Homeland Posted On 29th April 2025 To Magazine & Stories

The Main Topics

My name is Maria Guțu I am a Moldovan born and  based photographer, focusing on long term documentary projects.  In 2022 I finished my studies at the Docdocdoc School of Modern Photography, Saint Petersburg, earlier, in 2020 I graduated in cinematography at the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts from Chisinau, Moldova where I have been studying for 4 years. The main topics in my work are remote places, youth, the notion of the home and the relation between humans and the environment. I started my long-term project ‘’Homeland’’ at the end of 2019, using only black and white film and 98,9% are ILFORD films. I started shooting analogue because I loved the process it’s slower and more thoughtful for me, also it’s closer to craft ship, it’s more tangible and there is a joy to have a physical object from photography (the developed film).

‘’Homeland’’ it’s my personal story, when I was a child, my parents emigrated abroad for work and left me to spend my time with grandparents in the picturesque and remote northern region of Moldova.

Quiet Places

I travel a lot to Moldova’s villages, the quiet place and people inspire me with their simple and natural way of life, their connection with the land and animals. My childhood and background have shaped a lot my work. I was always inspired by nature, by quiet places: hills, rocks and forests, in general by freedom and a free spirit. I remember when I was little, I took small nature trips with my grandfather. He had a horse and a lot of other animals, and we usually went to the fields in the summer to get food for them.

Cultural Influences

I choose black and white film in my work because my cultural influences are all mainly black and white, I always loved old black and white movies and old photographs. I was influenced a lot by German Expressionism movies as: Metropolis, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari etc. also by Wim Wenders movies: Wings of Desire, Alice in the cities etc. From photography world I got inspired a lot by old portraits photographers such as: August Sander, Diane Arbus, Rosalind Fox Solomon, Peter Hujar. From contemporary ones I love Judith Joy Ross, Sally Mann and Vanessa Winship works, I am fascinated a lot by women photographers, I admire their sensibility and unique vision to the world.

It Reveals Better

Right before the start of the ‘’Homeland’’ project, I was inspired by road trip movies and books; I never knew the direction of my project or how it will finally look, what I knew is that I want to shoot it on black and white film and to document people and things that touch me every day.  An important part of this project are the portraits of adults and kids I meet in villages, black and white film gives me the opportunity to discover the real emotion and sensibility of people, for me black and white is more versatile than color in portrait photography, it’s giving a special feeling of atemporality also it reveals better the human nature and soul.

I Am Totally Loyal

For this project I am using several cameras: Mamiya C220 mostly with 80mm and 135 mm lens, Canon P with 50mm lens and occasionally I am using Olympus AF1. My favorite film, to which I am totally loyal is ILFORD HP5+ , usually I buy in packs of 10 films. I find it very easy to use, very forgettable if I am doing technically mistakes and I am very happy with the results from it. In general medium format 6X6 is my favorite format , I found it fits perfectly for portrait photography.

A Lifetime One

I identify a lot with children and teenagers I do photograph: the same problems, issues I had when I was their age. I have a strong feeling when I am photographing them that I am returning myself to my own memories, I contemplate a lot using photography about the Soviet past and its effects on my generation and on the younger one. Photography for me is a tool to discover the world and myself with it, I am deeply fascinated by people I do photograph. I think they are beautiful and full of poetry, tenderness and soul. The Homeland project is not finished yet, I see it as a very long-term project, a lifetime one, maybe.

My advice to young photographers and to myself is to remain curious, brave and true to themselves and to the subject they do photograph.

Images - ©Maria Guțu