The beginning... ¡VIVA VENEZUELA!...

As I’m putting this article together retrospectively, 2.5 years after I had been in Venezuela, it feels crazy to realize that I had already been away from photography for two years without taking a single photo during that time. I need to take a detour here, to explain my motives and why I had been away for so long, and also how and where I first started taking photos. My story is probably quite the opposite of most.

 

In my mid-twenties, I was struggling with self-confidence and had no idea what to do with my life. Then, one sunny afternoon, out of the blue, I ran into an acquaintance who had been in the photography industry for decades. After a short conversation, he offered me a chance, and even handed me a camera. I had never taken a single photo before. In the blink of an eye, I was holding a Canon 6D at an event, trying to photograph coachmen, though in reality, I was just struggling to understand the exposure triangle: ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.Soon after, we came to the conclusion that I should stay and work with him. That’s how the next 3–3.5 years of my life were spent as a photographer, mostly covering events and weddings, and sometimes shooting products. On the other hand, I never had the chance to figure out what truly interested me or what I was good at, because I didn’t own a camera myself. Photography was only a tool to make a living, not something to enjoy or explore for my own curiosity. Burnout was inevitable, and eventually I decided to give up photography, at least for a while.

After 3.5 years of working as a photographer, I took almost the same amount of time off. But this time, I was already descending into a deep hole. What I didn’t know then was that this difficult period would later become one of the most important parts of my life. For a year, I ran a company with a friend, cleaning, washing, and installing ceramic coats on cars. After that year, the inevitable crisis arrived on a very particular day, my birthday, October 5th. On that same day, my new life began. Within a few hours, I found myself lying in a hospital bed, waiting for surgery because my small intestine had closed, and I was suddenly fighting for my life. I spent almost a month in the hospital. That experience was an awakening, a resurrection.

 

I share this because it became the turning point that led to my later decisions. It was the very first time, after my break, that photography and Asia crossed my thoughts together. Photography and Asia, hand in hand, came to me in a tender vision: I wanted to return to photography, and I knew I must go to Asia someday. Obviously, I wasn’t in the right physical or mental condition when I left the hospital, nor financially prepared, so I set my first long-term goal: to become an internationally accepted photographer, no matter how much time and effort it would take.

 

As a subconscious first step, I decided to move away from Hungary to regain my strength, and that’s how Austria entered my life. First, I worked as a courier for a year, and then as a bartender for two more years in seasonal jobs. Along the way, I met two important people: Nine, from Venezuela, and Babsi, from Austria. Within just a few weeks of knowing each other, they invited me to Venezuela for a month.

Preparing for my first trip to another continent felt mind-blowing, especially for a few particular reasons. First, it was the time photography revealed itself to me again after years of absence. Second, I had the chance to experience a culture completely different from anything I had known before. And finally, I realized it could become a valuable preparation for something similar I was already considering in the near future.

 

Even though we visited one of the most dangerous countries in South America, where we were often told where we could and couldn’t go because of political conflict and ongoing civil unrest, what I experienced was something very different. The cultural differences, the quality of life, the way people could still live happily despite poverty, it all left a deep mark on me. People were curious, genuinely interested, and helpful, not just because they expected something in return. Life there felt more vivid, more alive.

 

Oh man, I could hardly believe what I witnessed in vast Venezuela, its shores, mountains, jungles. It was simply stunning. That one month was truly eye-opening. For the first time, I felt real joy in photographing again, even if only with my iPhone. I captured people, landscapes, friends, streets, everything that crossed my path. Coming home from that very special trip was both happy and sad. Sad, because it was hard to leave behind those remarkable people and experiences. Happy, because I knew I was one step closer to my goal. Venezuela gave me back the joy of photography, and I will always be grateful for that.