Snowbound in the park I found this image lovely:
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Birdies
Winter in the park
Winter strikes back just when I though all is over: a lot of snow and so cold that even the stones are breaking (this morning the thermometer was showing -16°C, supposedly over night it was even colder). So I planned to take advantage of the winter while is still possible, with a week-end photoshot, no matter the cold.
Saturday it was a beautiful snow, with large and slow snowflakes and lacking the possibility to for a photoshot in a traditional countryside, I though the Village Museum from Herastrau Park is the best next replacement, the closest fake. Unfortunately, the Museum was close, dunno if it is closed all winter long or I was just unlucky, so all I could take was a few shots from across the lake:
There are also a few other park decorations with a rustic feel:
And of course, the ducks (I think they are heroes for bathing in that water):
And there were also some very happy (and fat) small birds:
I found impressive the real winter tree decorations:
And found funny this statue (is Venus? Diana? not sure, but this statue is in the park for as long as I remember), effectively swimming in snow, it made me think about how old farts (like me) are saying: in my time, to do X we had to walk Y miles uphill in the snow
When going home, under the Arcul de Triumf I saw those poor soldiers in festive uniforms, over the week-end was the Union Day, so they had to be part of some ceremonies:
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How I spent the 2010 New Year’s Eve
A short lived tradition (it was the second iteration), but is still a tradition, it was again the time of the year to shoot New Year’s Eve concerts and fireworks. Unlike the last year, when my choice was to boycott a communist mayor ans stay in Piața Revoluției, this year I headed to the main event, in Piața Constituției.
However, I still passed trough Piața Revoluției, with a party organised by Pro TV and MTV, which was flooded with people wearing blue and red fedoras (I covered more about this elsewhere).
One thing to appreciate is those people know hot to make a show, even if they co bad in the opposite direction with manele:
After spending about half an hour there, I moved to Piața Constituției:
There it was a varied audience:
Listening to music
And having tons of fun
I appreciated the “evil” side
And rocked a bit
And then participated in the countdown
And enjoyed the show, with lasers
And fireworks
And lasers
And fireworks
And fire
And lasers again
And fireworks
Into the huge spectacle
All the time I was as busy as I could: in the right hand holding (and shooting with) the dSLR, and with the left hand recording video:
One over another, it was a positive experience.
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Creepy Michael of the Snow
Beyond being totally creepy (oh, those empty eyes!) as a statue and beyond the need for some kids to get a life, I kind of admire the dedication of building this unusual snowman, the snowcarnation of Michael “the king of pop”. Maybe I should take a detour to take another photo a few days later, it wad warm and rainy, he should look disfigured and even creepier.
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22 December 2009
Yesterday, 22 December 2009 it was the 20 years anniversary of what we like to call the “revolution”, the fall of the communist dictatorship in Romania, which was violent: over 1000 people died, some fighting for freedom, some on duty, some by accident and some due to stupidity.
The celebration was lame and uneventful, proving once again we are ready to easily trade the freedom for a bit or promised “tranquillity”: a solemn session on the parliament where nobody was interested (they have those every year), some documentaries and talk shows on TV and that was about all.
Passing trough the city center, I noticed something that fired my interest: in the passage below Piața Universității (the square where many people died – tanks, guns – it much worse than Tienanmen) they had a photo gallery, open for all the people walking: photos from the last days of the dictatorship, from the revolution days and from the aftermath.
On one hand, I was jealous as a photographer, those are times when you can capture the reality and even a snapshot can become “gold” from an artistic point of view. On the other hand, people died and you don’t want people to die only to have subjects for your photos.
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Santa’s helpers
You surely know Santa, that big, fat, old bearded guy, who is useless by himself, he can’t do stuff without his helpers. So I present you, close and personal, the Santa’s helpers:
Well, were you nice boys or will get this wear some coal again?
Note: I pretty much messed-up this photoshot, it was so clod, my fingers almost frozen so I didn’t concentrated well enough for the best exposure… too bad, the girls deserved better.
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A walk in the park – the winter edition
With this snow all over us and no handy access to some beautiful landscape out of the city, I decided for a week-end walk in the park, trying to capture the moment:
The park where I used to shot candids all summer long, even my favorite bridge, everything was empty and desolated
Very few chicks around, and not of that kind:
Still, some people were having fun:
I also visited the cathedral which impressed me in the autumn colors, but obviously it was changed:
In the place where squirrels used to play (they probably hibernate by now) there was a different fauna, somebody got a pony:
And transportation was assured by their full-grown versions:
Of course there was animation, with reindeers and elves (unfortunately, not my favourite type of elf):
…and I stand corrected, there were some chicks:
When the night come, the colorful lights were fired:
Even the fake reindeers:
And a mighty Christmas tree:
Well, is cold enough, a close-up with the tree and I can go home:
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Real winter, real Christmas
The Christmas lights are lame this year, but is cold and the snow abundant, so a combination of the two is interesting:
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City under snow
A couple of days ago Bucharest was assaulted by the first real snow of this winter and it was beautiful, like in fairy tales, with large and thick snowflakes and a bit of wind to animate them. Frustrating to be trapped in the city, at work and not free of a field for beautiful, expressive shooting of the season. Now is freezing cold…
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Skate or skate
Back in the hot and sunny winter days I used to walk around the parks and take photos of people skating (roller skating, that’s is). Now in cold winter days, what I am supposed to to? Right! Walk around the parks and take photos of people skating (ice skating, of course). And this is not hard to to, since there are quite a few skating places in the city.
Nice enough, right? But now the question is, what you like better, summer or winter?
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Christmas Lights: something
I complained a few days ago about our incompetent city mayor and the late firing-up of the city lights for Christmas, the city center is a major disappointment: for the first time they are using exactly the same lights as the last year, only fewer (some were probably broken).
Something new and positive wad the Cismigiu Park, in addition to the skating area they have a big tree, a fair and lights:
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Christmas Fair in the Kiseleff Park
Suddenly, it seems the Kiseleff Parc became fashionable this year (I guess is close to the city mayor’s house or something like that) so a big Christmas Fair is held here for the first time. And it was a first time for me, when I went into shooting mode with my new pocket video camera (is my first, so forget the amateurish style, it was a learning experience).
Of course I also used the DSLR, taking a fer snapshots:
Not that is a Romanian Christmas: plenty of food (pork), plenty of drinks (wine and țuică), lot of people.
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Christmas Lights: FAIL
Knowing the old tradition of having the Christmas lights to be started in the city for the December 1st, I planned a shooting expedition in that evening, with the tripod, cable release and everything, but after freezing in the morning at the military parade, I didn’t feel like it, and postponed for a later day. Next day I felt bad about losing an opportunity, so after work did a short walk in the city with only the camera, no additional gear: surprise! the lights were still off, thanks to our incompetent city mayor, so my original decision wasn’t that bad.
At least the failure was not epic: I found a boulevard with some lights (not the city center, just a more civilised district with probably a better mayor) and, and this will be cubject of another post, people in the street protesting about the possible communist restoration in the upcoming presidential elections.
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Everything is better with a bit of sun
Last week I was bummed about a lost opportunity for autumn photography, failed due to bad weather, being convinced it was the last opportunity for this year. Well, contrary to the weather forecast, the last week-end was nothing short of amazing: warm and sunny, exceeding my expectations, so I had to get out and do my stuff. Gladly.
![[autumn]](https://nicubunu.ro/pictures/photoblog/img_1664.jpg)
![[autumn]](https://nicubunu.ro/pictures/photoblog/img_1696.jpg)
![[autumn]](https://nicubunu.ro/pictures/photoblog/img_2027.jpg)
![[autumn]](https://nicubunu.ro/pictures/photoblog/img_2052.jpg)
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Silence, entering the cathedral of nature
I could say I know the Herastrau Park as I know my own pocket (yeah, I don’t know my pockets that well), but only on this autumn day I realised how the trees around this alley are shaped like a Gothic cathedral, with the branches looking like its traditional pointed arches. I was both socked and impressed, finding them majestic.
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