Born in 1962, Karcag, Hungary.
1980: Graduated from the High School of Applied Arts, Budapest. 1985: Degree from the Interior Design Faculty of the University of Applied Arts, Budapest. 1986: Member of the National Association of Hungarian Artists. 2015: Founder member of the Hungarian Film Academy.
He became interested in photography while at the High School of Applied Arts, and although he originally continued his studies at the Interior Design Faculty of the University of Applied Arts, his fate brought him repeatedly back to photography. His diploma work at university involved the interior design of the Andre Kertesz Museum in Szigetbecse, followed by the installation design of the exhibition hall of the Museum of Hungarian Photography in Kecskemet, in 1991.
One year later, he was already working as a photographer for the “ELITE Magazin.” When the ELITE Magazine was temporarily discontinued, he became unemployed. Later on, he undertook jobs at advertising agencies, working as a copywriter, then as an art director, and eventually became a creative director as well. He got acquainted with television production during this period: first, as a producer of entertainment programs, and later, he turned to documentaries, making portrait films and cultural programs, documentaries, daily and weekly series and motion picture.
He went for the first time to South-East Asia in January 2000. The decisive journey led to his first independent exhibition entitled “Angkor – Ruins of a City in the Jungle” consisting of his photos taken in Cambodia. The exhibition was visited by more than 12,000 people in 3 weeks, including Mr. Árpád Göncz, the President of the Hungarian Republic at the time, and by H.H.S. the 14th Dalai Lama. One year later, he was invited to India by the Government Tourist Board of the Republic of India to take photos of the Temples of Khajuraho. The photos illustrated the exhibition entitled “Khajuraho – Mysticism and Eroticism”, at the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest. His first book entitled “Light Relations” (Fény, viszony) made jointly with poet Krisztina Tóth was published in 2004. This book and two other series of photos were awarded at the International Photography Awards (IPA) in Los Angeles in 2005. In the same year, the book was also selected for the collection of the British National Library (London).
Sandor Csortos Szabo’s photos have won several awards at international photography competitions and he has participated in several independent and group exhibitions. He is currently working for the Budapest Film Production, while continuing his creative activities and taking his own fine art photos.
Filmography: IMDB
Official sponsor: Leitz Hungaria – Leica
