In his travels, Dumitrescu met people who became his friends, stories that stayed with him and situations where photography became a form of involvement in the community.
Recently, Vlad also accepted the challenge to document these realities using a Xiaomi 17 Ultra, testing the limits of mobile phone photography. In the interview for Libertatea, he talks about the meetings that changed his perspective, about the responsibility he feels towards the people he photographs, and about how technology can become a tool to tell the stories of the Romanian village.
1. When did you feel that photography is no longer just a passion, but also a form of telling stories about Romania and the traditions to keep alive?
I have been photographing since 2008. At that time I was traveling a lot around the country and experiencing moments that deeply impressed me: whether I met a grandmother at the top of the bread, another one kneading bread, a woman working in the war, a boy bringing the cow from the water or a group of men shoeing an ox at sunset. These scenes were natural for Romanian village life, but for me they were completely new. That’s exactly why I photograph instinctively, fascinated by the authenticity of those moments.
As I kept returning to the same places, I realized that I was doing it with a lot of passion. I started to create closer and closer ties with the people I met in the Romanian villages. Some of them have become very dear to me, even friends. I was no longer going there just for the photo, but also to meet them again. Sometimes I even visited them without the camera. I like to think that my photography is not only about aesthetics, but also about the relationship I have with the people around me, and most of all, about trust.
I remember that one of these people very dear to me was Mrs. Victoria, an old lady from a village around Brasov. She was one of my closest subjects, with whom I only got to spend a few years, but about whom I could talk for hours. Victoria worked a lot in the summer in the fields. He was a tiny being. In the tops of the huge haystacks, she looked even smaller. One winter it got snowed in, she couldn’t open the door to get to the stable, to the animals. He climbed out the small window of the room and dug his own path through the snow. “Luckily I’m little and I was able to climb out of this window,” she said, not complaining about the hard work. He never complained about anything, no matter how hard it was. The smile always remained on his lips. In her honor and as a sign of gratitude, we presented a photo exhibition in Constanța called simply “Victoria”. Her story, which was so dear to me, needed to be told.
Other times it was a line, a wise saying that I felt the need to pass on. I remember an old man from Arad who told me: “I have a question that no one can answer. In the past, people had a lot of work. There was the hay, there were the animals, the household, the clothes made from planting the hemp, to sewing by hand. There were diseases and troubles. But then these hills were full of good cheer. People sang, said good morning, told each other a joke. Now, when everything is easier, the world is sadder. The hills have become silent. Why!?”
2. Through your project “România mea / My Romania” you capture people, traditions and the soul of the Romanian village. What keeps you coming back to these compositions?
I discovered the Romanian village with the device in hand. I didn’t have grandparents in the country, and maybe that’s why everything was new and fascinating to me. I quickly fell in love with this world and I still love it, even though I see how quickly it changes.
The question “What will everything look like in a few years?” he constantly follows me. She makes me always come back, to wonder what exists now, while it still exists.
3. What are you actually looking for when you arrive in a new community: light, expression, vulnerability, authenticity? How do you choose the stories you capture in your photography?
Every time I arrive in a village I’m not necessarily looking for a spectacular subject. I look for simple moments: a man at work, a story told on a bench, a shepherd with his sheep. Things that seem to me to say a lot about who we are as a people. Through these photos, I try to show an authentic, deep and still alive Romania, a Romania that deserves to be known and preserved.
4. Have you met people or families in your travels that have changed your perspective on your role as a photographer?
I have met people on my photography travels who have changed my perspective in many ways. Of all, I think the most important thing is that I’m no longer just the man with the camera, but over the years I’ve built strong relationships with many of the people I’ve photographed. Some of them have become my friends and tell me that if I don’t show up for a while, they miss my visit and ask me what happened. They come back to me.
I thus learned that my role is not only to capture images, but also to be present. Sometimes I can’t do much, but just listening and being there counts. That’s how I realized that you have to give a little of yourself, not just “take” a photo.
5. You have started to provide support for people in need in the communities you visit and photograph. What does this expansion of your mission beyond art mean to you?
For me, getting involved and trying to help where needed is a form of responsibility. You cannot remain indifferent when you see a real need. You can’t move on without asking yourself if you can do something. Of course, you capture the moment through photography, but sometimes you need to give and get involved, especially since the people I photograph become close to me, known, we support each other – they give me moments of inspiration, and I, in turn, try to help a little, if needed.
The support I offer comes not only from me, but also from those who learn about these stories and choose to get involved. That’s exactly why I’m deeply grateful to the online community that follows my work, likes my photos, and even gets involved in situations where I ask for their help. I am equally happy with the partnership with Xiaomi, as their financial support to support my initiative allows me to continue helping some of the people I regularly donate to. I am equally happy to partner with Xiaomi as their financial support for this initiative allows me to continue helping some of the people I regularly donate to. They are old people who have no source of income and then this money they receive in this way is an essential support especially for medicine or other needs. This is how photography becomes a bridge between people, a way to bring us together and create bonds!
6. You are used to working with professional equipment. What did it mean for you to hit the road with only the Xiaomi 17 Ultra phone?
I have to admit that switching from the professional camera and gear I was used to taking with me to a smartphone was a step out of my comfort zone. I was leaving home a device that I have known very well for years. However, I set off curious and excited. It was an experience that turned out to be extremely pleasant – the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s camera impressed me with its shooting performance without having to intervene much. Due to the nature of my photographs, the frame I shoot in often happens to be a dark one with no light. For example inside a house, a room with a small window or even at the other extreme, with too much light – in the sun, in an open field, and the phone’s ability to adapt to all instances impressed me.
One thing I found interesting is the way he manages to keep the balance between light and shadow. There are many situations in the village where you have a dark room, but a very bright light enters through a door or window. With the LOFIC technology that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra has, the camera manages to preserve details in both areas — it doesn’t “burn” the light and doesn’t lose shadow information. Basically, the image remains very close to what the eye sees. This technology works as if each pixel has a kind of larger “reservoir” for light. It can gather more light without overexposing itself, so both bright and shadow areas remain visible in the photo. For me, who shoots a lot in natural light and in simple spaces—old houses, farms, stables—this makes a real difference.
Moreover, I shoot portraits, I like to capture a momentary emotion, in as short a time as possible, and in this context the phone turned out to be almost unnoticed, people are more difficult to open up in front of a camera than in front of a phone.
7. Do you think a phone can convey the same emotion and depth as a professional camera? Where do you feel technology is starting to break down the barriers between the two worlds?
The experience with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra showed me that a phone can capture and capture emotions with the same depth as a professional camera. I didn’t feel limited by using a phone, on the contrary. I look at the images made and feel that they accurately convey the emotions experienced in those moments.
Technology has the power to remove barriers the moment the difference is no longer given by the equipment, but by the photographer’s eye and sensitivity. Phones have reached a technical level that allows for real quality, detail and expressiveness. In the end, what matters is the story and the connection to the subject. The rest becomes a tool.
8. What does phone photography give you in addition – maybe more spontaneity, less pressure, a different approach to people?
For me, building the relationship with the subject is essential. Most of the time, the most precious time is the one dedicated to the communication, the closeness and the dialogue between us, which takes place until the moment when we also take the photos. I try to keep the actual shooting time as short as possible, and here the Xiaomi 17 Ultra helped me a lot. I mainly used auto and portrait modes with small light adjustments and got the desired results without increasing the time allotted for the shot.
What phone photography also gave me was a different kind of freedom. The phone is much more discreet than a professional device. People no longer “prepare” as much when they see him, they no longer feel like a photo shoot is coming up. The atmosphere becomes more relaxed, more natural. From this point of view, the advantage is clear.
I also felt less technical pressure. With a large device you enter a different type of concentration, sometimes more rigid. With the phone you react faster and are more spontaneous. It helped me stay more in the dialogue and less in the settings. That’s why I can say that in a way, the phone simplified the technical part and left me more space for what matters to me: the relationship with the man in front of the camera.
I was also pleasantly surprised by how well it does indoors, in low light, in old houses or stables, where the light comes in discreetly. He easily managed to tell the story, to keep the atmosphere of that space.
9. If you had to choose one thing you want from this collaboration – social impact, creative freedom or redefining the boundaries of mobile photography – what would it be and why?
If I had to choose one thing, I would say social impact. For me, photography is not only about aesthetics, but mostly about people. If through this collaboration I manage to bring more attention to the people I photograph and the values they represent, then I feel I have achieved my goal.
Photo: Vlad Dumitrescu
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