Marius Cinteză is a Romanian photographer whose work focuses on portraits and visual stories. He graduated in electronic engineering in Bucharest and is currently working for a multinational IT company. His portrait style is unmistakable, a mix of story, depth, atmosphere and mystery and his visual stories involve people, human presence fills his frames in a unique way.

Hello, Marius,

First of all, I would like to thank you for taking the time to tell us about you and your work in this interview.

To begin, where are you from? Please tell us about yourself and your passions.

Elena, thank you for your invitation and for giving me the opportunity to discuss my passion: photography! In short about me: I am a photographer located in Bucharest (Romania), I am married and have 2 children. I work in IT services and since 2016 I am the editor for 1x.com. I am very passionate about photography for 25 years already, but I started to shoot consciously and considered photography as more than a hobby about 20 years ago.

What made you approach photography?

I started by photographing the family holidays with a film camera and I was fascinated by the power of photography to seize the moment and preserve over time the beautiful memories of the family. Initially, I was only curious and intrigued about it, but then it became a hobby, a relaxing way to spend my free time. In the beginning, I was interested more in the technical part of the process and I was keen to complete my photography equipment set as per the needs that I (thought I) had. Then, I realized that looking for the perfect light, composition, and message to convey were much more important aspects. Ultimately, photography offered an opportunity for me to express myself, but also to develop and grow. I always carry a photo camera with me; it became a natural extension of myself as photography became a lifestyle for me.

You have been passionate about photography since childhood. What is your artistic journey, techniques, and theme that you have experimented with so far?

Indeed, I can say that I started photography back in my childhood. The initial enthusiasm and fascination for photography shortly turn into a restless search for the message that my works were supposed to convey. When it was clear that it will become more than a hobby I also started to attend photography workshops, be part of photography communities, go on photo tours with my photographer friends, participate in photo contests, and expose my works in galleries. I have experimented since the beginning almost all the styles and genres in searching for the right one representing myself. I have realized that I resonate more with fine art as a medium for the creative expression of my ideas, messages, or emotions. I have been long time passionate about portraiture because I strongly believe in the power of photography to reveal the inner side of each of us, which is not necessarily something that we naturally project to others because we are often fond to hide behind social norms.

Many of your photographs capture individual characters in their environment, telling their own story, and their own experiences. How do you find inspiration for your visual stories?

I like to travel, explore and observe in order to create the right conditions to shoot the perfect visual story. I also like to frame my portrait subjects in their environment because this will me help create simple, harmonious stories and will also make my subjects behave naturally. I find inspiration in everything I do, everything I read or watch; I like to meet interesting people and listen to their stories, follow talented photographers on the internet or social media to learn new things every day to create a base on top of which I will build my works and my message. It is also a matter of inner cognition; I perceive and project my subjects in my way but I also admit that we are human beings and we are all different, we see the same subject differently, and we are all “homemade”, therefore the viewers can interpret my message differently.

In the absence of words, visual stories create a much more dynamic and interpretive interaction between the author and the viewer. What do you think, is it easier to convey and feel visual stories in black and white?

I wouldn’t say it is easier, but in my case, it is a matter of preference and personal feeling. I rarely shoot color photography and I often consider the colors as disturbing and not the right tool to help me to better articulate my message.

You have in your portfolio an impressive collection of portraits captured with Lensbaby. Your portraiture style is distinctive, a mix of story, depth, mood, and mystery. Please tell us something more about Lensbaby and what advice can you give to those who want to use this creative lens in portrait photography.

Indeed, Lensbaby has a special place in my photography life. I have discover first Lensbaby photos years ago and I was fascinated by the creative effects offered, especially on the portraiture side that I was interested in. Lensbaby is a set of manual lenses, therefore my kind advice is first of all not to be discouraged by the manual focus aspect, have patience and keep trying and experiment until the desired results are obtained. Also, follow Lensbaby photographers and join Lensbaby communities for advice and further learning. Start small with one lens only (ex. Sweet or Edge), test it, and check if it is the right tool to boost creativity! And finally: get inspired by the talented Lensbaby photographers and access only the important photography communities for showcasing the works!

Please tell us what photographic equipment you use and what is your workflow for your portrait photography.

I use both Canon and Olympus brands for my work and I have never invested in high-end equipment. I am of the opinion that the equipment will not necessarily make me a better photographer and what I own currently it is more than enough to express my vision as a photographer. Olympus set is lighter and it is the preferred “workhorse” for outdoor sessions, while Canon is mostly for indoor/studio shooting. For Canon, I use Canon 6D and Canon 7D for bodies, and for lenses, I prefer 50mm f/1.4 and 70-200 f/4 IS. For Olympus, I use OMD M10 Mark II and OMD M5 Mark II and the “trinity” of lenses: 17mm f/1.8, 25mm f/1.8, and 45mm f/1.8 and Panasonic 35-100mm f/4-5.6. To all these, I add my trustfulLensbaby Sweet 35 and Edge 50 I can adapt to both sets.

For the portrait photography sessions first and foremost I create the visual story project and share it with the model or subject. I only use a few outfits and props, I prefer the models to choose their own to match the story. For the background and lights, I prefer the portable, light versions. During the shooting, we often improvise and add creative elements that usually make the collaboration easier, and funnier and also contribute to better trusting each other. After the shooting, I select the best few photos and edit them in Photoshop. I always shoot raw and I first convert to BW so that I will have the right amount of details available. I eliminate imperfections in the composition and then play with light and contrast until the desired results are obtained.  I usually take a 2-3 weeks interval between the shooting and editing in order to make my selection with a fresh, objective mind.

What is your artistic vision, the essence of your work? What do you want to convey to the viewer?

Photography evolved among my hobbies and I also evolved and developed myself through photography. I have started by revealing the simply beautiful landscapes, people, and moments unchanged and unattached, to inoculating my photos with the mood context I was in, to telling the stories as I perceived them, without being stuck in the unaltered, objective reality. I want to reveal through my photos not the immediate and direct result of pressing-the-shutter gesture, but the consequence of all the inner experiences that have influenced and modeled me so far. I try to tell stories through my photos and make these stories visually as simple, minimalist, and bold as possible.

Please share with us your favorite photographers you admire and how did they influence your photographic journey?

I follow the works of many talented photographers who influenced me over time, but I will only mention here Arnold Newman and Irving Penn.

Which of your own photographs do you prefer and why? Please tell us the story behind it.

I try not to get too attached to my work and try to judge my photos as objectively as possible. However, I would like to share the story of the photo below. We were preparing a short shooting session with Lensbaby and the main idea was to take advantage of the background light (also surrounding the whole room) to photograph my daughter reading a book. In the meanwhile, our cat felt that something is “cooking” and interfering with our setup. We adapted to the new situation and you can see below the result.

How do you imagine the evolution of your artistic work and your figure as an artist in the future?

I imagine myself observing more, learning more about the power of minimalism, and being more selective with the works I display. Also, I would like to evolve in organizing my work on projects (I have started a few already, but never finished them).