture led by Lauren Hermele, an American photographer currently in Romania on a Fulbright fellowship.

In the three days that we worked together we talked about technique, aesthetics, motivation and ethics in the process of taking portraits of people in the street. On the first day, we looked at each others portfolios and talked about different street photographers, their radically different bodies of work, how we could learn from their experience and the attitude that we decided to adopt when we went out to photograph. Then we went shooting in downtown Cluj on Thursday and on Friday we met again and edited our work together for the exhibit.

We all approached the subject in a personal way, which we think led to a pretty diverse combination of styles, just as we were a diverse group with different backgrounds.

The American photographer Bruce Gilden once said “If you can smell the street by looking at a photo, it’s a street photograph,… you feel like you are really there…”.
Whether we manage to do just that, make you feel the street, feel our courage and fears, feel the people in our photos, that remains to be seen at the opening of our exhibit on Wednesday, December 16th. We will be in the street, in front of Casa Matei, at 2 pm to welcome you.