This week in the city of Szeged in Hungary, I went for a night tour to see the town squares and the university. Walking in front of the university I chanced upon an exhibit of beautiful animal and safari photographs.
The photographs are actually on display all day, but they are lit up wonderfully at night. So these photos are especially interesting to see in the evening, as they look so colourful compared to the darkness all around.
ABOUT HUNGARIAN PHOTOGRAPHER BENCE MATE
The photographs were taken by a young Hungarian named Bence Mate. National Geographic has used many of his photos. Moreover, he has received many awards around the world for his works. A professional photographer, he lives in a nature reserve near Szeged.
He took these animal and safari photographs over several years. Many of them capture the life of wild animals with amazing accuracy. He took many of these photographs under hard conditions, as well, and he spent lots of time. He achieved some of the photographs only after taking thousands of photos over four or five days.
These kind of photographs involve patience, technical skill and a capacity for working in harsh environments. However, the results speak for themselves. The photographs are breathtakingly beautiful.
EXHIBIT OF ANIMAL AND SAFARI PHOTOGRAPHS
The residents of the city of Szeged have enjoyed this photo exhibit immensely. In fact, Bence Mate spoke at a lecture last night and many citizens attended to hear more about his works. “In the future, I would like to teach photography to children,” Bence said last night.
I took this photos straight from the exhibit boards so the quality will not be as good as the originals. But even with these copies, you will already confirm the immense talents of Bence Mate.
PHOTOGRAPHS OF BENCE MATE
Bence Mate photographed this in February 2011 in Lake Kerkin, Greece. The exposure was 1/320 seconds with the following specifications: f18 / ISO500 / 15mm.
He took 10,326 photos over five days.
Bence Mate photographed this in December 2015 in Santa Rita, Costa Rica. The exposure was 1/320 seconds with the following specifications: f18 / ISO500 / 280 mm.
He took 381 photos over three days.
Bence Mate photographed this in November 2008 in Santa Rita, Costa Ricsa. The exposure was 1/1600 seconds with the following specifications: f18 / ISO500 / 300 mm.
He took 726 photos over 13 days.
Bence Mate photographed this in December 2008 in Santa Rita, Costa Rica. The exposure was 1/250 seconds with the following specifications: f18 / ISO400 / 105 mm.
He took 76 photos over 20 minutes.
Bence Mate photographed this in April 2010 in Dallas, Texas. The exposure was 1/6500 seconds with the following specifications: f18 / ISO1000 / 500 mm.
He took 84 photos over ten minutes.
Bence Mate photographed this in June 2009 at the Kiskunsag National Park in Hungary. The exposure was 100 seconds with the following specifications: f7 / ISO400 / 17 mm.
He took 7,548 photos over 22 days.
Bence Mate photographed this in June 2009 at the Kiskunsag National Park in Hungary. The exposure was 200 seconds with the following specifications: f13 / ISO200 / 13 mm.
He took 7,548 photos over 22 days.
Bence Mate photographed this in February 2017 at the Kiskunsag National Park in Hungary. The exposure was 320 seconds with the following camera specifications: f9 / ISO1600 / 15 mm.
He took 5,469 photos over 31 mornings.
Bence Mate photographed this in April 2005 at the Kiskunsag National Park in Hungary. The exposure was 1/350 seconds with the following camera specifications: f4 / ISO320 / 200 mm.
He took 8,366 photos over 17 days.
Bence Mate photographed this in April 2005 at the Kiskunsag National Park in Hungary. The exposure was 1/1000 seconds with the following camera specifications: f4 / ISO320 / 200 mm.
He took 8,366 photos over 17 days.
Bence Mate photographed this in January 2017 at the Kiskunsag National Park in Hungary. The exposure was 1/25 seconds with the following camera specifications: f5 / ISO500 / 400 mm.
He took 222 photos over 3 days.
Bence Mate photographed this in April 2018 at the Baile Tusnad in Romania. The exposure was 1/160 seconds with the following camera specifications: f6 / ISO1000 / 364 mm.
He took 1,296,000 photos over 6 days.
Bence Mate photographed this in August 2018 at the Zimanga Reserve in South Africa. The exposure was 5.5 seconds with the following camera specifications: f11-2.8 / ISO800 / 15 mm.
He took 50,000 photos over 32 nights.
Read more articles about Hungary in Travelife Magazine.
