06.17. | Our Team Was More Than a Little Culture-Shocked

Hello, photography lovers and survivors of cultural shock! Something genuinely special happened to us this week: we joined the CH100 Lost & Found city walk organised by Collegium Hungaricum and Kulturschock Wien.

And this was one of those occasions when we truly stepped outside our comfortable little bubble. We decided it was time to discover what exists beyond cafés and the routes we already know by heart.

Our guide, the brilliant Lilla Bősz—an accredited Austria Guide—was basically a walking Wikipedia.

Seriously.

Whatever we asked, she seemed to have an answer ready. We gradually began to wonder whether there was any question she couldn't answer.

Spoiler: probably not.

The walk began at the beautiful Palais Trautson and finished at the impressive present-day building of Collegium Hungaricum Wien.

Along the way, we visited places many of us had only encountered in textbooks—if even there.

We learned how the palace once associated with Maria Theresa's Hungarian Royal Bodyguard later became connected with scholarship and culture, and how Kuno Klebelsberg developed ambitious plans for the Collegium in the period after Trianon.

We also discussed why the institution eventually left Palais Trautson, and how Hungarian-Austrian cultural relations evolved during the Cold War and through the political changes around 1989.

The most interesting part is that the institution's history doesn't merely reflect the upheavals of the 20th century. It also shows how Hungarian and Austrian cultural and academic connections continued even through difficult periods.

A bit like two stubborn relatives who can argue endlessly and still turn up at every important family event.

But back to our own small group.

Everyone listened to Lilla with admirable attention—while, of course, occasionally checking the opening hours of the nearest café on their phones.

At one point I decided that, photographically, we would focus on just one thing that day:

THE PLAY OF LIGHT AND SHADOW.

So I pulled out a simple but effective trick:

Switch your phone to black-and-white photo mode.

Yes, I know. Giving up colour hurts. Trust me.

Compose a frame and tap the brightest area you can see on the screen.

A small sun/exposure icon appears.

Drag it down.

Keep going until the highlights are controlled and the shadows deepen into something dramatic.

I made a few examples on location to show how much possibility sits inside this very simple technique.

The result?

Surprisingly strong images.

Quite a few members of the group immediately felt like professional photographers. The only thing missing was a manager.

We also decided that once the school holidays begin, Tuesdays will become creative family and children's days.

That means anyone can bring their child and create together.

Because in this context the parent-child relationship shifts into something different: you become creative partners.

Less “Mum, I'm bored” and “Dad, when are we going home?”, more shared experimentation, laughter and hunting light and shadow.

Best of all, people go home after these Tuesdays with experiences and plenty of photographs.

Who knows—perhaps one of the next generation's photographic artists will emerge from one of our small weekly sessions.

So come along, create with us, and discover hidden parts of Vienna through light and shadow.

If you're interested, you're very welcome to join our extremely secret WhatsApp group here.

Part of the BANHALMI ecosystem

For the professional context and practical side of portrait photography, visit the BANHALMI professional website. Related art series, books and exhibitions are preserved in the BANHALMI ART archive.