Lavinia Cernau is a travel, fashion and lifestyle photographer based between the infamous Transylvania and the epicurean Mediterranean. Here we find out more about what inspires her, the draw of the Greek island of Andros, and the role travel plays in a life well-lived.
Tell us about your journey into photography
It all started some years back when I felt more and more drawn to visuals and the process of documenting my travels. I would spot a streak of light and it would instantly catch my eye. I work with natural light — to me it feels genuine, honest — and I love how seasons and places can feel so acutely different depending on how the light of day hits. And vice versa, I should say.
You’ve told us you feel a strong pull to the island of Andros — can you tell us why? What is it about the island that appeals to you?
I was introduced to Andros initially as I was commissioned to document an art retreat there and instantly fell in love with its blinding light and azure seas, the delicious food, the winding, steep roads and the slow pace of life.
How would you describe Andros to a first-time visitor? What are the highlights?
Ancient monasteries, old villages and secluded beaches are scattered along the coast all over the island, making for a most authentic Greek Island; everything still looks like it did some hundred years ago — it’s very picturesque. I'm in love with the white and blue contrasts it boasts, too.
Where do you find inspiration?
Everything from the way light falls on an object to a scene from a film, it all sparks something inside of me and I truly believe I think in visuals. I visualize almost everything.
How important is travel to you?
It's essential to a life well-lived; I can't picture my life without travelling somewhere new, discovering new cultures, identifying with people, getting lost in the right direction, wandering and observing what makes us all human.
Where are you planning to travel to this summer? Where's next on your list?
I'm excited to visit Turkey and will definitely go back to Greece this summer too, as well as the South of France and Spain…
See more of Lavinia’s work here. Follow @Lavinia_Cernau
Up next in our Island Life interview series, we talk to the owners of Cap Karoso — a new hotel opening later this year in Sumba, Indonesia, later this year.
Shop new luggage for that long-awaited trip, with new colours in suitcases, here.
