Cinci Lei

Cinci Lei is a story that began with a simnple exchange: taking a picture of Costel, Joost returned the next day with the developed photograph and gave it to him. From taht moment Joost was invited into their world - street children living underground in the tunnels of Bucharest.

This action not only propelled the project forward, it contributed to how the boys began to perceive themselves. Whilst he follows these street children into the chaos of their netherworld, he still manages to capture the moments that transcend - compositions that stop time and invite us to look closer at what we would otherwise not see. Rather than going down to their level beneath the streets, taking portraits and then getting out. Joost stuck to the story because he stuck with the boys.

He returned over and over again to the tunnels, becoming an integral part and core member of the Lost Boys. in this sense his presence profoundly altered the group dynamic. By naming them the Lost Boys, they became the Lost Boys.