Iron smiths still have an important role in Romanian rural communities where the instruments they manufacture are used in agriculture and a wide range of iron objects made by them find their place in households.
The blacksmiths also do the shoing of horses, used in transportation and agricultural works.
Unfortunately the industrialized production of metal objects leaves more and more many smiths without work.
Until recently, the craftmanship has been transmitted from father to son but nowadays there aren’t many young men willing to learn the secrets of a traditional craft, so this occupation has started to die out.
The „Men of Iron“ photography project has been carried out in 2008-2009, in Romania.