After three years of studying civil engineering at the Budapest University of Technology, Tibor Galamb moved full-time on what began as an on-the-side activity; photography. During his college years, Tibor worked in different areas before settling to fashion and advertising photography. These experiences along with his civil engineering background have helped him develop a unique style. Today, Tibor’s work has won him an international award twice and collaborations with some of the industry’s leaders, including Fucking Young, Vogue Italia, Institute Magazine, ASOS, Tommy Hilfiger and Harvey Nichols. We caught up with the young photographer to discuss shifting to photography, building a career as a freelancer and his future plans.
What was your “aha!” moment, when you realized you wanted to pursue photography?
That moment never happened. The story is less charming, I would say. I was in the middle of my civil engineering studies in Budapest, when I decided I needed something more creative in my life. I was working in the film industry on the side – it was pretty good pocket money – and doing photography as a hobby. These creative areas seemed to fit well to me, and I also needed some change of scenery. After a little research, I found out that one of the best commercial photography courses was offered in Edinburgh, Scotland. So I went there, they liked my portfolio and suggested that I skipped the first year and started in the second straight away. This is how my photography career started.
How did you come down to fashion photography? What were the areas of photography you worked on after college?
Fashion and fashion-related advertising were the only areas of photography I was interested in since I started taking pictures. Obviously, in college, we had other modules as well, but I have never worked in those areas after graduation.
You were born in Hungary but you are based in the UK. Has your upbringing influenced your style?
Travelling and meeting new cultures are influencing my style, I reckon. If I would have to choose one, architecture has gotten the biggest influence on my style. Especially post modern, socialist, brutalist and contemporary architecture.
How has civil engineering helped you develop a particular style?
And again, this goes back to architecture. I am a practical person; I don’t see myself as an artist. My way of thinking is much more rational then emotional, which means my personality is close to lines, structures, clean and minimal shapes, looks. When I’m composing a picture, my eyes, my brain, my subconscious follow in lines, shapes and build the picture based on them.
You have worked with a variety of clients. What tips can you give to aspiring photographers looking to expand their portfolio?
Becoming a successful photographer is difficult, especially if you are freelancing. You need to constantly search for clients, manage your time and decide which job is worth going for, or you are just wasting your time on it. I always try to pick the jobs that give my creativity something new. A job with a challenge helps you improve, and this is the most important for me, to get always better. This is the way of building a strong portfolio.
To what degree do you edit your photos?
My process goes from 0% to 100%. I work out the concept together with the client; sometimes I have a creative freedom, if I’m lucky. The next step is the photo shoot, and then editing comes in the end. I do the entire editing, I don’t use retouchers. It is important for me to own what I create. My images are representing and selling myself and my business. For me, the working process is much better like this, because I can plan the editing while I’m taking the pictures. It helps a lot actually. It just makes the entire process faster.
Shoots are all about teamwork. Tell us what is like for you to work with stylists, models and designers.
More brain creates more interesting result. I really like to work in a team, especially a good one. Most of the times, I pick my team so I know what to expect. Actually, one of the reasons why I’m working in the fashion and advertising industry is teamwork. I like the vibe and excitement of the preparation and the shoots as well. The best part is that you always meet new people.
In what ways have you grown since your first shoot? Do you have a go-to tip or a ritual that you had not even thought of back then?
I have improved in every way. Creativity is like a muscle; if you work on it, it gets strong, toned, defined. This is why I mentioned before that you always need to improve on yourself and your technique. But in this industry you also need to be a good businessman and salesman. If you cannot sell yourself and your product, then you will starve to death, like an artist. These are learnable and improvable skills, but you need to get good at them. It is important.
What are you currently working on?
Currently I’m working on more projects, mostly advertising. I have a few fashion shoots coming up for magazines and clients in the next few months, and I will travel to Edinburgh and Budapest – traveling is the best part of this job. At the moment, I’m working in Vilnius.
Follow Tibor on Instagram here.
www.tiborgalamb.com
Images © Tibor Galamb
