Georgiana Druta: A story of life: Dreams and Failures - Photography is a window into the soul of a human being, it is a book that tells a story, it is a guide to beautiful places.
Swanky Magazine Interviews talented photographer - Georgiana Druta. From Romania.
PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT | Georgiana Druta
Q1.Swanky Mag: Hello Georgiana, Can you introduce yourself to Swanky Magazine's readers? Can you tell us a little about you?
Hi everyone. I am Georgiana, and I am a Romanian photographer. I have been living in the UK for the past 6 years and a couple of months. I can be stubborn and picky and might seem cold until you get to know me. I like to dance, love music and karaoke, know most of the lyrics of most songs, I am a foodie and I have a chinchilla as a pet, his name is Silver. I like driving at night because it calms me and I am not a morning person. I do not drink coffee because it is too bitter for me, but if I am to drink it it is 10% coffee, 90% milk, and sugar or sweetener.
Q2.How and when did you get into photography?
To be honest I do not really know. I just started bit by bit taking pictures when I was going for a holiday, and I remember a couple of years ago I even tried to start a vlog, but that did not materialize because I was too much into my job at the time to give it a thought. The actual moment that I realised that I want to live from this was last year when I was too tired to work for someone else's dreams and decided to build mine. It was a process that developed over the years, on and off, and became real last year.
Photographer/Wardrobe: Georgiana Druta @georgiana_druta
Makeup Artist: Zejnije Musa @zee_makeup_hair
Model: Fereshteh Mousavinejad @fereshteh_model
Q3.What does photography mean to you?
Photography can mean so many things. Photography is a feeling, something amazing that I want to share with the world, from a cigar on the street to an elaborate show. Photography is a window into the soul of a human being, it is a book that tells a story, it is a guide to beautiful places, it is a universal language. Photography can turn something that is ugly to the naked eye into something so powerful and full of meaning. This is just a tiny fraction of what I discovered photography can be, and I love every bit of it.
Q4.Please briefly describe your photography style for our readers.
My photography style is at its early stages, still learning the "proper" way. I want to evolve into fine art and fantasy photography. What I do now is create characters, stories, in a way that the viewer can connect with the character. My vision is not supposed to be the rule, but one side of the character. As people have different sides, my characters have different stories according to who is watching. But yes, fine art and fantasy is my goal. I think we grow up so fast and we tend to get so busy with our daily lives that we forget to dream, to wish on a shooting star, to look for the 4 leaf shamrock, and believe in its luck. This is where I come in, I bring the magic to life.
Photographer/Wardrobe: Georgiana Druta @georgiana_druta
Makeup Artist: Zejnije Musa @zee_makeup_hair
Model: Fereshteh Mousavinejad @fereshteh_model
Photographer/Wardrobe: Georgiana Druta @georgiana_druta
Makeup Artist: Zejnije Musa @zee_makeup_hair
Model: Fereshteh Mousavinejad @fereshteh_model
Q5.Where do you get your inspiration from?
Inspiration comes from all around, stories that we all read, characters that we know, movies, cartoons, history, mythology, daily life, other artists that do similar things. I find inspiration in every moment of the day from morning to sundown, just need to be open to it.
Q6.Do you think in advance what you want in the picture?
Most of the things that I do are planned in advance, but all of them manage to get changes as I build along the way the character, the story, outfit, props, etc, but I think it is part of the process. Since everything is supposed to be magical we are allowed changes that will make the session more impressive and breathtaking. Some things definitely need to be planned in advance like the location that we shoot, date, time, the people involved, but the rest is more just improvising along the way. Not to mention that I am really bad at remembering poses, so even if I do my research in advance, when we shoot, I will definitely forget all of them. :)
Photographer/Wardrobe: Georgiana Druta @georgiana_druta
Makeup Artist: Zejnije Musa @zee_makeup_hair
Model: Fereshteh Mousavinejad @fereshteh_model
Q7.Would you consider yourself a hobbyist or a paid professional?
Can I combine both, to make it a paid hobbyist? Joking. Despite having some successfully paid sessions, I consider myself a newbie in the game of photography, there is still so much to learn, and to reach the level of paid professional, in the sense that I think was used, for me, it is too much. I do not qualify yet, to be called that. Let's talk in about 5-10 years, maybe my answer will change, but I doubt it because photography is not math, it evolves, and even when you think you reached the top, you still have a long way to go.
Q8. What has been your most memorable session, and why?
The most memorable session...hmmm... that is a tough one. All of them are memorable. Each one has a special something that makes it special. The one thing I know about my sessions is that on the day of the session, something needs to go wrong for the session to turn outright. Just the other day, when I got ready for an autumn vibe session, I managed to crack one of the lenses. And come to think of memorable sessions, I have memorable moments. Our photoshoots are not the usual stuff, we come around with extreme makeup, long dresses, wings, headpieces and the best part of it is not quite the session itself, but the reaction of the people around us, how amazed they are, how they want to take pictures with the fairy, the evil queen or Elsa. Those are my memorable moments.
Photographer/Wardrobe: Georgiana Druta @georgiana_druta
Makeup Artist: Zejnije Musa @zee_makeup_hair
Model: Fereshteh Mousavinejad @fereshteh_model
Photographer/Wardrobe: Georgiana Druta @georgiana_druta
Makeup Artist: Zejnije Musa @zee_makeup_hair
Model: Fereshteh Mousavinejad @fereshteh_model
Q9. Nikon or Canon? Favorite lens?
Canon. Although recently I bought a new camera from another brand. Regarding the lenses, I would say the 35 and 50, for the Canon. I am kinda in love with prime lenses.
Q10. What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer looking to start their own business?
Do not be discouraged by competition, no matter how friendly or not they are, and do not think top gear makes you a good photographer. Learn from the competition and even though the gear helps, it doesn't define the creativity or the skill of the person behind the lens. You can have the best gear in the world if you do not know how to connect with the scene.
Q11. What do you think of our new magazine?
It is bold, promotes creativity and talent. I loved the talent promoted, and it might come as a surprise, but I actually appreciated some of the work promoted previously without any knowledge of the magazine, and I am glad. I am really glad to be part of it, to be considered to be published, and to be honest, it gave me a vote of confidence that what I am doing is on the right track. It really helps upcoming artists to be reassured that they are doing something good.
Follow Georgiana’s Journey:
Instagram @georgiana_druta
Photographer/Wardrobe: Georgiana Druta @georgiana_druta
Makeup Artist: Zejnije Musa @zee_makeup_hair
Model: Fereshteh Mousavinejad @fereshteh_model
Photographer/Wardrobe: Georgiana Druta @georgiana_druta
Makeup Artist: Zejnije Musa @zee_makeup_hair
Model: Fereshteh Mousavinejad @fereshteh_model
Photographer/Wardrobe: Georgiana Druta @georgiana_druta
Makeup Artist: Zejnije Musa @zee_makeup_hair
Model: Fereshteh Mousavinejad @fereshteh_model