Life didn’t stop after Lowland. Well, at least not for me. For the snails, that was still debatable.
It was 2023, and while nothing was certain yet, one thing I did know: I had a pretty good chance of securing 3rd place in the international category of Varázslatos Magyarország (Magical Hungary). Of course, this wasn’t handed to me on a silver platter. It took long, sweaty battles, countless sleepless nights, and enough spritz (fröccs) consumption to make winemakers slightly concerned about their reserves.
But the important thing was—this one was in the bag.
Then, in February, the notification arrived: I had placed! What’s more, they asked for the EXIF data for my photo. Excellent! That could only mean one thing: I had definitely won something!
At moments like these, one starts imagining oneself among the greats, nodding humbly while sipping champagne, as the press lines up for interviews. (Or, more realistically, a relative asks, “So, does this mean you can finally buy that new lens?”)
But then came the surprise. Another notification.
I re-read it, thinking at first it must have been the aftereffects of all the spritz. I had also secured a podium spot in the Birds category!
I could have caught a bird with my bare hands out of sheer joy! But then I figured that might be pushing things a bit, so I settled for just standing there, struggling to process what had just happened.
For a moment, I felt like I had finally joined the ranks of the greats. But that feeling didn’t last long—mainly because no one called to inform me that I’d now have a say in the geopolitics of wildlife photography.
However, one thing was certain: that next spritz wasn’t going to drink itself. 😄 The two attached photos also made it into the exhibition—so now at least other people can stare at them too, instead of just me at home.
