When I heard that my team as well as two others, Holy Bandits and Fuse, were going to work in a gypsy village in Romania this month, I didn’t really know what to think. The only thing I know about gypsies is what I have seen in movies and what other people have told me about them. So far, no one has been correct.
When we first arrived we were informed by our contact that his wife’s grandmother had just died two days before and the funeral was being held in his front yard that afternoon. I was completely exhausted from the travel day but decided to put on every article of black clothing I have and go to the funeral. The first thing I learned about the gypsy culture is that everyone is a part of the family. I had no idea whose child was who’s because the kids would go from person to person getting hugs and kisses. I loved watching the interaction between people.
One of my favorite moments was when an old woman was playing with a little boy. He ended up putting his hat on her head over her scarf. They laughed about it and the old woman took my breath away. Her face was radiant. Their faces are beautiful! After I took the picture of her I went and showed it to her. What a hoot! She got the biggest kick out of seeing herself in that hat! She grabbed my face with both of her hands and just held it there while she laughed and said something in Romanian…I thought she was going to lay a big kiss on me for a second, but she resisted. She was just so excited to see herself.
I can’t wait to capture more breathtaking moments and faces this next month.
