We assume everyone knows about this little enterprise? The online Muzeul de Fotografie? Packed with zillions of fascinating photos of Bucharest and Romania in days gone by?
Good. Just checking.
Muzeul de Fotografie
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes, Alex Galmeanu does a nice job with the archive. Thankfully there are pictures of Bucharest since we all know that Bucharestians absolutely hate having their picture taken. I did a Bloomberg News assignment here on Thursday about the economy and tried to photograph at Piata Matache inside where a woman was selling carrots to an old man but was stopped immediately as I drew my camera to my eye. Simply amazing stuff! Where did the security guy come from?! How was he so close to me already?! Why can I not photograph a woman selling vegetables?! I mean I had no wiggle room. I had no time to even try to make a picture. I managed to get off three frames while the security man yelled at me and one frame was used by Bloomberg. . . next month’s rent paid and I was almost kept from taking a single frame. Bucharest is a mean city. If corrupt politicians and business men can make millions, I certainly should be allowed to make a half a grand.
Small amounts of money can be made in Romania in 2 ways: either by becoming a slave to the ones who already made big amounts of money or by breaking the law.
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Big amounts of money can only be made in one way: by breaking the law.
Obviously by going straight and on legal ways you won’t be able to do anything here
Davin, can’t you get yourself some kind of press card with which you can legitimate yourself? Maybe if you introduce yourself as a press photographer before taking the picture…you can always wear a vest with press in big letters on it, or wearing a blue NATO helmet, much safer!
He would have to legitimate himself as CIA for people to allow him to take pictures of themselves
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Peter,
Actually It seems that many Bucharestians are scared of me because they suspect I am the press and they don’t want to end up appearing in some tabloid. It seems that Romanians are afraid of the press. Beyond this though, I wonder why one is not allowed to photograph in an old style Communist era vegetable market?! I was not in MegaImage or Carrefour, I was in a market with lots of individuals selling their goods. In other European cities where such genuine marketplaces exist, tourists are able to snap photos all they want. The fear of photography in Bucharest is not normal and borders on a psychological condition known as paranoia. Ceausescu is long dead. In 2010, people should not be fearing me like they do.
@Davin A few years ago you used to be able to get an ID card saying that you were a foreign journalist (ziarist strain). The Romanian Foreign Ministry (not the Interior Ministry, note, issued it). All you needed to get one was a letter from a foreign press organisation saying you worked for them. It worked wonders: free visas, residence permits and even tax exemption. I was not able to renew my last one when it ran out a year or so ago because I have companies here now, which disqualified me. You should try though: the Bloomberg boys will know who to contact at the ministry.
Wanna see a nice picture?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25073078@N00/176102537
I’ve never seen a car more beautiful than that!
When I make my first million of $ I will get a car like that and ride in the back compartiment through the city.