Blognotes from a photographer life...

Sep 23, 2008

COUNTLESS STARS..

I was walking in a tranquil area of Budapest today when I had one of my classic deja vu.. from a long, long time ago! I realized that I was in the city exactly 33 years ago this month, during my first ever trip abroad. Two months across Europe with my friend Sauro, traveling on Inter Rail, sleeping in trains and stations, occasionally in parks.. and here I was, the small garden where we slept a couple of nights. We were awaken in the middle of the first night by a police patrol (remember, this was before the Wall came down) that got very suspicious -and pointed their machine guns- when I reached for my passport at the bottom of the sleeping bag. But they were kind afterwards, and didn't bother us on the second night, even when they passed by. That was my countless star hotel in Budapest. Great service and security! The next time I would be staying at the Inter Continental, with only 5 stars available. I guess our personal history is so much part of what we are that we tend to forget what's in it.. Somewhere I still have a picture of my 18-years-old-self standing under this statue, rising a fist in the dream of socialism.. and now all the socialist statues of Budapest have been jailed into a cage outside the city..

Sep 22, 2008

BUDAPEST IS CLOUDY


Fighting with clouds, once again.. Autumn settled in suddenly after a gorgeous summer. Shooting a travel story for a very demanding magazine like Hemispheres is not an easy goal in these light conditions. And Budapest is a city full of visual contradictions, with modern building rising near old socialist condominiums (that were a photographer's playground), especially in this time of intense restoration. The attraction of Budapest is great, with thousands of tourists taken around, but I feel like it still needs to find is new personality in the Western world. I can still feel the uncertainty between what is left by the past-socialist social system and the new generations that are emulating the web culture. Just a matter of time?

Sep 12, 2008

PORTFOLIOS AND WEBSITE UPDATE


The working time in front of the screen has produced some peace of mind (ah, ah, just jocking!) and the updated portfolios that you'll find in the website. The new version on the Muay Thai story dedicated to the very young kids fighting is also there. Please don't think at this as a denouncing story of decadence and corruption: although they even fight once a week in the middle of a red light bar in Pattaya, these boys live the Muay Thai experience as a true sport and martial art. A positive experience. As for the surrounding environment, well,it's like the controversial view on Thai social ethics that westerners find so hard to comprehend. We had to give up the idea of describing the Bangkok nightlife from a Thai point of view because we would have sound like defending prostitution. The line of different thinking is so subtle that would be impossible not being misunderstood!