*This post was originally written for Inkport, published October 5, 2017.*
Editing pictures can seem tedious. You have to sift through and sort hundreds of images in an attempt to select the one that best represents the single moment you found worthy of capturing. As you funnel your way through the pictures, you relive the journey, but in a different way.
I think my fascination with pictures boils down to their ability to tell a story better than what my memory can conjure. Furthermore, I find that pictures tend to refresh my memory and remind me of details that I wouldn’t otherwise recall.
Even so, photography is static. When you look at a picture, you don’t feel the roaring wind that leaves your face chapped and blue as you trek through the Arctic. You can’t feel rushed or overwhelmed as you’re standing at a busy crosswalk in a metropolitan city. These intangibles are left for experiences, but the best photographers manage to capture multiple senses and merge them into a single image. Suddenly, your body experiences a change of state. You feel cold. Your lips are chapped. And just like that your head begins to spin and you feel your heart rate elevate. At its best, photography manages to transport you right into the setting of the image. It’s like apparating but without the worry of leaving half your body behind.
The pursuit of that experience drives me as a photographer. It pushes me to look for new angles and to experiment with different techniques, all with the hope that just one person can experience the feeling of truly being there.
For my next few posts, I’m going to share some of my favorite photos by city from my trip through Europe this past summer. First up is the lovely city of Budapest.
Budapest intrigued me from the moment we got into our Uber. As we rode along with our silent driver, the area outside of the airport shocked me. Everything still looked as if the city was still under Soviet occupation. After a few miles, the buildings started to blend together. We passed row after row of continuous bland and colorless buildings left by Soviet architects. Everything began to blend together. Buildings transformed into trees and sidewalks into fields of grass. This scenery, combined with the “unce unce unce” of our Uber driver’s music filled the void of conversation. Budapest was looking to be relatively dull, but that soon changed once we made a turn and BAM, there it was. As day began to transition to night, Historic Budapest sat atop the hill, beautifully reflected off the Danube River as the lights shimmered in reverence for the city.
Beauty aside, the most shocking moment of our car ride came when our Uber driver finally spoke. Pointing with his left index finger, he calmly said: “Parliament.” That in itself warranted a 5-star review for the man. As we arrived at our airbnb we bid the one-word-wonder Uber driver goodbye, went upstairs, and refreshed ourselves before taking on the city. I hope you enjoy these photos, and I hope they give you a feel for what Budapest truly was like - a city that is a fusion of Eastern and Western Europe. Hence the name, The Heart of Europe.
All the best,
Sina.
Places of worship usually result in beautiful photographs due to their design. Every inch of these buildings are utilized to enhance the beauty of the structure. From the vast windows coated in a rainbow of colors to the intricately-designed tiling that reflects the incoming rays of light, religious buildings seem to foster thought and reflection. I really like this photo because I think it highlights the relationship between man and God. The gentleman in the photo is small when compared to the grandness of Matthias Church, which is how most religious texts depict God. One who is larger than life itself and seems to always be in control, which is depicted by the ability of the church to “change” appearances as each second of daylight passes.
In terms of architecture, Budapest was one of the more beautiful cities my friends and I visited. The historical buildings were well maintained, but what I enjoyed the most was how well the modern infrastructure had been blended into the city. Sidewalks, roads, and street signs didn’t detract from the historical attractiveness of the Budapest, instead they highlighted it.
It shouldn’t surprise you that Budapest is a tourist city. However, it’s always easy to spot the difference between a tourist and a local, and I think that this picture captures the divide between the two groups. The individuals in the foreground, the two gentleman on the right and the lady in the orange, were operating at a much different pace than everyone else. I’ve always wondered how people who live in these types of cities deal with the hoards of tourists, but like everything else, it simply becomes routine.
This is easily one of my favorite photos from the trip. The Vajdahunyad Castle sparkled with a hint of magic the second I saw it. It immediately took me back to a time where Kings fought for land, Knights clanked around in armor, and Medieval Festivals were the real deal.
Another photo from within the castle. I couldn’t help but feel envious of whoever was able to call this their home.
Another from within the castle. Historical buildings always surprise me with the level of detail that went into them – this building was no different.
Budapest was beautiful at night, and the vibrant lighting of St. Stephen’s Basilica only added to the magical aurora of it all.
When I first got into photography I had a friend tell me how important it was to stop and look around every so often. On our hike up to the highest vantage point I did just that and found this gorgeous view of the city through the trees.
10/10 would visit again.
This vantage point captured Budapest in its glory. The pointed building in the background is Parliament. What was really dope about Budapest was the ability to walk in and out of areas and not know if you were in tourist heavy spots or residential places and this vantage point was another example of that.
Altering a picture in post production to be black and white is a bit intimidating. There’s something in these images that causes the viewer to analyze the picture with a more critical eye–maybe it’s the lack of color, maybe they think they are missing something. However, I think historical architecture tends to shine in B&W images.
Fisherman’s Bastion sits on highest hill in Budapest and within its walls are countless shops, restaurants, street vendors, and artists who all come together to make the Bastion a thriving place.
Hello, little one. Again, I feel like the B&W photography adds another element to this photo and I was lucky enough to have this cutie pie look directly at me for the image.