Zsófia Pályi

Zsófia Pályi is an art photographer, photo reporter and multimedia journalist, member of the leadership of Studio of Young Photographers Hungary, based in Budapest, Hungary. She received her bachelor’s degree in photography from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest in 2010. Earlier she has received her Master's Degrees at the Department of Media and Communication and Department of Portuguese Language and Literature at Eötvös Loránd University.

Currently she is working on a long-term art photography project about Lake Balaton - Plattensee. She is fascinated by the lake and would like give a picture of it with some Eastern European flavour. This project is about holiday when rules change in the new environment and people become uninhibited comparing with their daily shyness in the city. They get unclosed, almost naked, but they still find harmony in this defencelessness situation by means of the nature. The portraits of the series were all taken in Lake Balaton, biggest lake in Central Europe. At first glance, the scenery reminds us a resort by the sea, but it is actually only a lake that is ironically said to be the “Hungarian sea”.

Besides her artistic works, Zsófia Pályi is a staff photojournalist at Origo, the leading online news portal of Hungary. Besides, she has assignments for Marie Claire and Forbes magazine, and for the UN Refugee Agency. She works mainly with portrait and documentary photography, and interested in contemporary social issues, personal stories and feature multimedia stories. In the recent years, she also focused on African themes, and covered stories in Kenya and Mozambique.

She has received several prizes at the Hungarian Press Photo Competition including the Grant for best achievement in photojournalism under the age of 30. She has won the Pécsi Fine Art Photography Grant, Hungarian state scholarship, two times. Her photos have been purchased internationally, by Vice Uk, Al Jazeera, Marie Claire Arabia and The Sunday Guardian. Recently she has just won the Grand Prize at PhotoPort 2013 portfolio review in Budapest. She is going to be one of the jury members of the next Hungarian Press Photo Competition in January, 2014. 

Contact info: 
palyizsofi@gmail.com
+36-20-462-61-59
www.zsofiapalyi.com

Studies
 

2007-2010: Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design – Photography B.A., Budapest, Hungary
2006: Universidade de Lisboa, Faculty of Fine Arts – communication design, Lisbon, Portugal
2006: Universidade Nova de Lisboa, FCSH – history, Lisbon, Portugal
2002-2005: Camera Anima Open Academy – photography, Budapest, Hungary
2002- 2007: Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities – Portuguese and Communications, Budapest, Hungary
2001-2002: Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities - American Studies, Budapest, Hungary
2000-2001: Comstock Park High School, Comstock Park, Michigan, USA
1995-2000: Baár-Madas Reformed High School, Budapest, Hungary

Professional Experience

2014: Jury Member of the Hungarian Press Photo Competition 

2013: Board Member of the Studio of Young Photographers
2006-2013: assignments - Origo.hu, Marie Claire Hungary, Marie Claire Arabia, Vice Uk, Al Jazeera, The Sunday Herald, NÅ‘k Lapja…
2011-: Association of Young Photographers United (FFS) - member
2010-: Camera Anima Open Academy - teacher in photography
2006-: photojournalist at [origo] - leading online news portal in Hungary
2005-2006: picture editor at [origo] - leading online news portal in Hungary

Grants, exhibitions

2013: Grand prize - Photoport international portfolio review, Budapest 

2013: Pécsi József Fine Art Photography Grant
2013: A38, Budapest: group projection - "African Visions" (Frankolorés Festival)
2012: A38 Ship, Budapest: group exhibition - "If God wants" (Frankolorés Festival)
2011: Hungarian Press Photo Competition - Grant for best achievement in photojournalism under the age of 30
2011: Hungarian Press Photo Competition - 1st prize (Nature and Science, Stories)
2011: Hungarian Press Photo Competition - 2nd prize (Portraits, Stories)
2011: Hungarian Press Photo Competition - 3rd prize (Arts, Stories)
2011: Pécsi József Fine Art Photography Grant
2010: Portfolio Points: MOME 8/11 group exhibition – LOFFICE, Budapest, Hungary
2010: Month of Photography 2010: Dirty Eleven group exhibition – LOFFICE, Budapest, Hungary
2010: Camera Anima Open Academy: Masters and students II. - Hungarian Cultural Centre Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
2010: MOME Photography B.A. diploma exhibition – Barabás Villa, Budapest, Hungary
2009: Dunaújváros Photo Biennial: I will be a star - Dunaújváros, Hungary
2007: The Culture of Europe, The Culture of Urbanism – wandering exhibition
2006: Let’s Share Cultures Festival in Tűzraktér: group exhibition - Budapest, Hungary
2006: Portugal through Hungarian eyes: photography contest and exhibition - first prize - Millenáris Park, Budapest, Hungary
2005: Should we hang out? - Camera Anima Open Academy diploma exhibition
2005: Művészetek Völgye: Analogue-Dialogue group exhibition - Monostorapáti, Hungary
2005: Moscow Square group exhibition - Millenáris Park, Budapest, Hungary
2004: Autonomous Report Photography - Új Színház, Budapest, Hungary
2004: The Silent Iberia solo exhibition - Művészetek Háza, Szombathely, Hungary
2003: Budapest University of Technology and Economics Department of Arhitecture: Bercsényi Hall solo exhibition, Budapest, Hungary