March 2008 Archives
Browsing my archives I found some photos made in December 2003, when I accompanied the Malteser Volunteers and photographed homeless people.
I used high speed (ISO 3200) BW negative film, sometimes pushed to ISO 6400, because we went out on the field at night, and to make things worse homeless people tend to live in the darker areas, avoiding the well lit squares and public places.
Above other things, while browsing these images, I learned the importance of taking notes, because from the distance of four years I forgot many details, names, places and feelings.
Besides, the pictures have got a new meaning, as nowadays I'm also working as a volunteer among the Maltesers, serving one day in a month on one of their ambulance units.
I used high speed (ISO 3200) BW negative film, sometimes pushed to ISO 6400, because we went out on the field at night, and to make things worse homeless people tend to live in the darker areas, avoiding the well lit squares and public places.
Above other things, while browsing these images, I learned the importance of taking notes, because from the distance of four years I forgot many details, names, places and feelings.
Besides, the pictures have got a new meaning, as nowadays I'm also working as a volunteer among the Maltesers, serving one day in a month on one of their ambulance units.
Az archívomomat böngészre rábukkantam pár fotóra, melyet hajléktalanokról készítettem a Máltai Szeretetszolgálat önkénteseinek segítségégével.
Nagy érzékenységű (ISO 3200) fekete-fehér filmet használtam, olykor ISO 6400-ra pusholva, mivel éjszaka mentünk ki a terepre, és tovább súlyosbította a helyzetet, hogy a hajléktalanok többnyire a sötétebb területeket kedvelik, és inkább elkerülik a jól megvilágított köztereket.
A képek nézegetése rádöbbentett a jegyzetelés fontosságára, mivel négy év távlatából rengeteg részlet, név, hely és érzés hullott ki az emlékezetemből.
Midemellett, különös új jelentést ad a fotóknak az, hogy mostanában havonta egyszer önkéntesként én is szolgálatot teljesítek a Máltaiak rohamkocsiján.
Nagy érzékenységű (ISO 3200) fekete-fehér filmet használtam, olykor ISO 6400-ra pusholva, mivel éjszaka mentünk ki a terepre, és tovább súlyosbította a helyzetet, hogy a hajléktalanok többnyire a sötétebb területeket kedvelik, és inkább elkerülik a jól megvilágított köztereket.
A képek nézegetése rádöbbentett a jegyzetelés fontosságára, mivel négy év távlatából rengeteg részlet, név, hely és érzés hullott ki az emlékezetemből.
Midemellett, különös új jelentést ad a fotóknak az, hogy mostanában havonta egyszer önkéntesként én is szolgálatot teljesítek a Máltaiak rohamkocsiján.
A couple of years ago I was asked to choose some photos for an exposition titled "Flying". Here are the chosen ones.
Pár éve felkértek, hogy válasszak ki néhány képet egy "Repülés" című kiállításra. Ezeket választottam.
I've traveled quite a lot in Transylvania both on my own and on assignment. Here is a small collection of my pictures.
Sokat utaztam Erdélyben - saját kedvtelésből és megbízásból is. Íme, egy rövidke válogatás az ott készült képeimből.
Get a crappy camera (the crappier the better) and take pictures at random places in random moments - and, if it's possible, in random direction. Plastic lenses, retro feeling, alien colors, no sign of sharpness - this is the world of Lomography. Photos from a small island, where English is indeed spöken...
Végy egy béna fotómasinát (minél bénább, annál jobb), és fotózz! Fotózz váratlan helyeken, váratlan időpontokban és - ha lehetséges - minél váratlanabb irányokban. Műanyag lencsék,retróhangulat, nem evilági színek és az élesség bántó hiánya - ez a lomográfia világa. Képek egy apró, furcsa szigetről Párizsban...
I've
been engaged with photography for ten years, though I feel like I haven't
really touched her yet... The first steps taken in nature photography brought
success, but soon I realized that it's not my way of life.
"Way of life" I say, because I believe that it's not enough to do photography - live photography, that's the real point. Seeing everything through photography, and letting photography change you. I desperately wanted to live like that, and failed.
What have I done wrong? How can I correct my mistakes? That's all what this site is about. I try to present my work, improve my methods and meanwhile appreciate the efforts of others and learn from them.
Reviews of books and websites, interviews with people and other writings all try to focus on the human side of photography, so do not expect thorough technical details...
"Way of life" I say, because I believe that it's not enough to do photography - live photography, that's the real point. Seeing everything through photography, and letting photography change you. I desperately wanted to live like that, and failed.
What have I done wrong? How can I correct my mistakes? That's all what this site is about. I try to present my work, improve my methods and meanwhile appreciate the efforts of others and learn from them.
Reviews of books and websites, interviews with people and other writings all try to focus on the human side of photography, so do not expect thorough technical details...
I have a plan. To be honest, I have this plan for five years - a plan to publish a landscape album on Iceland. I've already made two copies, complete with hardcover and quality binding. The pictures are from our 2002 journey (of which I intend to write some more...)
The book haven't (yet) hit the market, so for those, who are interested, here is a digital sneak preview. There will be a post on each chapter with the captions (soon).
The book haven't (yet) hit the market, so for those, who are interested, here is a digital sneak preview. There will be a post on each chapter with the captions (soon).
Van egy tervem. Nos, hogy őszinte legyek, már vagy öt éve megvan - tervezem, hogy kiadok egy tájképalbumot Izlandról. Két példány már el is készült, nagyszerű kötéssel, kemény borítóval. A képek 2002-es utunkon születtek (melyről még írok...)
A könyv (még) nem került piacra, így hát az érdeklődőknek íme egy kis kóstoló. Hamarosan elkészül majd egy-egy bejegyzés minden fejezethez, ahol már olvashatóak lesznek a képeláírások.
A könyv (még) nem került piacra, így hát az érdeklődőknek íme egy kis kóstoló. Hamarosan elkészül majd egy-egy bejegyzés minden fejezethez, ahol már olvashatóak lesznek a képeláírások.
Due to various reasons I returned to the much simpler blog style. I don't want to deal with this question in greater depths, just note, that MovableType and flickr work very well together, the better since I learned how to embed slideshows in entries. (Thanks to Paul Stamatiou.)
I was a little bit criticised about the English language usage, so I introduced the "Hungarian box" where readers can find the Hungarian version of the post. Note, that It can be more or less detailed than the English text.
I was a little bit criticised about the English language usage, so I introduced the "Hungarian box" where readers can find the Hungarian version of the post. Note, that It can be more or less detailed than the English text.
Különféle okok miatt visszatértem az egyszerű blogos formához. Ezzel a kérdéssel nem is foglalkoznék sokat, látjátok majd, hogy a blog+flickr megoldás mennyire egyszerűen működik, különösen mióta megtanultam, hogyan lehet diaporámát beilleszteni a bejegyzésbe. (Köszönet Paul Stamatiounak.)
Kaptam némi kritikát az angol nyelv használata miatt, úgyhogy bevezettem ezt a "magyar doboz" megoldást. Nem garantálom, hogy az itt kapottak mindig pontosan megegyeznek az angol szöveggel, aki mindkét nyelven tud, bátran nevessen/sírjon kedve szerint. Előfordulhat majd az is, hogy az egyik nyelvi változat csak összefoglalást ad a másikról.
Kaptam némi kritikát az angol nyelv használata miatt, úgyhogy bevezettem ezt a "magyar doboz" megoldást. Nem garantálom, hogy az itt kapottak mindig pontosan megegyeznek az angol szöveggel, aki mindkét nyelven tud, bátran nevessen/sírjon kedve szerint. Előfordulhat majd az is, hogy az egyik nyelvi változat csak összefoglalást ad a másikról.
There
are photographers, whose work have provided me with a vast source of
inspiration. One of them is Zoltán Vancsó.
His images are more of a question then of an answer, though they are "understandable". He has travelled around the world, and returned with the strangest moments of everyday life.
Each of his images needs some thinking, so looking at them is rather a game, than a passive viewing. His website, www.photovancso.com is carefully designed by kilfish (www.kilfish.com, his page is also worth a visit), complete with galleries, biography, shopping etc.
Nice and rich page, the navigation is exceptionally good, I have only minor complaints. The size of the images could be a bit bigger, and the sounds... I like to browse and enjoy these pictures, I like to have my thoughts drifting slowly with the "silent stills", but every time I accidentally move the cursor over the menu elements, the high pitch sound of an old fashioned music box deters my attention (and there is no button to turn the sounds off).
Otherwise, everything is more than OK.
His images are more of a question then of an answer, though they are "understandable". He has travelled around the world, and returned with the strangest moments of everyday life.
Each of his images needs some thinking, so looking at them is rather a game, than a passive viewing. His website, www.photovancso.com is carefully designed by kilfish (www.kilfish.com, his page is also worth a visit), complete with galleries, biography, shopping etc.
Nice and rich page, the navigation is exceptionally good, I have only minor complaints. The size of the images could be a bit bigger, and the sounds... I like to browse and enjoy these pictures, I like to have my thoughts drifting slowly with the "silent stills", but every time I accidentally move the cursor over the menu elements, the high pitch sound of an old fashioned music box deters my attention (and there is no button to turn the sounds off).
Otherwise, everything is more than OK.
One
of the books I can't resist to flip through regularly is Anthony Suau's Beyond
the Fall. The photographer follows the transition of the post-soviet block
countries from 1989 to 1999, ten exciting years of Eastern European history.
As
a Time magazine correspondent he reached and understood many layers of these
changing societies: from the rich to the poor, from inside the halls of
political decision makers to the streets - scenes of protest and violence.
From the individual images a greater picture forms which, though grim, reminds me of my childhood in a rapidly changing world. Many of the characters appearing on the pages are painfully familiar, I see my own troubles in their eyes.
For me this book is the perfect example of the classical "bystander" approach, when you can hardly notice the presence of the photographer on the pictures (believe me, though the cover seems to contradict this).
As
a Time magazine correspondent he reached and understood many layers of these
changing societies: from the rich to the poor, from inside the halls of
political decision makers to the streets - scenes of protest and violence.From the individual images a greater picture forms which, though grim, reminds me of my childhood in a rapidly changing world. Many of the characters appearing on the pages are painfully familiar, I see my own troubles in their eyes.
For me this book is the perfect example of the classical "bystander" approach, when you can hardly notice the presence of the photographer on the pictures (believe me, though the cover seems to contradict this).
Anthony Suau Beyond the Fall című albuma egyike könyvespolcom ama könyveinek, melyeket újra és újra átlapozok. A fotós a volt szocialista országok átmenetét követi 1989 és 1999 között, végigkísérve Kelet-Európa történetének tíz izgalmas évét.
A Time magazin tudósítójaként eljutott e változó társadalmak számos rétegéhez: a gazdagoktól a szegényekig, a politikai döntéshozók csarnokaitól az utcáig, a tüntetések és az erőszak helyszínéig.
Az egyes felvételekből lassan egy nagyobb kép formálódik, mely, noha nem éppen vidám, gyermekkorom éveit idézi egy gyorsan változó világban. Fájdalmasan ismerős figurák tűnnek fel a lapokon - tekintetükben olykor saját gondjaim tükröződnek vissza.
Számomra e könyv tökéletesen megvalósítja a "szemlélő" megközelítést, ahol a fotós jelenléte legtöbbször nem érezhető a képeken (jóllehet a borító éppen a kivételek sorába tartozik).
A Time magazin tudósítójaként eljutott e változó társadalmak számos rétegéhez: a gazdagoktól a szegényekig, a politikai döntéshozók csarnokaitól az utcáig, a tüntetések és az erőszak helyszínéig.
Az egyes felvételekből lassan egy nagyobb kép formálódik, mely, noha nem éppen vidám, gyermekkorom éveit idézi egy gyorsan változó világban. Fájdalmasan ismerős figurák tűnnek fel a lapokon - tekintetükben olykor saját gondjaim tükröződnek vissza.
Számomra e könyv tökéletesen megvalósítja a "szemlélő" megközelítést, ahol a fotós jelenléte legtöbbször nem érezhető a képeken (jóllehet a borító éppen a kivételek sorába tartozik).
First schoolweek in the elementary school of Köröm, a small village in Northeastern Hungary.
Az első iskolahét Körömön, egy északkelet-magyarországi faluban.
Almost every personal website has a "biography" or "ars poetica" part, so first I was planning to follow the trend. Later I changed my mind. If I found the genre of interview so useful to dedicate a whole column to it, why not use it for this purpose too?
BTL: Starting with the most important and, of course, the most stereotypical question: how did you begin photographing?
BG: Just about ten years ago, I got an issue of the National Geographic Magazine, with Jim Brandenburg's North Woods Journal, which follows the photographer's 90 day quest for the "ultimate picture". To be precise, he wanted to take one and only one shot each day, stalking on a beautiful nature reserve. He published ninety wonderful pictures in the magazine, and that set me on track. I wanted to compete. So I borrowed my parents' Praktica and started to photograph almost everything interesting in our small garden.
BTL: Straight way to nature photography...
BG: Yes, I believed too. In the first years - while completing a mathematics course at the Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences - it seemed to be so. Beginning with negatives, continuing with slides I quickly caught up with the nature photography community of Hungary, and in 2003 I won the national competition is nature photography.
BTL: Well, that's a good start, what's next?
BG: Somehow I realized, that I am not the nature photographer type of man. Others enjoy staying in their blinds for days waiting for the miracle to happen. I mostly shot macros, landscapes, and more and more frequently: people. I worked for Hungarian magazines, but after three years of work I saw, one can indeed photograph people without even trying to understand them. That's the "philosophy" of the daily work.
BTL: That doesn't sound too good. But experience is still experience, even when it leaves not so good feelings.
BG: Well, I learned some useful techniques, met interesting people, so it wasn't so bad. Meanwhile I realized, that photography is rather an instrument for me, an instrument for reaching and understanding people. Earlier all I wanted was to take some great shots, and return with the feeling of a job well done. Now my main goal is to enjoy the making of the pictures, to contact people - even if I hadn't the slightest chance to take a good shot. That's some kind of taoist thing.
BTL: That's for motivation, what about inspiration?
BG: I like to play with my books. I like to immerse in other photographers' worlds, and try to understand their feelings and relations to the outside world. I try to imagine what had happened before and after the shot, how did he feel. Was it cold there? What kind of smells did he smell? How people reacted to his presence? I try to appreciate the work and effort behind the pictures. I like to read photographers' notes, and to follow the process from the early thoughts to the finished "big picture".
BTL: And finally, about your future plans...
BG: After quitting the picture editor job, it took some time to arrange my everyday things, to restructure my archives and to program this website. I have some projects that have long laid dormant, and it's time to revive them...
BTL: Starting with the most important and, of course, the most stereotypical question: how did you begin photographing?
BG: Just about ten years ago, I got an issue of the National Geographic Magazine, with Jim Brandenburg's North Woods Journal, which follows the photographer's 90 day quest for the "ultimate picture". To be precise, he wanted to take one and only one shot each day, stalking on a beautiful nature reserve. He published ninety wonderful pictures in the magazine, and that set me on track. I wanted to compete. So I borrowed my parents' Praktica and started to photograph almost everything interesting in our small garden.
BTL: Straight way to nature photography...
BG: Yes, I believed too. In the first years - while completing a mathematics course at the Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences - it seemed to be so. Beginning with negatives, continuing with slides I quickly caught up with the nature photography community of Hungary, and in 2003 I won the national competition is nature photography.
BTL: Well, that's a good start, what's next?
BG: Somehow I realized, that I am not the nature photographer type of man. Others enjoy staying in their blinds for days waiting for the miracle to happen. I mostly shot macros, landscapes, and more and more frequently: people. I worked for Hungarian magazines, but after three years of work I saw, one can indeed photograph people without even trying to understand them. That's the "philosophy" of the daily work.
BTL: That doesn't sound too good. But experience is still experience, even when it leaves not so good feelings.
BG: Well, I learned some useful techniques, met interesting people, so it wasn't so bad. Meanwhile I realized, that photography is rather an instrument for me, an instrument for reaching and understanding people. Earlier all I wanted was to take some great shots, and return with the feeling of a job well done. Now my main goal is to enjoy the making of the pictures, to contact people - even if I hadn't the slightest chance to take a good shot. That's some kind of taoist thing.
BTL: That's for motivation, what about inspiration?
BG: I like to play with my books. I like to immerse in other photographers' worlds, and try to understand their feelings and relations to the outside world. I try to imagine what had happened before and after the shot, how did he feel. Was it cold there? What kind of smells did he smell? How people reacted to his presence? I try to appreciate the work and effort behind the pictures. I like to read photographers' notes, and to follow the process from the early thoughts to the finished "big picture".
BTL: And finally, about your future plans...
BG: After quitting the picture editor job, it took some time to arrange my everyday things, to restructure my archives and to program this website. I have some projects that have long laid dormant, and it's time to revive them...
Some useful sites
About me
