A Tribute to Alexandru Cican’s Photography + Exclusive Interview
pxleyes.com recently discovered a great artist, a young talent who has found a passion in capturing the moments of life in a unique way through photography.
His name is Alexandru Cican and the style he has developed consists in variety. Most artists specialize in different fields of interest, like studio photos, portraits, b&w photos, urban photography, panoramic landscapes, wildlife, silhouettes, macros, etc. But Cican manages to combine all these and has created an amazing portofolio which abounds in color and transmits the beauty of life, in all its forms.
Here’s a short interview where he explains better a few aspects of his artistic life and not only.
Q: Please tell us who Alexandru Cican is.
A: I was born in Romania, raised in Cyprus and I was living in the UK until recently. Over the years I developed a habit of easily getting bored. Reason for the development of that habit was my childhood, from an early age always on the move (switched three schools, three cities, two countries), and my liberal parents who gave me total freedom over my choices in life. This lead to today where I’m juggling between photography, web design, web development, programming (studied software engineering), film, special effects, animation, music (also playing in a band), blogging and the list goes on. At the moment I believe that this approach to life is not so effective, in terms of career building/money making. It is though, a great way of gaining valuable experience. That is in short who I am, a juggler
Q: When did you discover your passion for photography as a form of art?
A: To be honest, I don’t remember. It didn’t come to me suddenly; I just bought a camera 6-7 years ago and gradually started shooting and editing photos. I kept improving myself by reading photo tutorials over the Internet and secretly competing with everyone
Q: Your photographs are very rich in colour, very “saturated”. Is there a solid reason behind that or just a matter of taste?
A: It has to be taste. I like expressing with colour, although I’m experimenting with monochrome/dual-chrome photos as well. I think it depends on the message I’m trying to convey and on the mood that I’m in at the moment of the editing. Another reason for that might be because I always shoot in colour and transform the photo in mono/dual in PS, I never get to transform the photo!
Q: Do you have a favourite photographer or maybe an artist who inspires you?
A: I don’t have a favourite artist per se; every photographer has something good to offer, a “pièce de résistance”. I suspect it’s because of my habit; I get bored with one photographer’s style and move on to the other’s. As of inspiration, I’m getting it from everyone and everything. If I see an inspiring photograph, I’ll first try to recreate it myself (copy) and then add a unique touch to it (steal the idea basically). Good artists copy, great artists steal. But that’s not always the case, I don’t want you believing that my entire work is a rip-off :p
Q: What photo gears do you currently use? Any special lenses?
A: The same ol’ gear that I started with 6-7 years ago! An Olympus E-500 with two lenses: 14-45mm and 40-150mm. The only addition to my kit was a year ago when I bought some Cokin ND-grad filters (0.3ND, 0.6ND and 0,9ND). Pathtic? Yes! Efficient? Very! I’m planning on getting the Canon 5D MKII in the following days, though
Q: Which is the most important element in the composition of a photo for you?
A: There isn’t one particular. It depends on the message you’re trying to convey. Try to simplify as much as possible, and make the subject of the photo stand out. In terms of composing a shot, lead-in lines, incorporation of texture and natural frames are nice. The most used element in my photos is the rule of thirds. It’s easy to use and efficient. Also, keep in mind to break the rules every once in a while!
Q: Do you have any personal projects rolling at the moment?
A: Of course! At the moment, I’m developing a free resource for photographers showing them how to improve their photos. The resource is not showing you how to shoot birds or night-shots but how to improve your bird-shots, or night-shots. A website packed with useful information, tutorials, guides, best practices and many more. I think it’s a unique resource that presents a different perspective on the whole “photo tutorials” category. I try to include all the categories (such as architectural, landscape, portrait) and all levels of experience (amateur, semi-pro and experienced). The website is Improve Photos.
Q: Any plans for the future regarding your talent as a photographer? Maybe a personal art gallery or such?
A: Well, I’ll be busy working on the photo resource, so no future plans at the moment. I gave myself a deadline until the 31st of December to make something of it, so the pressure is intense. As for a personal gallery, my website is the best gallery! I’m getting around 600-700 visitors 24/7! What typical corner gallery can compete with that?! But sure, the thrill of inaugurating a photographic exhibition is priceless.
Q: What advice would you give for the people out there just starting out in the fantastic world of photography?
A: Shoot, shoot, shoot! Try new stuff, expand your horizons. Don’t settle for the ordinary and try to develop your own unique style. In order to achieve that, it is required to have some photographic experience under your belt, so take your time to accumulate that experience. Keep striving to improve your shots by competing with yourself. Sign up for a photo community and post your work there. Compare your photos with the best photos of the photo community. In other words, use the other photographers’ photos as a measurement gauge. See the difference? Good, now turn off your computer, grab your camera, and retry the shot!
Rainy Day
House of Parliament
London Eye
Not Another Bulb Pic
By the Tiber
Kayaking Under Ponte Vecchio
St. Peter’s Square
Tower of London
By the River Thames
8 o’clock
Summer Sunset
Golden Field
Sunset
On the Rocks
Tower Bridge
Circle of Life
Autumn
Village
Lonely Tree
Rose
Gubbio
Blocks of Fire
Winter’s Sun
Road Trip
Solitary
Planet Mars
Sunflower
Pathtrail of Sun
Bubble
Felinar
Feed my Heart to Swans
Flyer Down
Swan Lake
Pussycat
Fly Away
Emo
Tulcea
Trompe L’oeil
Framing Child
Love Boat
Under the Tree of Life
Street Portrait
Textures of Life
Urban Freedom
Summer Fun
The Bridge
Dusk in London
Interconnectivity
Fisherman
Blood River
Author: Giulia
Giulia is a 25 year old girl from Romania. She runs a blog dedicated to cute animals on furrytalk.com. She's also an amateur photographer and has a passion for Photoshop.
Howdie stranger!
If you want to participate in our photoshop and photography contests, just:
LOGIN HERE or REGISTER FOR FREE