On the field with Daniel Mîrlea

On the field with Daniel Mîrlea, author of the photo project Vâlcea Naturală

If you come here in the morning and wait, around sunrise, you're sure to see deer or black goats on the rock walls at the edge of the vegetation.

Daniel suggested we do the interview at one of his favorite spots in the area: the lookout point above the Arnota limestone quarry. He points out black goat and fox tracks in the fresh snow.

"Here, in Valcea, I grew up and got close to nature. I want to give back to the community through the photos I take. I want to contribute to the development of ecotourism in the region because the area has so much to offer."

Out of genuine curiosity and fascination with nature, Daniel's passion for photography was born. Until 2017 he worked in retail, but craved his time spent in nature, so he decided to professionally refocus on photography.

"I've learned a lot about photography on my own and from experiences. By working a lot with specialists in the field, I learned a lot about nature, especially when spending a week, two, three weeks with experts in different fields, people who are passionate and happily share their knowledge."

He has a rich portfolio of photographic projects, in Romania and other countries, and mixed collaborations with photographers and flora and fauna experts from Romania and Europe. One of his most cherished projects is the one in which he photo-documented the introduced population of the Southern Carpathian zebra in partnership with Rewilding Europe. Daniel is from Valcea, the author of the photo project Vâlcea Naturală, the only project of its kind in Romania documenting the diversity of nature in a county.

What do you think influenced you to choose this path?

Several things. I watched the movie Indiana Jones about 50 times, I was crazy about it as a kid. Somehow, through that movie, the idea of exploring and learning about the world was seeded. I was also reading Terra magazine in the store and I was fascinated by what I saw there. When I saw so many stories about natural places and animals in the world, I dreamed of going to discover them. Ever since I was a little boy, I used to go into nature with my dad and grandpa. We used to go fishing, gathering hazelnuts, lime trees, cherry trees, horns, we spent a lot of time in the forest, we had the Oltul nearby, I was always connected to nature. But to summarize, the biggest impact was the Indiana Jones magazines. Now I feel that I am living what I dreamed of when I was a child. I'm practically living my childhood.

Daniel is by far a visionary, has big plans and is driven on the one hand by his curiosity to discover, and on the other hand by his desire to contribute to nature conservation efforts. He is currently working on the video and photo documentation of the natural and cultural heritage of Oltenia de sub Munte and the other 3 existing and aspiring UNESCO geoparks in Romania.

What do you enjoy most in what you do?

The fact that no two days are the same. I learn new things every day about animal behavior, how they mate or how they raise their young, for example. I understand better the evolution of nature, I understand the ecosystem and why every animal, be it small or big, every plant, is important for the ecosystem, and if one species disappears, I understand how big the imbalance can be. I love that I feel at home wherever I go in nature and the fact that through the photographs I take I can have a direct and real impact on the areas I photograph. I think it's important to give back to nature, to get out in the field, to photograph and show our perspective to others, to raise awareness about the importance of nature and to get actively involved in conservation projects; it's not enough to just post some photos on social media. In nature photography I know that I am directly contributing to great conservation efforts, whether it's a tree or an animal or an entire ecosystem.

We catch the sunset and the cloud-bath; the limestone quarry is also very spectacular. You can see the mountains and nature untouched by human activity; you can see the villages scattered among the mountains and hills, the mining operations and the clouds caused by the thermal inversion phenomenon. It's quite impressive to see the geological layers and pure nature 'built' perfectly over millions of years, deconstructed in a moment by man.

What is your most successful photographic achievement?

The Vâlcea Naturală project, which came about without having planned it. When the pandemic came, I had just returned from Iceland and Norway, where I went to explore the musk ox populations and capture the Northern Lights under the Arctic Circle. Also then I moved from Cluj back to Vâlcea and when I came back here to the fresh air, to my backyard, a few hundred meters from the Olt river, where I could go and photograph, it was a great feeling. This is how I discovered a place in the area where a carnivorous plant grows, found pelicans on the lake in the city or prig on the banks of the Olt. The diversity in the mountain area is marvelous, here we find the Căpățânii Mountains, Făgăraș, Parâng. I realized at the time that, although I am from here - from Valcea - I didn't know much about the area where I grew up and the people around me were not really aware of this natural richness. That's how the idea came up: to make a photo album with the county's biodiversity, to take it around the country, to promote it, because I think Vâlcea is one of the most naturally diverse counties in Romania. In the south there is the Oltul with the meadow area and you can meet many species of birds, the place takes you to the Danube Delta. For example, I never thought I would see crested pelicans in Valcea, I was pleasantly surprised. After that comes the hilly lowland area, and towards the north of the county is the mountainous area with its special landscapes, endemic species and a great diversity of fauna.

Because Daniel knows from his own experience how this kind of content has the potential to influence a child, the Vâlcea Naturală album will reach every library and school in the county, to be accessible to children and young people free of charge:

"If out of 100 children who will see this album, at least 1-2 will be inspired to choose this path, the path of nature, I am fulfilled." The Vâlcea Naturală project will also be launched through a physical event with a vernissage during the Firefly Festival. In the meantime, the album can be ordered from the project website: https://www.valceanaturala.ro/album-valcea-naturala

Photos and text by Gabriela Poiană