Laszlo Balogh

Laszlo Balogh

Based
Budapest, Hungary
Born
Budapest, Hungary
Status
Photographer
“When I take pictures… I just concentrate on what is happening and I push the button.”

Beat

I cover everything: politics, wars, sport, the Olympics.

One Shot

. Ramallah, Israel. REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh
Palestinians lie on the ground in front of an Israeli tank after they were arrested during the Israeli operation in the West Bank City of Ramallah.
“There were lots of other photographers around when I shot this picture, but this one was really widely published.”

Profile

My earliest memory of professional photography dates back a very long time, to around 1976. I was sent to cover a big soccer match, although I didn’t really have the right sort of camera for the assignment. I shot just 12 frames, and one made it to print.

I started learning the skills of processing photos in photography school. I learnt lots of technical things about studio photography. But I really learnt to take pictures after I went to work with a Hungarian daily paper as a lab technician. I found a wonderful mentor there and he taught me everything. I still show him my pictures sometimes.

I love covering the Olympics. I’ve covered six games altogether – four summer, and two winter Olympics.

I’m a specialist in water polo photography. It’s a big sport in Hungary, and I’ve covered three Olympics during which the Hungarian team won a gold medal.

When I take pictures, I really don’t think about who is going to see them. I just concentrate on what is happening and I push the button.

It’s really important to remember your humanity as a photographer. You might be working in a war zone, but there’s no point being there if someone dies in front of you and you don’t go to help.