JPG Member Interview: Judit Horvath
Posted by David Ozanich — 17 Mar 2011
This week for the JPG Member interview we're chatting with Judit Horvath.
So you live in Budapest. Did you grow up there?
No, I was born in the eastern part of Hungary, we moved to the western part, that is where I was a child, I went to secondary school by the Lake Balaton and I went to university in Budapest.
How did you become interested in photography? Do you work professionally?
Photography came to me when I was 18 or 19. I had my little lab in the bathroom and I would be lost for days in there. Digital is much cheaper now and I like how I can modify a picture to look like not what it looked like but what it felt like. I do not work as a professional.
You photograph a wide range of subjects from landscapes to raindrops. What subjects captivate you most?
I can't really explain it because it is not a rational thing. I think I have had this urge since I was a small child to capture my environment in a certain way. I used to draw a lot back then. The subject can be just about anything. I look at something and the next thing I know is I reach for the camera.
There is a sense of intimacy in your work? How do you achieve that?
I am not sure, it is absolutely not intentional, I shoot from my guts. It might come from my personality. I am tranquil and pretty much a loner - I mean I feel very comfortable on my own. I reckon most people do not.
Do you have any favorite equipment or processes that you use for your photos?
My equipment is what I can afford - a Canon 550D with some lenses. I post process my images on the computer but I do not like overdone photos. I would love to try some insanely expensive cameras and lenses, too.
Just for the curious traveler, what's the best place to get a cocktail in Budapest?
Well, I am not very much into cocktails, but we have some unique places downtown, mainly in and around the VIIth district, called romkocsma that translates literally as "ruin-pub". These are pubs operating in the inner courtyards of abandoned old houses and are very popular. Find some of them here: ruinpubs.com
