Marius Cinteză is a 42 years old photographer based in Bucharest, Romania and he is working in IT. He is really passionate photography from childhood. Marius is also part of the editors team for famous 1x Magazine. Thanks, Marius Cinteză for accepting our invite. Read on!
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Thank you so much 121clicks team for giving me the opportunity to introduce myself and talk about the photography! My name is Marius Cinteză, I’m a 42 years old photographer based in Bucharest. I work for an IT services company and also have a PhD in telecommunications. I have started my photographic journey back in the film age, but I shoot consciously and consider the photography as more than a hobby starting about 10 years ago. I have tried so far almost all the photographic genres, but I am more drawn into the street photography because I perceive it as a day-by-day challenge to observe, explore, discover and capture the emotions and moments and, not the least, a way to self-discover and personal development. Since November 2016 I’m part of the editors team for 1x Magazine, which offered me the fantastic opportunity to write about the most known Romanian photographers. Besides photography, I’m interested in meeting people, in listening and telling their stories, in exploring the nearby world, in walking and listening to the good music.
How has your childhood experiences affected your photography?
My passion for photography has some roots in my childhood. I have started to photograph since I was a little boy using my parents’ Smena Symbol (Russian) camera on film. My first steps in photography were guided by the local photographer in the small town I was born, a German lady, who has thought me the basics of photography. I was then fascinated by the magic of transforming the ephemeral moments into long lasting memories!
What first attracted you to photography?
I think I have always been attracted to photography! When I started to shoot I thought to myself that being all alone and witnessing the intimate moments happening in front of my camera and sharing them further with the viewers it is all I want to do as a photographer. However, I have discovered later on that this it is actually not enough and the photography means more than that. Once start stepping on this way, the satisfaction of taking picture act has been completing the joy of meeting new people, being able to interact with them and learn about their stories and by the happiness of exploring and discovering new, fascinating places. For me, all these would be hardly reachable outside the photographic context.
What is more important to you, the mood/story behind your images or the technical perfection?
I was of the opinion once that every photo should be first technically perfect for being considered and appreciated by the viewers. At that time, even as a viewer I was looking for the technical perfection in the photos until I found the first photos that were conveying true stories and emotions without being technically perfect! That was the moment when I was starting to consider the mood and the story as the main elements of the remarkable photos. The photos with the mood and story have a greater impact and they really “speak” to the viewers. For my part I always look for the perfect combination of the light, color, moment and composition to get the right mood to my photos.
The light is so perfect on your photos. Few words about that?
In my opinion the light is main tool of the photographer and handling it with care and skill will make the difference between a mediocre and an amazing photo. The light will not only define the brightness or darkness areas of the photo, but will also influence the mood and will emphasis the story. Without the appropriate light, the most compelling subject will not make the photo remarkable. I mostly use the natural light and I’m very scrupulous and patient when choosing the right light for my photos and “positioning” the subject in the composition is influenced by the quality of light. I also follow the general rules and mostly shoot during the sunset or sunrise and use the light to emphasize the composition and the mood.
What does it take to make a good photograph?
When you are an aspiring photographer, you are eager to shoot everything it seems interesting to you: flowers, skies, cars, your children, your cat and the whole backyard. After thousands of photos, you surprisingly find that your viewers are sensitive to only a few of your photographic works. These photos are the ones who convey an emotion or tell a story to the viewer. In my opinion the most important element of a good photo is its ability to evoke an emotion to the viewer. Emotion is the one that makes you feel connected to the photo and the photographer’s aid when telling any story visually. Some photos could suffer from the technical or composition perspectives, but if they cause an emotional response from the viewer, they are for sure outstanding!
What do you want your viewers to take away from your work?
I would like the viewers of my photos to connect to the emotions I try to convey. I want my photos to grab their eyes from the distance and the viewers to remember after a while not the subject neither the composition or the technical perfection, but the emotion and the story from my works.
Can you please choose one picture from your portfolio and share the story behind the making?
This is a difficult answer because I have many favorite photos whose stories behind makes them special to me. I will only pick one of the recent shoots: “Walking in the light”. I took this photo during the last street photo tour with the OnSPOT group in Bucharest. We were in a pedestrian passage in Bucharest when I noticed the beautiful light at the end and I start waiting for somebody coming from that light, towards me. Nothing happened for a while and then this lady suddenly came from my back and rushed towards the passage end. I was pretty taken by surprise and almost miss the shoot before she was melting in the light! I consider myself lucky because I was there at the right time!
Your constant source of inspiration?
Being drawn mostly into the street photography I find my constant sources of inspiration mostly in the day-by-day activities. Walking in the park at the sunset, hitting the way back to from the office, visiting to flea market or participating to street demonstrations are inspiration sources for me. Apart from these, I find inspiration in reading a good photography book, joining the discussions in photo communities (mostly online), participating to photo contests (even as jury member), watching/reading photo tutorials or seeing the works of other photographers.
One greatest achievement & One important lesson you’ve learned being a photographer?
For the achievement I would like to mention… a photo (“Up in the air”) I took last year in my home town, during the country fair I attend every year since I was a child. It was the winning photo in 2016 national photography contest, also published in 1x.com and National Geographic galleries and part of many photo exhibitions so far.
Since I have started to shoot consciously I have learned a lot of lessons. The most meaningful one I would like to mention is: just go out and shoot! It is the most important action you can take to develop and bring value to your photography!
One place you all always want to visit for photography?
I don’t have a specific place I would like to visit for photography, but generally I would prefer to discover big cities having stories to tell visually. Every place has actually something remarkable to show – you only need to be there at the right time to discovery it!
Which photographers inspire you?
For the street photography I find inspiration in the works of the Romanian photographers Mirela Momanu, Vlad Eftenie and Hajdu Tamas; I also find inspiring and I admire a lot the works of Henri Cartier Bresson, Vivian Maier and Robert Doisneau.
Your favorite photography quotes?
- “What’s really important is to simplify. The work of most photographers would be improved immensely if they could do one thing: get rid of the extraneous. If you strive for simplicity, you are more likely to reach the viewer.” – William Albert Allard
- “If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff.“ – Jim Richardson
- “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
What are some of your recent read books on photography?
I have recently read “Angel’s World: The New York Photographs of Angelo Rizzuto” by Michael Lesy – a profound and disturbing book about the fascinating search for meaning in the life and work of a little-known photographer. I also re-read from time to time “The Photographer’s Eye” by Michael Freeman – an excellent compendium on how to design and compose great digital photos.
What camera do you use the majority of the time?
Since the beginning of this year I’m using a small mirrorless camera (Olympus OMD M10-Mark II with Olympus 17mm f/1.8 lens). It is the most suitable for my street photography purposes but it recently turned that I prefer it actually for all my photo activities because it is lighter and offers me everything I need from the quality and functionalities perspectives.
Any tips for aspiring photographers?
Although pleasant and rewarding, the photography is not an easy task if you want to be relevant in what you do as a photographer. In my opinion it is important to be creative and different, to read and document yourself, to explore and observe before finally shooting the photo! Know your camera in details and always carry it with you! Train yourself to anticipate the moments for street photography and share only the best of your works! Be passionate to photography no matter the others reaction to your works, but do not disregard your viewers’ reactions! Get inspired by the talented photographers and enter only in the important photography communities for showcasing your works! The last, but not the least: tell the stories and convey emotions through your photos!
You can find Marius Cinteză on the Web :
Copyrights:
All the pictures in this post are copyrighted Marius Cinteză. Their reproduction, even in part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.
2 comments
Thank you so much 121 clicks! Thank you so much Venkat!!
Congratulations Marius this is a wonderful article, it was really interesting to learn more about your background & process.