A look into the soul: individuality in photographs (26 photos)

23 October 2023

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Category: photographs and photographic works, Romania, space, 0+

It’s not for nothing that they say: eyes are the mirror of the soul. Alexandru Radu Popescu, in his photo project UNIC ("unique"), reveals a person's personality through a portrait and an iris photograph. His collages are fascinating and impressive.

1. Dumitru Dorin Prunariu - the first and to date the only Romanian cosmonaut

The photographer did not expect that the main problem would be lighting. Through trial and error, he managed to achieve his plan. Alexandru drew inspiration from the works of such professionals as Heinrich Hoffmann, Gitta Carell, Andrei Pandele and Cecil Beaton. All of them influenced his approach to this project.

“I had the idea to combine portraits with the iris of the eye. This is another attempt to convey the individuality of a person. I paid attention to the differences between people: their nationality, ethnic characteristics, family and lifestyle. And I can say that we are all very similar,” Popescu says.

2. Stefan Pop - Romanian tenor, Operalia award winner

"Being a perfectionist, I am always ready for more. In ten weeks of working on the project, I did my best, using different techniques and styles. From color changes and adjustments to almost complete modification of the project."

3. Jung Ju Kim - soprano from South Korea

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"Given that the project started at the very beginning of the pandemic, I was forced to experiment on myself, which was very inconvenient. Later I began photographing close friends. My fiancee is a singer, so I decided to photograph musicians, theater and film actors. I decided to focus on Romanian artists, because I work as a media manager in London and collaborate with them."

4. Marco Lodola - visual artist from Italy

"At first I photographed only the iris, but then I wanted to show the viewer part of the subject's face. I consider myself a portrait photographer. The name UNIC was chosen in Romanian. I have always liked the uniqueness of people, be it scars or tattoos. I appreciate imperfections because that I like the idea of being different."

5. Charlie Ottley - documentary journalist from Great Britain

"Over these three years I have invested more than £85,000 into the project. This includes flights, hire cars, meals, hotels and hundreds of hours spent editing."

6. Cosmin Selesi - Romanian theater and film actor