A place is not beautiful through the primary visual impact that stirs in us, but rather through the powerful vibrations it incites inside of us. The story of place is told trough the emotions of the people the live there, through their the past memories and future hopes, trough the lingering emotions over those that meet it for the first of hundredth time… I have always heard stories about the beauty of Bucovina region in Romania and its people, but meeting this destination has surpassed all expectations. Maybe the best motivation to reach Bucovina was taking part in a workshop with Sorin Onisor, one of the best Romanian photographers. And because the trip from home was extra long, I chose the most complicated and long itinerary, but also the most beautiful. Now after almost two thousand kilometers through villages and over mountains, my passion for traveling and photography has increased more than ever…
Life passes much too fast sometimes and we forget to stop from time to time and really take in the raw beauty of the world around. Under the weight of daily life, following the same road and passing through the same places, we forget to enjoy the small things that seem insignificant. The joy and innocence of childhood becomes a memory much too distant and diffused for many, often watching the world from too far away. Following your passions is perhaps the best way to make time pass slower, even for mere few moments… I realize more and more that people feel or really are lonely… The biggest wish for some is to be listened, to have someone to reveal their story and memories before it’s too late. The thought that so many stories and lives pass without leaving a trace or without their story being told by someone else…
Photography is perhaps the best way to preserve moments and emotions, lives and destinies of people, to map a world that is always transforming and sometimes even on a path of disappearance. The world of the Romanian village is changing each passing day and year, with more and more young people leaving for horizons that appear brighter, while the old remain to tell their stories for those that make time to listen. Bucovina is among the few places of the country where there is a seed of authenticity, where life seems to flow following the same ancient patterns. But as everywhere else, change and modernity protrudes slowly and mercilessly…with the hundred of thousands of travelers that arrive each year looking for fresh air and idyllic landscapes. But as long as there are people like Sorin Onisor and those around him, at least this world will be recorded for eternity, sometimes just in photographs…
In three days that seemed shorter and more intense than ever, we explored and discovered the fascinating villages and charming people of Bucovina, we befriended the mountains and its sheep herds, we welcomed the rising sun from above the valleys engulfed in thick mists… We searched for the clouds that arrived only when we wanted clear skies, covering the much anticipated Perseid showers, but in the end, it was a special experience that I would repeat anytime. It is hard to say goodbye to people that share your passion, but I am certain that it is not the last time I see Sorin and his wanderers…
