Hailing from Timisoara, Romania, Dan Oara is a contemporary photographer currently living and studying in London. Already trained in industrial design and cinematography, Oara has a strong sense of structure and composition within his work. Oara previously studied Film in Bucharest, and the influence of moving image is clear in his work. His portraits resemble the drama and flair of movie stills, with some strange, enchantingly static quality.
The personalities of his characters rise to the surface and we, the audience, are given an immobile moment in time.
Oara’s work has a simplicity and a purity – a directness which challenges and provokes the viewer. He primarily uses natural light in conjunction with colour to create beautiful images full of attitude, personality and stories. One of his main concerns is to bring out the personalities of his subjects, to help them understand different aspects of themselves through photography.
There is a deep intimacy found in his photographs – a relationship between subjects, photographer and audience – and also the careful balance of vulnerability and strength. This tight rope of two polarities gives his work an emotional power that can’t be disguised.
“I wish more people felt that photography was an adventure the same as life itself and that their individual feelings were worth expressing. To me, that makes photography more exciting” he said once. There is something of Oara in every image he makes. Each painstakingly composed and lit photograph tells us something of the visual adventure he is creating. Dan Oara is currently studying at Camberwell College of Arts and working as a freelance photographer.
