Learning Photography from my Brother

Oricat am incercat, postul asta n-a vrut sa iasa in engleza.

De cateva saptamani, inchipuirea mea de talent fotografic se chinuie, se rasuceste pe-o parte, pe-o alta, sa creeze ceva miscator (la propriu); daca nu din altceva, macar dintr-o tresarire inspirata a aparatului, care sa duca la un rezultat genial, la un e-motion, de care fotograful sa nu fie nici macar constient.

... si mereu in acest rastimp, pornesc la vanatoare cu ochiul incarcat de ale norei agapi "movingscapes" sau ale alinei andrei baltoace tremurate.

De fiecare data cand declansez, am un sentiment de nerealizare, de ceea ce-ar fi putut sa fie, si s-a ratat pentru totdeauna.

Si totusi, ca orice inchipuit care mai e si un pic fudul, ma gandesc ca tot amatorul are publicul lui, fie si creat din una si aceeasi persoana - el insusi. De ce nu si-ar face atunci o placere, sa-si publice propriile poze care il e-motioneaza foarte.

On Friday evening Nicole and myself took a slow train to Bulboaca, an average Romanian village where normal people live and night illumination is low enough so that one can watch the mid-August meteor shower in peace.

There, we met my brother and his young team of astronomers. I must say, broth has won the second price in the astronomy camp this summer (hurrah!) and therefore the mirrors to make his own telescope.

The kids took pity at me and Nicole and gave us a comprehensive training for the night's activity. We were to dress as warm as we could, lay our sleeping sacks on the ground, sit on the back and watch the sky.

No, we could not put up a fire and grill something...
No, no alcoholic drinks were allowed :-(.
Finally, we were to relax and observe the meteors, or shooting stars, as they are called.

I don't need to bother here with too much detail, but the way those kids talked was poetry to my ignorant ears. It was clear that Andromeda came along with Pegasus (that had a square) and was in a certain opposition to a well known triangle that belonged to the summer and was led by one of the brightest stars, Vega was its name.

I asked details of transparency, magnitude and why the h. do they call them Perseides. Quick answers emerged to my ears, but in the most cabbalistic way.

Unfortunately, we couldn't take any pictures due to frequent lightning reflections (probably a summer storm nearby) that would have beclouded the film. We watched the sky until four a.m. when we finally fell asleep.

Yes, we were there, and here's the proof:


6 a.m. is not a proper hour to wake up...


everyone's too sleepin' busy to notice the photographer...


nicole's first warning (sigh)


a placeholder for the sun


no tiptoe as we're leaving


one last photo...


I don't know what happens with trains, one always feels the urge to fall asleep...

... when fish learn to fly.

What happens today? I go to the local photo shop to pick up my last series of photos. I notice that the shop assistant gives me sort of a frolicsome gaze while handing me the small bag with photos, but I dismiss any suspicion, thinking it's the effect of these last dog days we all had to put up with.

Once at home, I open the bag and my room gets populated by the strangest creatures. At first I try to make them collect themselves on the study, but I soon realize I'm domed to fail.

They're all on their own. As I sit on my bed I remember the time I was trying to get shots of some outstanding landscapes, and a butterfly got into the picture; only now I realize that he never got out.

Apparently, this didn't stop him from his usual stuff. He chose the most beautiful flower, flirted a bit and promised to wed. The credulous gave in. At the time of speaking they are enjoying their first cubs.

Then, I try to remember what circumstances provided the donkey.



It was late in the afternoon and I was watching out the window of my carriage, lost in thoughts of all kinds. The donkey watched back and said "I'll go faster than this train if you give me a good reason." I decided not to take him seriously; after all he was so small I could hardly tell whether he was a real donkey or just a field dog… And I was too bored to think of a good reason.

One thing leads to another and I remember that right after the donkey episode I got out of my compartment for some fresh air and I was quite surprised to see two fishes making pranks on my brother's t-shirt.



One of them overate, and got really big. When there wasn't much left to satisfy his appetite he started to run for the little fish. Last time I saw them, the fattish was crowding the little one towards a hole in the wall.



Finally, I decide it is best to leave them and mind my own business.

A good thing would be to learn more about photography. No offence, but I've had it with all kinds of speechless species meddling around. I feel like back in school again, fighting the awful ink smudges, while learning to write. I used to call them piglets. Many times I found myself in desperate acts to get rid of them (for example trying to wash them with my tongue) but they were never going away. At the best they were changing to dingy trails which, to my indulgent eyes, looked like comets.