Caught in between the development of new economic centers and the shutting down of gigantic communist era factories, small towns in Romania struggle to find new life. Fagaras, a once commercial and political center of the Feudalist Europe is a clear example of this phenomenon. Fagaras was once the home of Doamna Stanca, wife of Mihai Viteazul, the man responsible for the first unification of the three Romanian Principates into roughly what is now Romania and part of the Republic of Moldova. The ‘cetate’ (fortress) in its center was modified from a previous military base to house the noble family. It later went through a series of modifications, and enlargements (w) to house other prominent families, or serve different purposes. Today the ‘castel’ is turned into a museum that presents the history of the location and a few pieces of important artists of the area.

Outside the ‘castel’ though is a different story. Fagaras faces the closure of the majority of the operations of a Chemical products manufacturer that directly or indirectly employed the majority of the people in the surrounding areas. The chemical industry, as many others in Romania, was part of the centralized plan of the Ceausescu’s communist regime. And as many others, after the so called revolution, it was shut down. The sudden change of regime, and complete lack of planning and leadership, left these functioning industrial monsters paralized.

With no work, the fagaraseni left, looking for a better future. Many left early on to bigger cities close by, Sibiu and Brasov. In recent years, however, the young and hungry for new opportunities, have left to western Europe, mainly Italy and Spain. In a sunny day in August, the streets are flooded with brand new Peugeot, Alfa Romeo, Volkswagen, and a black Mercedes Benz or Audi here and there. Strange in a street where only the ubiquitous Dacia, the local automaker, and a donkey pulling a cart would be seen in the streets. A surprisingly big minority though, has left for America. It seems like a ‘glitch’ on the visa lottery has favored hundreds of fagarasenii.

Although there are some that see these returns as the migrants coming back to show off, the underlying factor is that these people have left to work, and they have been successful. Recently, there has been a strong criticism from the UK and other European Union member states to Romanians tendency to flee their own country. They fear that the Romanians coming to their countries are going to create problems with their own people by taking their jobs and occupying their living spaces. These states, however, neglect the fact that these people are hungry for work, and are not leaving their country willingly. They are forced out due to lack of opportunities. The majority of these people are not going into the UK to joyfully work in the fields, factories, or as janitors and servers. These people are well educated and would gladly stay in their own country if they could make a good living as engineers, lawyers, or managers. Furthermore, when these people get to establish themselves in Italy, Spain, England and even the US, they constantly bring back success stories. They are looking for a better future, and if they cannot find it, they will make one for themselves. It is unacceptable that the large European economies blame these hardworking individuals for their own social problems.

Yet, the fancy cars disappear by the beginning of September, and only the Dacias remain. With an aging population, and an ever-shrinking economy, this once symbol of the Romanian unity, might soon be forgotten.

or Agoraphobia, for those of you who do not speak Spanish, and cannot easily translate such a complicated term, is the fear of being in open places. Outside. While I cannot imagine how it would be to be afraid of the outside, there is a deeper meaning that I can attach to this seemingly ridiculous fear, to which I can relate, intimately. I graduated from university just about a summer ago, and I have been traveling around and enjoying my life as an ‘unoccupied” (read unemployed) adult. The reason that I was enjoying it was that it is normal for a student to spend the summer scratching his umbilicus and drinking beer, at least that’s the way I did it, every summer, since I was 5 until this very last one. Yet, it’s now September and classes should have started. No classes for me, no schedule for me, still unemployed. I have the feeling I need to be following a calendar, that I have never seen.
I don’t know where to start, I moved to a new city where I have no contacts, no family, no “role-model”. I need to find a job, my resources are limited and will not stand for much longer. I need to start moving. I need to find something to do. Inactivity is killing me! I am a man with an empty resume, and a huge fear to be outside.

I spent the summer in Europe. It was great. The only problem is that after three months of not having a regular schedule, it becomes hard to come back down and see the world through the eyes of somebody that does not have a trust fund, or some other type of unlimited fund.
This is one of the last photos I uploaded to flickr, and although I took many more, I haven’t had the time to look at them, selecting and uploading. I’m not going to lie, it will probably continue like this for a little while.
On the other hand, following the transition that this site has had for the past month, there is going to be a redefinition of what this blog is going to be about. I cannot say yet, because I haven’t made up my mind completely yet. However, I know that this blog is boring, and nobody will read it like this. So I have decided that if I am going to take the time to keep a blog, I have to make it interesting for other people and not only for myself.

Havaianas have become one of my philosophies of life. They come from the happy people of Brazil, to every corner of the “globo”. I recently learned that they were considered for a long time, the shoes of the pariahs. For a long time, nobody wanted to be seen in one of those. It was the alternative to no shoes: worn out havaianas. They slowly, slowly moved into being so ubiquitous. Today, they have managed to be considered the ‘hip’ flip flop in the stuck-up Bean Town (Boston).
Other than being the most comfortable footwear that you will ever find, Havaianas are loved also because of their ability to blend into your body as if they were part of it. They somehow manage to take a little part of you in every step you take, they will be a faithful portrait of yourself, and they will be your ultimate companion.

nature macro 3, originally uploaded by Janrito Karamazov.

My parents came up this past week, and we took a trip to the north of New Hampshire. There are several (or one huge) natural reserves in the area. My family has always loved to take trips into forests and mountains. We’ve always done this, since I remember. The only difference this time was that instead of hiking throught the high altitudes in the Ecuadorean Andes, the Ecuadorean rainforest, or some remote Pacific Ocean beach, we were in New Hampshire.
I have been in college for the past 4 years, and it is finaly over. My parents came up to see me graduate. Although this is supposed to be a happy situation, the bittersweetness of it is what comes accross most prominently. I’m soon leaving this place, and I’m sure I’m going to miss it. It’s been a great 4 years. I know I complain, but i’s been great.
This macro of a green leave fighting the rain in NH is one of a few rolls of photos i shot at this trip. Click on it and browse my flickr account for the rest.

rest

This man was sleeping in front of the Boston Public Library, in Boylston Ave. His position not only looks funny, but also gives the impression of a deep fatigue. The bottles in the left suggest drunkenness, but I hope that is not the message that this image conveys.
Lately I’ve been experimenting with the use of negative space. It amazes me how powerful some photographs can be by leaving a great part of it empty, or almost empty. Also, it is incredible how this emptyness can radically change the feeling of the whole composition. I think this photograph gains from the amount of negative space to the left of the man.

black widow

Spring is (almost) here! Over the past couple of weeks, there has been a bunch of warm days. This one being one of them. We decided to go to the beach, but as you can see, it wasn’t warm enough to darken our nun-ass hue skin. However, it did provide a nice day for taking photographs at the beach. Revere beach is north from Boston. It is convenient because you can get there on the T (Boston’s public transportation). The beach is not beautiful. But it serves the purpose.
This photo seems almost like I photoshoped her into the picture. The high-contrast creates a nice composition. The only think i am concerned about is the horizon crossing in the middle of her face. But that is a minor complaint. For me this image is almost as mysterious as it is happy. It raises questions, but it also gives a nice cheerful feeling. Or maybe, I’m just happy that it’s getting warmer.

Gabriel

Gabriel, my brother. We were at the farm for a weekend. This is one of a series in which i’m trying to get a feel of the Depth of Field on my camera. The expression on his face turned out very powerful. The DoF worked and there is a beautiful extense range of tones.

bote

Cabo San Fracisco, Ecuador. This boats are called “fibras” or fiber, because they are made localy from fiberglass.

the cry

The kid started crying when i took pictures of him. But i love his expression.