Jury 2010

Leon Arhire

EDITOR, PHOTO MAGAZINE (ROMANIA)

As well as being a massive fan of extreme sports, Leon Arhire is something of a pioneer. He started his own monthly photo magazine over five years ago, the first publication of its kind in Romania. “For me, working in the media – with creative people in particular – is a career highlight in itself.”
 
For Leon, editing a magazine is as much a networking exercise as anything else. “I start talk with my colleagues about planning the magazine, then I have to contact different artists or companies in order to put the magazine together.” However, methodical and mechanical this sounds, he’s proud of the “mystery, understanding, passion” that is shown in the some of the magazine’s best photographs. For Leon, it’s this that makes the personal risk of running a magazine and all the late nights worthwhile.
 
Is the market in Romania different to anywhere else? “It evolved dramatically too, but the principle of photography remained the same there just as anywhere else. It’s just that now almost anyone can afford the best cameras on the market.”
 
What drives him to dedicate his professional and personal life to photography? “Everything about photography just interests me - from the technical set-up, to the capturing of an image, to the final product. I just love to see a well-shot and beautiful photo hanged up on the wall or published in a magazine.”