I am a strong believer in the saying that, it is the humans and not the places that make memories. As a photographer, I have countless of them, but one that is very close to my heart is a chance encounter with an old man on top of a hill. As we became friends, he confided in me, “Vlad, if I had a second life, I would live it right here, on these very hills.” Words which resonated with me simply because I have felt the same way. If I were to live a second life, I’d live it right here on these very lands and nowhere else.

I was always intrigued by photography but have been pursuing it in a more serious way since 2008, when I began visiting the remote villages of Romania more often, in a quest to meet genuine people and hear their stories. I’d like to believe that through my 'photo-telling’ I share with others bits of my travel experiences and sincerely hope my photos will stand the test of time and remain as testimonials of a way of life that is slowly disappearing.

Here in this album, I have stitched together a dozen years of memories represented in photographs that I have taken across the country, meant to capture the essence of Romania as I have seen it through my lens and felt it in my heart.