about me | carolyn egerszegi

Photos by Amber Hughes Photography.

Welcome!

My name is Carolyn Egerszegi and this page is About Me.

I live in North Vancouver and work as a wedding, engagement and portrait photographer in the Greater Vancouver area.

If you are a couple thinking about hiring me to photograph one of the most important days of your life, then you should probably pull up a chair and get to know me because who I am is a huge part of why I am a photographer and how I see the world.

If you like me, then you’ll probably like my work and if you like my work then chances are we will get along and you’ll love the beautiful memories I will capture with my camera for you on your wedding day.

Since I tend to be wordy when I write, I thought I’d be merciful and offer a short version and a long version of my bio so those of you with only a minute to spare can get a quick feel for who I am and those of you with more time can keep reading!


The short version:

• I am a mother, wife, photographer, artist, traveller and friend who creates beautiful images for wonderful people.

• I live in North Vancouver and spend part of the day caring for my family and the rest of the day playing Angry Birds, editing photos and fine tuning my skills as a photographer.

• I have been working professionally as a portrait photographer since 2008, starting with family, maternity and newborn photography and then moving into wedding photography the following year.

• As a wedding photographer I am calm under pressure and love the challenges that a wedding day presents with all of its emotions and excitement. I excel at putting others at ease so they can feel relaxed and beautiful in front of the camera.

• I shoot with a mix of relaxed portraiture and photojournalism, which essentially means that sometimes I direct what is happening in your photos and sometimes I melt into the background and capture images candidly.

• When the wedding is over and you love your photos, you’ll probably think of me as a friend who really added something to your special day and captured your most precious memories and candid moments with artistry and a joy for storytelling.

• My goal is to create photographs you will love.

• I adore the smell of my daughter’s head, Audrey Hepburn, a good Jack Reacher novel, Hungarian food, the grainy sand at Sunset Beach and lazy morning sleep-ins.

• I do not like people touching my neck, or water when it drips down my sleeve. I also hate ants indoors (but they’re okay if they’re outside) and I refuse to touch dry glasses straight out of the dishwasher.

• I love being a photographer.

Photos by Amber Hughes Photography.

The long version:

Since the short version of me was not exactly concise, then perhaps the next thing you should really know about me is that I’m chatty and longwinded. This has both its pros and cons.

One of the pros is that my chatty nature helps me to get along with almost everybody. What this means to you on your wedding day is that all of your guests will think I’m a member of your family who just happens to have a lot of fancy camera gear. I will fit into your day. This is why you see so many content, happy faces in my portfolio. People tend to relax in front of my camera and after a session with me they often say, “wow, that was so easy and much more fun than I thought it would be!”

One of the cons about my chattiness is that this About Me page is a little very long, so perhaps you should grab a cup of coffee (or tea or a martini?) before you continue reading.

Which leads to the next thing you should know about me:

I am a mother...

To a beautiful little girl named Csilla, which explains why I need a martini once in a while. This also means that it takes more than a small catastrophe to get me ruffled. Your wedding day is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life, but it is also one of the most stressful. So when the day isn’t going as planned and things feel a little hectic or uncertain, I’m going to be the one right next to you reminding you to breathe and enjoy the moment.


Being a mama has taught me...

How to go with the flow and problem-solve on the fly. Couples often tell me after their wedding day that I felt more like a friend than their photographer, which is a compliment I am always thrilled to receive. I love to photograph weddings and capture beautiful memories, but I also love to support couples and their families on such an important and special day. Let me put it this way, if I hadn’t been a wedding photographer, then I probably would have gone into business as a wedding coordinator!


Being a mom also means...

That I am always prepared for every eventuality, which is why, in addition to all of my back-up camera equipment, I’ll always have snacks, super glue, safety pins, handy wipes, a lollipop and some other surprising emergency items kicking around in my camera bag. Trust me, I’m ready for anything!


I am also a wife...

To my husband of fifteen years, Balazs. He and I met while working on the Love Boat together. I’m not kidding... the Love Boat. We met on a Princess Cruises ship where he was a waiter and I worked in the Purser's office. There must have been something about the motion of the ocean because I fell in love with him right away and we have never looked back.


The fact that I am a wife also means...

That I have planned a wedding of my own and I know how much effort goes into the creation of a memorable day. This is why I’m so passionate about capturing the subtleties of your wedding with my photography. For the detail-oriented couples out there, I am your photographer!

I adore documenting the shoes, the rings, the boutonnières, the jewellery, the bouquets, the invitations, the food, the tie... well, you get the idea... all of the small and varied choices you make for your wedding day that when pieced all together represent who you are as a couple. As my good friend Oprah always says, “love is in the details” and I couldn’t agree more.

I have a keen eye for all of those candid glances and kisses and giggles that you think I won’t notice. I’m there to see it all. I know what it is like to be in love and marry the love of your life. My goal on your wedding day is to photograph all of the little things that make your day special as a couple so you can cherish those memories for many years to come.


As a young girl...

I used to spend hours sketching and painting at my desk and always imagined myself as an artist, but it wasn’t until my daughter was born that I found my love for photography. I owned a film SLR camera long before Csilla came along, but my inspiration to really learn the art of photography came after she was born. At that time I was lucky enough to receive a hand-me-down digital SLR camera as a gift from my father which quickly led me down the path to where I am today as a professional photographer and artist.


Having a daughter gave me...

A new outlook on the world. Suddenly, through her eyes and my camera lens, everything was fresh and magical and beautiful in the ways that I remembered from when I sat sketching at my desk as a little girl. On your wedding day I look for the love, the laughter and the happiness that will define the memory of your wedding day, just as I do through the eyes of my daughter every day. “A great deal of what we see depends on what we are looking for” and in my life as a mother and a wife, I am surrounded by love and will look for it everywhere on your wedding day.

Now... if you’ve read this far I’ll take that as a good sign and offer a few more tidbits of information about me.


As a teenager...

I was a coxswain on a rowing crew and won a couple of gold medals at the Canada Summer Games. Yes, a coxswain, the one who sits in the back of the boat and yells, “Row!” (And also uses words of inspiration and encouragement to inspire the crew to pull harder than they ever thought they could). What this means to you on your wedding day is that I have always worked well under pressure and I excel at motivating others to do their best.

I know how to bring out things in people that they didn’t even know they had - including their own beauty. I love nothing more than to treat a couple to their own magical Top Model photo session on their wedding day and I am thrilled when couples admire their photos and tell me, “you made us look even more amazing than we felt!”


As an adult...

I have travelled extensively, visiting over 300 cities in 35 different countries. I love expanding my horizons and consider myself a lifelong learner. My husband was born and raised in Hungary, so we have spent a considerable amount of time there with our daughter and his family. In case you're wondering, my Hungarian married name - Egerszegi - is pronounced "egg-air-say-ghee".

My favourite meal in the world is my husband’s grandfather’s Hortobágy Palacsinta and if I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life, that would be it. If you ask nicely, I’ll give you the recipe.

Photos by Amber Hughes Photography.

Artistically...

I am inspired by honesty and authenticity.

I love real emotions, honest smiles, boisterous laughter and heartfelt kisses.

I am a moment junkie and get tingles when I know I’ve captured a special memory with my photography.

I combine art with story telling.

I shoot candids, casual portraits, happy accidents and heartfelt details.


My photography is...

For people who love their friends and families and want to let real emotions flow on their wedding day for my camera to see.

For people who love to laugh until tears roll down their cheeks.

For vibrant couples who want a marriage more than they want a wedding, but still think that a great party is the perfect way to kick off the rest of their lives together.

My photography is for people in love.

If you’re in love then I might just be your wedding photographer.

The great photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson once said, “A photograph is neither taken nor seized by force. It offers itself up. It is the photo that takes you. One must not take photos, but capture moments.”

I couldn’t agree more.

If you do too, then contact me today to book your wedding egerszegi(at)shaw.ca.

I can't wait to meet you!

Cheers,

Carolyn

Photos by Amber Hughes Photography.