Akos Major’s serene and splendid landscapes

“As a child I always wanted to see what lies beyond the horizon. I still have that. The wanderlust within me is always present,” says Akos Major, who has spent the past ten years meticulously capturing beautifully tranquil landscapes. But photography, he explains, had never really been on the cards for the Hungarian artist. After studying graphic design at university, Akos went on to work as an artistic director at an international advertising agency for many years. It was only when his daily routine started getting monotonous that Akos began travelling to west Hungary’s Lake Balaton during off-season periods and snapping pictures of his surroundings. This, says Akos, was the beginning of his photographic career. His impressive portfolio of work includes a splendid series Leisure Project, which is made up of idyllic shots of the German coast.

As the name suggests, Leisure Project is filled with serene seas and relaxed holiday goers. The series is expertly executed as Akos manages to perfectly correlate the temperaments of the people in his pictures with the surrounding climate. “I see the world pretty much the same as it appears on my photographs. For the first few years, I was always looking for vast, remote landscapes. Now I’m okay with shooting saturated, more crowded places as well. The solitude is still present on my photographs I believe,” Akos tells It’s Nice That. The exuding silence of his images acts as an antidote to our fast-paced, hectic daily lives. In this way, Leisure Project feels like a visual detox from the noise pollution and eyesores that are commonplace in the urban everyday.

Beyond merely documenting and recording his surroundings, Akos’ images are landscape portraits that successfully distill the atmosphere of his environment and reflect the photographer’s serene mental state. “I’m trying to capture the essence of the places I visit and to describe the ambience visually. I’m definitely attracted by the ordinary. I am my happiest when I feel that I have found a good spot in an otherwise totally mediocre-looking location.” Despite the photographer’s natural flair for photography and his years of experience, Akos has concentrated his attention on a single subject and mastered it. “I’m not really into shooting portraits of people. I mean I’d like to, but I’m not the type. I’m not a good listener while working and I don’t give my best under pressure. I like to work focused and alone,” he explains. The photographer’s astute honesty is reflected in Leisure Project, which feels like a truthful representation of Akos’ child-like wonder for the places he visits.