Horia Stan

When Horia Stan was young, he would pick up his father's film camera and play with the flash, setting it on and off. It was an early foreshadowing of his career working with light, photographing some of the world's finest hotels and fashion houses.

A photographer, videographer and creative director, Horia works at the intersection of fashion, brand storytelling and cinematic video. Based in Bucharest, Romania, he travels across Europe and beyond, creating narrative-driven imagery that combines strong aesthetics with real-world production demands, developed in close collaboration with fashion brands and commercial clients, including high-end hotels.

Horia decided to take the leap into full-time photography. "It was inspiring," he says. "I would wake up every morning, and life felt more interesting." He started saving for his next camera. "I was searching for that perfect colour because I have an artistic eye, and I can see the really small differences," says Horia. "I knew Canon had the best colours, so I got the Canon EOS 5D."

Working across fashion, commercial and studio portraits, a few years after starting out, Horia also began filming. "Clients were asking if I did video, and I enjoyed films, so I started studying how to make short films." Horia learned to balance the competing demands of being a hybrid shooter. "That's why I like the Canon EOS R6 Mark III, because I can switch really quickly between shooting photos and videos. If I go to a hotel to do shots with a model and 10 dresses, I'll have to shoot the photos and then a short video."

Today Horia films across Europe creating brand stories at hotels such as the 5-star cliffside Château de la Chèvre d'Or in Èze, France, or the luxury boutique hotel Domaine des Andéols in the Lubéron region of France. Against these timeless backdrops, Horia and a team style fashion and beauty brands in bespoke shoots inspired by classic films and art.

As he continues to build out narratives for his clients, Horia is hoping to bring his own music into projects where he's doing the creative and the storytelling, as well as continue to discover new parts of the world and his profession. "I still get excited by the idea that my work can take me somewhere I've never been before," he says.

How has your artistic background influenced your filmmaking?

"I was self-taught in film but my years at art school helped me a lot, because you can study the technical things by yourself but not the artistic touch. You have to have an artistic view. If you do a corporate movie, the client will have specific touchpoints, so you have the brief and then you add your artistic vision."

What do you enjoy about shooting fashion?

"It gives you the opportunity to build an entire visual world. You make the creative concept, then you work with the stylist and the makeup artist to realise your vision. You have to get the mood right when you combine fashion with hospitality, and also the storytelling. Twice a year, I go to Paris Fashion Week, where we have clients from all over the world. We shoot street photography and campaigns in different locations. There's a lot of buzz."

When do you use each of your main mirrorless cameras?

"The Canon EOS R6 Mark III is a combination of all the things I need: it films in RAW if you need more powerful colour grading and it also shoots 7K. When I film tutorials, I use the Open Gate because I can crop the middle of the frame, and you can switch really quickly between video and photo. I mainly do photography for Instagram, so the EOS R6 is perfect for that, and it's a small camera. I use the Canon EOS R5 in the studio for the resolution. If I have a beauty campaign for clients, I need 45MP."

What piece of Canon kit can you not live without, and why?

"When I travel, I like my camera gear to fit in a small backpack, because I also have another bag for lights. I like the Canon EOS R6 Mark III with the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM, and the Canon RF 16-28mm F2.8 IS STM for wide shots in hotels. The EOS R6 Mark III with the RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM gives me over 8-stops of stabilisation. A lot of my shoots are fast paced so stabilisation allows me to shoot video handheld and photos in low light, without a tripod or gimbal."

What else could we discover in your kitbag that helps you elevate your work?

"I always carry a super compact collapsible reflector and a small flash with an LED light. I've been doing direct flash photography for years. When I'm in the studio, I use big gun lights, but minimal gear when I travel. You never know when you might want an 'old camera, direct flash' look – or a paparazzi flash look. A reflector and flash allow me to create this lighting anywhere."

"If you get into the business, my main advice is to not quit. Keep working, practise a lot and, if you work with clients, always give 110%. Give 10% more than you agreed on. There may be times when I don't get much sleep, but even then, I know I will wake up and everything will be okay."

Website: horiastan.com

Instagram: @horiastan

Facebook: Horia Stan Photography