by WELCOME to Behind the Lens, a feature that puts the spotlight on the talented photographers in our Warrington Guardian Camera Club group.
This week we speak to Tamás Beck, originally from Budapest, Hungary, but now based in Warrington.
He likes to photograph cities with their unique architecture and landscape.
If you would like to appear in our Behind the Lens feature, email heidi.summerfield@newsquest.co.uk
Click here if you would like to join the Warrington Guardian Camera Club.
Tamás Beck, member of the Warrington Guardian Camera Club
Where do you come from?
I’m originally from Hungary and I consider myself more closely as someone from Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and I am very proud of where I come from. I always enjoy visiting my homeland as a tourist as there is so much to see and do and of course endless photo opportunities.
When and why did you start photography?
In 1995, after secondary school, I started working in a photo shop, where I was trained in the basics. Digital cameras were oddities in those days, so we had to understand manual settings and film editing – it was very old school. During the practical training we had to get to know not only the technical knowledge but also the artistic side of photography, which I found fascinating. It might sound cheesy, but it really changed the way I look at the world around me. Since then I’ve always had at least one camera and lens. Although I’ve been photographing for almost 30 years, I’m still learning, questioning and challenging myself.
Buttermarket Street, Porter’s Ale House and St Mary’s Shrine at sunset
CONTINUE READING:
“People get hungry when they see my photos”
St Elphin’s Church at sunrise, captured with an ultra wide angle lens
What do you love about photography?
Photography is a lonely business and usually the photographer’s best companion is the camera. In my case it’s a bit different, since my best company is actually my wife. We share the same unending curiosity – we love to travel and see the world. So if we’re out, why shouldn’t I take a picture? I have the drive to take the best possible picture that expresses my emotions, feelings and thoughts about each place.
As humans we are mortals in the world and some people say that the only way to be immortal is to create something new. Photography is a creative art in which I can express how the world was created while also creating something unique by using my camera and manipulating and editing my images. With that in mind, I use my camera to give longer life to the memories I’ve seen or experienced, and as a result, those memories become immortal.
Academy Way at sunset
Where is your favorite place to photograph and why?
We moved to the UK with my family 10 years ago. It was an interesting and eye-opening step because we didn’t know much about Britain but quickly realized how different it is.
It is very different from continental Europe and especially different from Hungary. These differences are attractive and interesting and they catch my attention – the new landscape, the houses and streets, the plants that make this country unique.
CONTINUE READING:
Master photographer tries to capture the “art of the moment”.
What is your favorite subject and why?
It’s probably easier to define what I’m not photographing. I do not do portraits, people, animals and wildlife. I like to photograph landscapes, streets and buildings, seascapes and I love seeing how people used to live. The old stone bridges, remains of abandoned abbeys and castles, old mines – they all tell of a very different and undoubtedly more uncomfortable lifestyle than the one we live in. I like hiking and photographing waterfalls, trees, forests and mountains, so I guess you could say I’m a bit of a landscape photographer.
Rooftops on Bridge Street
What do you like about being part of our Camera Club on Facebook?
It’s interesting to see how people see their own city through the lens of their camera. I am curious to see what they see and what they are interested in. It’s great to see what people find attractive in Warrington.
If you could photograph anyone/any place/something, who/what would it be?
I would like to travel to Patagonia, Iceland or Norway or even the Sahara or Mongolia. I couldn’t select a location.
