Romania is a paradise for photographers in Europe, offering something for everyone, no matter their genre. Seasonal changes bring vibrant, diverse colors for landscape photographers, with crisp whites and blues in winter and rich oranges in autumn. And the landscapes themselves are breathtaking in their own right, featuring some of the continent’s most stunning hikes, majestic mountains, and the Transfăgărășan Highway, which Jeremy Clarkson once called “the most beautiful road in the world."

For those drawn to architectural photography, the country’s capital is filled with imposing, concrete structures from the communist era, dominating street corners with their stark designs. Beyond the capital, Romania is dotted with countless castles, churches, and unique regional architecture, my personal favorites being the charming, colorful houses in Botoș and Șurdești.

But it’s travel and people photographers who truly thrive in Romania, thanks to two simple reasons: the people of rural Romania are both untamed and incredibly welcoming.

The biggest, and most controversial, challenge faced by both travel and street photographers’ centers on how they approach photographing other people. At the core of genres is the desire to document life as it is; and how photographers interpret this principle can vary widely. Some prefer not to disturb the scene and attempt to take their photographs discretely, some forgo the personal space and comfort of others in the pursuit of their art, while others invite the subjects in on the collaborative process of their art in the search of something different. But I offer an alternative approach, a Hannah Montana-esque best of both worlds.