If you are planning a Street Photography excursion to Bucharest, make sure you bring enough SD cards or film along with you. And extra batteries. The opportunities for the avid Street Photographer in this old world / new world city are unlimited.
Street Photography in Bucharest: The best places to hit the streets
Union Square (Piața Unirii)
For the Street Photographer in Bucharest, it’s not the Square itself that is so noteworthy. It certainly attracts local residents, tourists, and expats, but not because of its physical beauty. Rather, its location is the attraction. Union Square is in the centre of Bucharest, where all means of transportation meet, and in a twist of aesthetics, its rather unattractive architecture is home to a fashionable shopping district. As well, the distribution of Artesian Wells in the Square attracts visitors from the streets all around the Square.
They come to relax and hang out, and this is where you will find yourself behind your viewfinder. Be sure to also take a stroll with your camera into the streets surrounding the Square.
Street Art for the Street Photographer
Romania is prone to earthquakes and earth tremors. This partly explains the sorry state of some beautiful examples of old European architecture found in Bucharest. Along comes the street artist. Whether as a result of tectonic plate movements, or projects that were abandoned by the Communists, you can thank the prolific Street Photographers for continuously creating subject matter for you. How can one not be inspired by the state of the buildings exhibiting the artists’ masterpieces?
If graffiti is your thing, well, there is that. However, Street Art in Bucharest is much, much more than graffiti. It is art. Compose your images with ease by combining the art found on the old structures that are falling apart, or on the new walls to which they adhere. Add to this the poses of the admiring patrons of street art, and you will not run out of ideas for your Street Photography.
Not sure where to go? Visit the University of Architecture, look for the waterfall flowing down the stairs at the Strada Xenofon, then head to the unusual and photographic Piata RomanaStation. Nearby, you’ll find the Make a Pointwork of art by Sweet Damage Crew. Last but not least, head to Arthur Verona Street, close to the Romana Square. If you went there last year, that’s Ok. It looks different this year!
The Old Town of Bucharest (Centru Vechi/Lipscani)
You won’t find much in the way of authentic old architecture in the Old City of Bucharest. History has brought it to ruins. Instead, venues for entertainment have sprung up in the Old Town. However, because of this, it attracts people, so, as a Street Photographer, you may find subject matter, albeit not quite what you expected. Chances are that you won’t be able to resist the juxtaposition of ruins with the new cultural icons. For a different angle on things, aim your camera downwards from the Pura Vida Skybar.
North Railway Station of Bucharest (Gara de Nord)
We would be remiss in not mentioning Bucharest’s main railway station as an essential go-to location for
Street Photographers. The main building is a monument to history, and surely the eight platforms, the fourteen tracks, the passengers, and the sad souls who make the station their home, will keep you shooting.
The best Bucharest photo galleries for Street Photographers
One would expect the Street Art of Bucharest to be the best art gallery for Street Photographers, but although they are fine examples of art, they are not photographs.
Let’s look elsewhere.
Museum of Contemporary Art
One location for Photo Galleries in Bucharest is the MNAC – the Museum of Contemporary Art. However, the photographic exhibitions, and indeed, many of the art exhibitions at the MNAC, are temporary. Watch for announcements on their website. One notable exhibit during 2019 was Temps Zero Bucharest, which united photography, video, and sound, and delivered images of everyday life throughout locations in Europe.
The Bucharest Municipality Museum (Muzeul Municipiului Bucuresti)
The Bucharest Municipality Museum (MMB) boasts a Collection that a Street Photographer in Bucharest must not miss! The Photography Collection of the MMB contains 63,500 items of which 46,500 are photographs. You will certainly find photographs of Bucharest that fit into the genre of Street Photography. For example, photographs of folk in a marketplace in Bucharest, is authentic Street Photography. You may find these photographs a little different, however, because they date back to the 1800’s!
Viewing an earlier world of Street Photography may inspire you with new ways to view Bucharest, because of the influences of its history, and the remnants of its difficult past. Many of the photographs are of people, dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries, and not all of them are posed portraits. Take a look. You’ll find the works of some talented photographers, such as Carol Popp de Szathmary, who lived most of his life in Bucharest during the 19th century. His subject matter was quite diverse, and he did not restrict his talents with cameras to portraiture, but chose landscape, workers, and even the theatres of battle, for his subjects.
Street photography workshops and courses in Bucharest
There is something about photography that makes one feel that the learning process and the passion for standing behind a lens, go hand in hand. Bucharest boasts a number of opportunities for growth in the field. Street photography workshops work really well in Bucharest, given the mix of the old, the new, the drab, and the colourful. The old order and the new excitement are all part and parcel of this unique city.
Davin Ellicson Street Photography Workshops
Davin Ellicson is an award-winning American Street Photographer who offers one-on-one and group Workshops in Bucharest, as well as anywhere else in Romania.
The Bucharest Group Street PhotographyWorkshop takes place every weekend, and is limited to six participants.
- Meet at Davin’s studio on Saturday.
- Enjoy reviewing personal portfolios over cake and coffee.
- Discuss the principles of Street Photography.
- Head for the streets. You will discover the magic of the hidden back streets of Bucharest.
- Meet again on Sunday to put your camera to work again.
- Review your work late on Sunday afternoon, and discuss the approaches and the work of a number of top Street Photographers.
Davin’s approach covers both technical skills and your relationship with the scene. You’ll learn to develop your own personal approach with the eye of your camera, and how to bring this out in your photography. Learn how to position yourself and the angle of your camera. Gain confidence shooting people in your scenes. Davin will also teach you how to organise your shots, as well how to manage your editing in post-production. This is an intensive course designed to immerse yourself in the past, present, and perhaps, future of Bucharest through your own unique photography.
Neanu Photography
Mihai Constantineanu offers a photography course for beginners. Mihai is very flexible, and adjusts the level of his course to the levels of expertise of the participants. The courses consist of very small groups – no larger than eight participants. One-on-one is an option as well. Mihai is also very flexible about scheduling. In general, the classes are held once every two weeks for two hours at a time. The first year is a year of getting to know your camera, as well as going out and practising. The second year will cover photography as an art.
Mihai is open to discussing what you are looking for in a photography course. To give you a sense of Mihai’s philosophy towards photography, read the quote (from Anonymous) on his webpages: “When people ask me what equipment I use, I tell them my eyes.”
Walk and Shoot Photography Workshops
Walk and Shoot Photography Workshops take place a number of times during the year.
The Walk Experience
The Walk Experience is a half-day workshop. You will visit the streets of a particular neighbourhood, and be guided by a storyteller. This spinner of yarns will entertain you with stories and legends, thus providing you with a theme for your photography, based on the history, the ambiance, and the general feel of the neighbourhood. You will also meet with a resident of the neighbourhood, who will become a subject in your shots. This workshop is intended to be a fun, enjoyable experience.
The Shoot Experience
The Shoot Experience is a an intensive one-day workshop that specialises in a particular genre of photography. The workshop is organised as follows:
- Meet in the morning to delve into theory.
- Continue the workshop with eight hours of shooting. Location will depend on which workshop you have joined.
- End the day discussing the photos taken at the shoot. You will also cover post-production, and taking your photography to the next level.
The Shoot experience holds their special genre workshops at various times during the year. The Shoot – Street Photography Workshoptook place earlier in 2019, but look out for it next year. The Shoot – Architecture Photographyhas also passed us by. However, you can still catch the Shoot – Rooftop Photography Workshop, which begins on Saturday, October 19th, 2019. Of course, you’ll be looking down at the streets, but that is no less inspiring than a street-level perspective, in terms of subject matter.
The photographers who run Walk and Shoot are not working in a vacuum. Walk and Shoot is a community. The photographers are in touch with the folks on the street, and with the photography world of Bucharest. They know the neighbourhoods and are comfortable with the locals. They share their love of their art with their community.
Aurel Virlan Photography Classes
Aurel Virlan has been taking journalistic photos since his childhood. Also well-known for his landscape photography, his images have found homes in private collections around the world. He is ready to pass on to you you how he developed his eye for a story, in order to capture the heart and soul of the people in the streets of Bucharest. Aurel’s classes and workshops cover everything from theory to practice, and from editing to exporting. This includes the use of SEO to reach your audiences. For a Street Photography Course in Bucharest, you would do well to consider Aurel Virlan’s classes.