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Sibiu, Romania - December 12, 2008
 
This beautiful woman was surprisingly hard to catch. We were racing the setting sun, trying to find streets that were still lit and she was one of the slowest walkers in the world. I waited for her to reach this small section of wall with sunlight on it, and then we had to run.

Our final stop in Romania was Sibiu, a beautiful old city just north of the Carpathian Mountains. After having focused so much on architecture and landscapes in previous stops, I spent much more time on the people here. We didn't have much of a chance to explore at all, so I basically found a bench on one of the roads heading into the town square, and sat there with the zoom lens watching people go by. The bench I sat on was actually just off to the left of where the picture below shows. And once the sunlight was blocked by buildings where I was sitting, I tracked down Luc and we spent some time racing around random streets to wherever the sun was still shining.

 
The bench I sat and people-watched from was just to the left of what this shot shows.
 
What are they looking at...?
 
This look of layering for warmth was typical across the country. It was a clear reminder of how recently life was much harder here.
 
...they're looking at the guys who are checking them out. Sweet.
 
One of the many stray dogs you see throughout Romania.
 
Some gypsies who came by...
 
This was taken right out in front of our hotel, at the end of the street where I was sitting taking pictures. So that's actually a bit of our hotel to the right. My room was up on the third floor, overlooking this sidewalk.
 
Once I lost the sunlight where I was sitting, I followed what was left of it to the town square.
 
This guy was selling popcorn and phone cards. I guess why not, right?
 
She had fresh roasted chestnuts.
 
I don't know WHAT this kid was wearing, but it was pretty awesome.
 
Once the square got too dark, we set off around some other streets to keep following the sun.
 
Didn't have time to switch to a wide angle lens, so while Luc got some wide shots of this clock tower, I stayed with the zoom and got some close-ups.
 
One of the last shots of sunlight I got. And again with the wires, the satellite dishes, and the air-conditioning units.
 
Here's one more shot of the lady from the first picture in this tabblo...just before she slooooowwwwwly walked behind this truck. I was so glad to get some shots of her.
 
Between the low light and her subtle movements, I couldn't manage to get a really crisp shot of this woman - but boy did she have an interesting look.
 
Some crazy, UFO-like clouds formed as the sun was setting, too.
 
And then the sun went down, the Christmas lights came on, and we went for dinner and a good sleep before heading to the airport at around 4:30am the next morning to fly back home.
COMMENTS
Pkeener said at 1:06 a.m. on Jan 23, 2009:
great reporting on this one and fantastic shots.
L810th said at 8:04 a.m. on Jan 23, 2009:
A stunning opening shot that encapsulates the character of these down trodden people. The expressions tell it all and yet life has been a slow renewal process since the 1989 revolution. The backlit shots and low sun, light the textures and form so well. They know you are there, but other things are more important right now for them. Mike.
Moabjeeper said at 8:33 a.m. on Jan 23, 2009:
Exceptional photos. Also the ever present cell phone.
Chilla said at 9:06 a.m. on Jan 23, 2009:
Another super tabblo from your trip. You have captured the people so well here, passing by and managing their daily lives.
Ira said at 11:48 a.m. on Jan 23, 2009:
These people so are different and in something are very similar to our people. With the pleasures and griefs. With the ideas. Young and old. Remarkable street shots. Very beautiful ancient streets of city.
21-gramm said at 3:01 p.m. on Jan 23, 2009:
exellent observation there!
i love your presentation style!
Sirnicolay said at 7:46 p.m. on Jan 23, 2009:
I love the way you delivered these photos. Your narration also made me appreciate the photos more. Thanks for sharing. :)
Andre. said at 7:44 a.m. on Jan 24, 2009:
Cool reportage. Thank you for doing this
Mirella said at 3:08 a.m. on Jan 29, 2009:
A beautiful reportage. You caught the real life of those unlucky people; after 20 years from Ceacescu's fall, it's still hard for them to grow like any other european country. Sibiu is a very nice town. Grazie
Grandbrother said at 1:52 p.m. on Feb 1, 2009:
The great thing is that you can see a real difference between generations right now. While people from the older generations generally show clear evidence of the country's difficult history, the newer generation seems to be growing up with more contemporary sensibilities. That coupled with the amount of construction and renovation you see in some of the bigger cities leads me to believe that progress is finally being made in Romania.
Ania said at 12:23 p.m. on Feb 3, 2009:
Very interesting part of world. Great documentation of "real" life.
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