In visions of the dark night
I have dreamed of joy departed-
But a waking dream of life and light
Hath left me broken-hearted.

Ah! what is not a dream by day
To him whose eyes are cast
On things around him with a ray
Turned back upon the past?

That holy dream- that holy dream,
While all the world were chiding,
Hath cheered me as a lovely beam
A lonely spirit guiding.

What though that light, thro' storm and night,
So trembled from afar-
What could there be more purely bright. A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

When I first started I knew nothing of this matter. I just followed my inner calling. As time passed I discovered little by little some useful tricks. The photo does not relate to the equipment you use, no matter how expensive it is. It took me a while to understand that it is more important than looking at the price of the appliance or its endowments.

How do you educate yourself to take better pictures?

I look at a lot of photo albums and photograph almost every day.

 Who are some of your favorite classic photographers, and how did they influence you?

There are many photographers whose work I appreciate, but my favorites are: Josef Koudelka, Anders Petersen, Antoine d'Agata and Garry Winogrand. Honestly, I do not know how they influence my work, but they definitely had an effect on me. Life experiences play an essential role and influence in our way of life, including artistic expression.

What are some of your favorite books on street photography - and what about them do you love?

Josef Koudelka – Gypsies. I was impressed by the unique and unmistakable style in which Koudelka talks about humanity, social, cultural, and dying rituals.

You photograph almost exclusively in black and white. Is there a reason?

It's an unconscious choice. Black and white photography has a dose of drama and timelessness, and it allows me to focus on subject, emotion, atmosphere and composition without distracting color. Often color can become more important than content. I am struggling with strong contrasts and textures, and BW photography gives me the opportunity to highlight these elements.

What do you want people to see in your photos?

Emotion, I would love to see those who look at my photos. A technically impeccable, but non-exuding photo is like salt-free food.

What are you working on now?

I generally like to shoot without having a specific project in mind. It gives me the freedom to enjoy the process, without limiting myself to a particular theme. I recently started working on a project called "Dream Fragments" but it is on early stage and without a deadline to complete it. It refers to the relationship between oniric and reality.

What would you do if you had to give up photography?

I charge my batteries and take it over.

And when you look to the future, what do you see?

I am the kind of person who lives 100% today and I prefer what will happen in the future to spare me.

Rafael Ianos Bio

I was born in ’76 in Arad, Romania, and now I live in Bucharest. For me, photography is like a bookmark of life, in this way I can always come back to a point of time and feeling. I use my camera to mark the place in that I would like to remember sometime in the future. Due to my desire to learn more, I got to know other photography enthusiasts, with whom, in 2014 we founded BULB - The Bucharest Urban League of Photographers from the Balkans.

Prevalent in my photographs are light , shadow and human presence . Small fragments of objects, body parts and gestures combine with abundant light and dark to create a simple dazzling moment or a unique sensation. They are everyday scenes that we all see but in our daily rush they are overlooked and we forget to value them.