Everyone and Everything has a story to tell

My Background
A little background on myself before we dig into my take on the passion we all love.

I was born in Budapest, Hungary and emigrated to the United States at a young age with my family to seek a life in the land of opportunity.  Although I grew up in Connecticut, I now live in Delaware, on the East Coast, with my family and established a career in banking. I started my photography business on the side over the last two years, as I felt the need to explore the professional side of our craft.

If you’ve had the fortune to visit New England, then you will know what I love. New Hampshire, Main, Vermont, and all of the hiking, fishing, coastline, and incredible peacefulness are what I consider my idea of happiness. Trips to the Delaware, Maryland, and Carolina beaches come in close second, with sunsets on the beach inspiring some of my favorite images.

I carried my love of taking pictures from an early age with me, following in the footsteps of my father, Laszlo, who was a musician, artist, and more importantly, a lifelong photographer. He passed when I was young but left a legacy of images both painted and photographed that inspired my creativity.

From the early days of picking up film cameras from Canon and Minolta, to my first DSLR, the excellent 6MP Nikon D50, I always had a camera in my hand to capture the images that presented themselves in my daily life.

My Work
For my work as a photographer, I spend a lot of time capturing sports, portraits, and lifestyle photos. Lacrosse, field hockey, soccer, and track and field are the mainstays of my memory cards. Portrait work for families, high-school seniors, and dances are all important parts of my portfolio. Product, architecture, and location photography are all on the horizon and will soon be folded into my professional offerings.

Although I enjoy working with clients and delivering images they love, my true passion is capturing moments from day-to-day life (and this is part of what led me to Olympus).

It is difficult to describe, but I’m sure most of you have felt an “image sense” that you see unfolding with your eyes that makes you pause and grab for the camera.  Over the last five years, I’ve increasingly become aware of these moments and let myself pause and, in many cases, stop, pull over, and take the picture that I knew would convey this deep sense of that one place in time.

Hiking, driving, taking those first morning steps outside, a walk down the university main street, or just sitting in the backyard, all offer these moments each day. The critical part is to be able to reach for a trusted camera to take the photo and capture the image that will last a lifetime.

Gear
So, what is that trusted camera that I reach for when such a moment presents itself?

It is the Olympus E-M5 MkIII. I have often asked myself why it is not any of the other gear I have owned, like the Sony A7IV, Canon R6, Sony A7RII, Fuji X100V, or the Fuji X-E4, camera bodies that have all had a chance in my gear collection.. All capable, fantastic, and special cameras. Yet virtually 90% of the time, the E-M5 is in the truck, the luggage, or on a Black Rapid strap around my shoulder. This, I can say, is also true over the Olympus E-M1X and E-M1 MkIII that I’ve owned at the same time. 

There are a few key things that I noticed over time to answer this question, and they all lead to a fundamental trust in your gear.

Specifically, with the Olympus gear that I’ve owned, the E-M1X is a workhorse that is capable beyond virtually any other body I’ve ever had and performed flawlessly for any situation. Paired with the M.Zuiko ED 40-150mm F2.8 PRO and the M. Zuiko ED 300mm F4.0 IS PRO, it managed sports, portraits, wildlife, and even landscape work with professional results and precision execution. However, it was also the biggest of the Olympus gear and not always ideal as a “grab and go” camera.

The E-M1 MkIII was a close second, although it never felt justifiable alongside the E-M1X and was traded in for the E-M5 MkIII that soon became my favorite.

Lightweight, unmatched weather-sealing, excellent IBIS, and a sharp, uncompromising image quality is the hallmark of the E-M5 MkIII. I have often carried it as a second body during outings and soon realized the images from the E-M5 were not only equal but sometimes better than any other camera I would bring for the occasion. It really is astounding how great of an image you can get from a small camera like this that was released in 2019.

My concerns over “high ISO grain” or “lack of bokeh” due to the M43 sensor were gone by the time I got through the first few thousand images and learned how to actually trust the camera and its features instead of handling it like my full-frame gear. My use of Lightroom workflow coupled with Topaz AI, if needed, removes any hesitation related to a smaller sensor ISO performance. Occasional use of presets from Northlandscapes and Peter McKinnon paired well with the E-M5 sensor for what became my favorite images of all the gear I carried.

It is built like a tank (like all Olympus cameras) and has been through some of the harshest conditions from rain, snow, and sand that I can think of. All without a hiccup in operation.

It is paired with my all-time favorite lens, the M.Zuiko 20mm F1.4 PRO for all of my day-to-day shooting, and the M.Zuiko ED 60MM F2.8 for macro work.

My other gear, such as the Sony A7IV, has its place where I want a full-frame look. Sony’s unmatched autofocus, eye-detection, and third-party lens support are all key in my professional shoots.

Yet, the E-M5 MkIII remains. The Micro Four Thirds system and its size/feature advantage have solidified its place in my life and travels, even after I’ve owned and had exposure to Canon, Sony, Fuji, and Nikon bodies and lenses. 

 

My Photographs
Touching on my images for a moment, I hope you’ll see moments in time where I paused and took the image as it presented itself without letting it pass by.

I feel attuned to a phrase I added to my website, which simply says, “Everyone and everything has a story to tell”. 

A beautiful tree, your child, an expression, a pattern on a wall, a solitary bird on a branch, or a blade of grass. All unique and special in their own way. 

I look for contrast, color, patterns, minimalist scenes, the eyes of people, quiet moments, an isolation of texture, or a momentary pause in the challenge that is life.

Unless shooting a professional assignment, it is seldom I set out to specifically take images in my portfolio. Rather, most of my captures are simply from my normal travels and ensuring I always have the camera around to capture these moments. 

In Closing
I want to thank Olympus Passion for reaching out to me and letting me share my story and images. They are an incredible ambassador to a great camera system that truly brings a community of like-minded people together and allows us to share in our unique experiences and travels.

For you, the reader, I hope you will look for that quiet moment that makes you pause, take the image, and tell that story of this one place in time that you helped capture.