My documentary lens has a great wanderlust... and if I haven't been on a plane recently, I start asking God questions.
In March 2022, I asked God if there was a place I could go next... begging to go to Ukraine to cover what was then very early stages of the war. I heard the word, "No" very clearly.
That night, I fell asleep and had a dream that I was seated at a long wooden table with rich Indian tapestries hung on the walls... and I knew that I was in Eastern Europe.
The next day, being highly spiritual, I woke up and googled, "countries in Eastern Europe with Indian influence."
This is how I learned about the Roma, a people group that legend has it, emigrated from northern India to Romania. Most call Romania their home, traveling throughout Europe during the warm months to seek migrant work. They are deeply private and personal, and their trust is not easily won... rightly so.
A day after the dream, I connected with an NGO in Romania working with the Roma who needed a photographer to come in for a specific project... and two weeks after the dream, I was on a plane to Romania.
Romania | Among the Roma
I always like to respect a yes and a no. When I take photos, I respect yes and no. On this day, the answer was an unequivocal yes. That day, a dear grandmother had lived in her home for 20 years… built into a garbage dump just outside of Arad, Romania. Her gentle eyes carried grief on that day, and she asked me through a Roma translator to tell her story.
This is the common response to the plight of the Roma people. Often treated as though unwanted and misunderstood, they are a family oriented beautiful culture with so much to share. They are not consumeristic but rather focus on who they know.
Their story has been one of sacrifice, hardship and a fight to maintain a culture that is quickly slipping away in the wake of modern society.
I am honored by their trust.
Created in partnerships with Networks Romania, who hire and provide jobs among a Roma community near Timisoara. To learn more about their work, please visit their website. If you would like to financially support or partner with them, please check out their fair trade shop Dece Clothing.
Mari Amor is a commercial photographer and motion film director specializing in authentic people shoots across the lifestyle, healthcare, industrial, environmental & automotive spaces.
Her experiential photography is heartfelt and immersive, with storytelling extending past advertising and into the humanitarian space. Mari lives in Nashville, is local to NYC & Dallas and works on location around the world.
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