Around the World in Analogue: Bucharest, Romania

When we travel to places under certain emotional states, it's inevitable to channel these emotions into the photos we take. In today's edition of Around the World in Analogue, we visit Bucharest, Romania through the lens of Colombian photographer and poet Samir Gallego (@samirgallego).

Name: Samir Gallego
LomoHome: Barcelona
Social Media: Instagram: gallegosamir
Camera: Yashica FX-3 Super 2000
Film: Potsdam Kino B&W 35 mm ISO 100
Location: Bucharest, Romania

Samir, who's currently based in Barcelona, visited Bucharest, Bran and Brasov in May this year, armed with a Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 and three rolls of film: two Fomapan and a Potsdam Kino B&W 35 mm ISO 100.

With the three rolls of black and white film, he roamed the streets of Romania and took photographs made more wistful by the emotional state he was under during the travel. In this submission he talks specifically about his trip to Romania's capital and largest city Bucharest, which serves as the economic, cultural and administrative center of the South-eastern European country.

From the beginning it was special because I was travelling for the love of a person, and it was terribly beautiful and interesting because I was there for seven days and I went through many moods, from sadness to anxiety. I was in a strong emotional imbalance and when I went out to take photographs I wondered if these feelings would be in the images, because that was what I wanted to capture.

It was very meditative, because I didn't have many films. For this trip I only used three films (two Fomapan and the Potsdam), one for each city, so I had a lot of time to walk, think, admire, see the light and these nostalgias that I wanted to portray because that was my state of mind, even though I was so happy to be in that country.

Romania is famous for its historic castles, beautiful towns and scenic mountains such as the Alba County and the Transfăgărășan Highway previously featured in the Around the World in Analogue series.

Meanwhile, its idyllic region of Transylvania is known in the literary world for being the home of the famed antagonist, Dracula, in Bram Stoker's Gothic horror novel of the same name. Dracula's Castle in Bran is one of the iconic Romanian places Samir was able to visit in his trip to Romania.

What struck me most was the architecture, the mix of old and modern, the solitude and calm of many of its streets. I felt I was in a great poem called Bucharest. I also visited the town of Bran, the famous Dracula's castle, and the town of Brașov, in the Transylvania region.

My advice is, stay as long as you can. Visit the wonderful villages and small towns, the people are super friendly. The light there is so beautiful, you won't regret it. If I could, I would certainly go and live there.

Thank you for sharing your memorable trip, Samir! To check out more of his work, visit his LomoHome, Instagram and website.

Want to take us Around the World in Analogue? Drop a line to aj.bajo@lomography.com with the subject Around the World in Analogue and share your unforgettable travels with the rest of the community! Read the guidelines here.

written by sylvann on 2022-12-09 #people #places #around-the-world #black-and-white #b-w #bucharest #romania #bran #around-the-world-in-analogue #potsdam-kino #samirgallego