Winter in Hungary - photographing in the hides of Bence Máté

At the end of January An Meert and I boarded a plane in Eindhoven for Budapest. Final destination: the farm of award-winning Hungarian Wildlife Photographer Bence Máté near the village of Pusztaszer, located in Hungary's Southern Great Plain. The farm is located in the Hungarian countryside, 150 kilometers south of Budapest and near the borders of Romania and Serbia. Several photo hides are located around the farm, from which different types of wildlife can be photographed. For long I have been attracted to the photos taken in these hides. So time to finally take a look here myself.

The entire week's arrangement is flawless. Just book a flight to Budapest and get your equipment ready. You’ll be informed in advance about what to pack, and we even had a taxi waiting for us at the Budapest airport. The daily operations around the hides are expertly managed by guides Fanni, Csaba, Kokó, and Ádám. Andrea (the manager), who also excels in cooking, handles all other arrangements, including meals. Bence is on-site daily to provide answers, advice, and explanations.

The Hides

As a leader in his field, Bence is recognized internationally, with requests to build hides coming from around the globe. He was the first to work alongside a Hungarian glass company to develop one-way transparent, superior quality glass for photography that wildlife cannot detect, maintaining excellent photo quality. Bence sometimes describes himself as "the invisible wildlife photographer." The ability to shoot animals from a close distance without being noticed is an innovation now adopted in many hides worldwide.

Many wildlife photographers express concerns that they haven't invested heavily in top-notch lenses just to photograph through glass and end up with image quality and sharpness akin to that of cheaper lenses. But in Bence's hides, this worry is unfounded.

During our winter visit, there were a total of four hides in operation for six photographers. Allocation is based on a rotation schedule, and with us, since there were six of us (seven is common and the maximum in winter), in pairs. The winter hides all have installed twin shooters with ball head (camera attachment through the lens base) from the Hungarian brand FlexShooter, so you can shoot with two cameras at the same time and leave your own tripod at home. You won't get cold in the hides either, as they are all equipped with underfloor heating, as well as ventilation to keep the glass condensation-free.

1. Theater Hide

Let me start with the hide that Bence's winter is all about anyway: the theater hide. This hide is a long way from the farm. It requires a thirty-minute car ride and then a ten-minute walk to get there. Located in a nature reserve is a wooden cottage with living room and three sleeping quarters, with a wooden toilet house outside (earth covered toilet). In the living room there is a trapdoor with steps down through which you enter a ten-meter-long, low underground corridor that leads to the actual photo hide. During the day you can't go outside, as this drives away wildlife, especially the bald eagle.

Experiencing this hide was a thrilling adventure, especially since you spend multiple nights in it. The entrenched hide has glass on both sides, each overlooking water at eye level. The "quiet" side is the most likely area for a bald eagle encounter. The busier side, dominated by cormorants and herons, features six fishing cages, controllable from the hide depending on the best lighting. The hide includes a backlight system, providing unique photographic opportunities, particularly at dusk and during the night. Each morning at around 05:00 am, a guide arrives to fill the cages with fish, signaling the start of the photography day.

After the guide departs, the first herons of the day make their appearance. In the soft light of early morning, they silently hunt, creating stunning visuals in the blue hour. This peaceful scene is abruptly disrupted when the cormorants decide that it’s time for breakfast. They arrive en masse from all directions, clearly dominating the herons, who are suddenly pushed into the background. Chaos ensues, marking the start of a frenzied scene. It's easy to capture 100 gigabytes of photos here at a 20 fps burst rate. For the photographer, it is an especially demanding task, as there's action in every direction.*

*My portfolio offers a larger view of all images

Thankfully, calmness returns when the peak of hunger subsides. The wings are dried, and the feathers are groomed. It's a moment for me to relax after two continuous hours of photography and to take pictures at my own pace.

The anticipation starts for the elusive bald eagle, though I must confess, it didn't grace us with its presence. Nature has its own agenda, regardless of the conditions we create to increase the odds. Still, by 3 p.m., we enjoyed a stunning display of warm (evening) light.

I was instantly captivated by the great egret. Its creamy white plumage paired with the yellow-orange bill and green accent around the eye creates a striking color combination. He was almost always chased away by the blue herons and settled for a quiet spot in the back and the chances of a fish during quiet moments.

Several times daily I hurry, crouched, through the underground corridor back to the cottage. A quick soup, swift backup, fast battery charging, and speedy hot snack. And when the sun sets, the cormorants nestle into slumber, and darkness descends, my day’s most breathtaking moment begins: the magnificent creative arena of herons silhouetted against the light. At times, hours are spent waiting for the herons' arrival, with yet another hour until a motionless heron on the sidelines steps into the light, but the ensuing spectacle is worth every moment of patience.

With the camera settings and highlights perfectly managed and the initial clear shots taken, I delve into experimenting with slower shutter speeds. Starting with 1/40th of a second, then to 1/30, 1/20, and 1/10. The possibilities are infinite.

At 1:00 am, I decide to end my day and snuggle into bed, aware that after just a short amount of sleep, disrupted by all the day's impressions, a new batch of fish will soon be delivered, restarting the entire spectacle once more...

Before the second night began, I reviewed my backlit heron photos. I already had so many favorite shots that, besides the "normal" photos, I was eager to capture another image: the creeping stride of the heron with long shutter speed. This particular night turned out to be foggy, as the freezing cold had created mist above the water's surface. When I saw this, I was a bit disappointed, believing it would greatly limit my photography opportunities.
Unlike the previous night, I couldn't achieve a dark background due to the fog, resulting in lighter, hazy images instead. However, these photos turned out to be ones I'm quite pleased with, partly because they differed significantly from those of the first night. After another shortened night, I captured another "golden" series in the early morning. These photos alone make me eager to return to Hungary.

2. Kingfisher Hide

Time for a new hide, designed exclusively for capturing the vibrant kingfisher in action. This hide is located among the reeds on the small river that runs alongside the farm. It is a beautiful setting with an infinity pool effect, allowing you to capture incredibly beautiful dives of the kingfisher. There is also front light available, so the iso value can remain low at the required (very) fast shutter speed.

Thankfully, the kingfisher adhered to a relatively consistent schedule with us, visiting approximately every fifty minutes. Each visit often included at least five dives, allowing us to capture about twenty-five dives in a morning.

The light changed significantly depending on the time of day. It's astonishing how much the pictures could differ from one hour to the next. Due to the camera's autofocus often struggling to keep up with the swift kingfisher, it's advisable to pre-focus on a fixed point. This strategy proves effective only if the kingfisher remains on its "route," which frequently isn't the case. Consequently, many images lost focus on the kingfisher's eye, but that wasn't an issue. With three mornings spent shooting from this hide, I captured plenty of shots that I'm pleased with.

3. Drinking Station

The third hide was truly delightful. The drinking station is nestled within the woods, a mere ten-minute stroll from the farm. This hide welcomes a diverse array of forest birds, including goldfinches, kites, apple finches, pigeons, jays, and woodpeckers, as well as occasional visits from buzzards and herons.

On the first evening, we began our adventure at 9 p.m. in the hide, after spending our time in the theater hide. By that time, all the birds had already departed, but we were hopeful about spotting the deer that often visit the drinking station. We turned on the backlight, and thus, the waiting commenced. For a brief moment, a cat startled us, but then, exactly at midnight, a scene unfolded that looked as if it was taken straight from a fairy tale. Out of the fog, deer emerged: the sight was beyond my imagination.

Our return to the drinking station allowed for an early start this time. By mid-afternoon, we were comfortably nestled in this peaceful hide. It became a charming afternoon spent taking pictures, all in a relaxed manner without the usual pressure or hopes. Observing the unexpected was a pleasant change. (We also captured a ground squirrel at the farm, where it was wide awake, a rarity for February, generally a hibernating month.)

As the sun began to set, as many as six deer came into view. This was yet another memorable experience. The hues, the delicate winter light, the tranquil display: the beauty of nature is remarkable.

When dusk descended, the deer, silhouetted by the light, again captivated the scene, now at the end of the blue hour, with reduced fog revealing stunning deep blue hues. The freezing temperatures created visible clouds of breath in the backlight, adding the perfect finishing touch to the already lavishly adorned scene.

4. Cinema Hide

Lastly, there’s the cinema hide. Situated amidst the water and reeds, it’s only a short stroll from the farm. On our visit, we came across water rail and moorhens, with the water rail clearly being my top pick.

A particular attraction of the hide is its potential for a nocturnal visit from Eurasian otters. For this, the hide is fitted with an interior-controlled lighting system: two adjustable lamps for backlighting and four lamps for front lighting (yellow and white, left and right) that can be adjusted to different settings.

In the middle of the week, we headed to the hide around 4 p.m., long before dusk, armed with sandwiches and water, committed to staying until we spotted otters, but secretly wishing for an early sighting so we could catch up on sleep.

It marked the beginning of what, in hindsight, became an eleven-hour wait. It turned into our hardest night on the farm. With uncertainty about the otters' arrival, time was slipping away. It was that uncertainty that made it difficult, compounded by my lack of sleep in previous nights. The urge to give up was strong at times. However, quitting was not an option; we didn't want to later regret and wonder if the otters had appeared after our departure. All the waiting would have been pointless otherwise. In summary: we decided to stay until dawn to avoid any future self-reproach. This resolution was easier said than executed. I often found myself succumbing to exhaustion, and eventually, we opted to take shifts closing our eyes.

At last, at 03:15 am, the moment of "redemption" arrived: a male otter suddenly appeared above the water right outside the window. I was on watch and was both startled and delighted. Although the visit was short-lived, he fortunately made a quick return.

This break allowed us to switch on the frontlights, in addition to the backlights we initially used, which beautifully highlighted the cold steam rising from the water but proved hard to photograph. Photographing the otters demands a fast shutter speed, and with the aperture fully open, the ISO value quickly climbs, an unattractive situation that forces constant adjustments to find a good balance. We chose to simplify things for ourselves by using frontlights; this helped keep the ISO value within an acceptable range and made focusing easier. The use of frontlights not only improved the overall lighting conditions but also facilitated better photographic results.

Roughly 45 minutes after, at 04:00 am, a female appeared alongside her growing young, staying for nearly ten minutes. Following another half hour of inactivity, we decided it was time to call it a day. The otter was recorded on the memory card, and our battery was running perilously low. On that same day, another full agenda awaited us, set to start in just a few hours.

We captured images using only backlighting and others with both backlighting and frontlighting.
Our reluctance to experiment any further with the lighting setup stemmed from a fear of startling the otters, for whom we had patiently waited. Looking back, I wish I had opted for a slightly faster shutter speed. It would also have been ideal to photograph with only frontlighting, creating a striking black background, but exhaustion kept me from considering this option. Despite numerous opportunities across all the hides and improvements on a second visit due to the learning curve, we decided against spending another night with the otters. Perhaps it's something to consider for a future visit, provided I can summon the energy.

What Equipment Did I Bring?

Although I don't possess fast telephoto lenses for wildlife photography, it's not a concern. You can rent the gear you need. At Foto Robyns in St. Truiden (Belgium), I rented an additional Nikon Z8 body, the Nikkor Z 70-200mm F/2.8, and the Nikkor Z 400mm f/4.5. While I also brought my 100-400mm and 24-120mm lenses, I primarily used the rented ones because I absolutely loved the 400mm prime, and the 70-200mm f/2.8 proved to be frequently essential. If a 300mm prime Z-mount lens by Nikon becomes available for rent, I'd certainly consider including it in my gear, as it seems ideal, especially in winter.

In Conclusion

Capturing photos at Bence in Hungary was an incredible experience. The meticulous attention to detail in constructing the hides was remarkable. It's challenging to find an equivalent that matches this level of perfection.

In summary, after eight days, this exhilarating week wrapped up. An and I seized the experience fully. I was drained and could think of nothing but my bed. However, throughout the week, we realized: we want to come back. Winter calls for a reprise, and in spring, there are new species and images to photograph, although I’ve heard there’s even less sleep...

Thank You

Numerous individuals played a part in making this trip a reality.

I am deeply grateful to Bence Máté and his team, whose warm welcome, attentive care, and exceptional hides made the experience immensely rewarding. Furthermore, a heartfelt thanks to Jody Zweserijn for inspiring me to undertake this trip through her engaging blogs and enthusiasm, and for the helpful phone calls that addressed all my queries. My gratitude extends to George Scharf and Marc Gengler for graciously accommodating An and me during "their" weeks and for their selfless support. I must also express my appreciation to Frank from Foto Robyns, whose provision of a camera and lenses was indispensable to the success of this mission, and for the excellent service he offered.

I extend my sincere thanks to An, to whom I personally address this. I always knew you would be the perfect travel companion. Your sweet character and humble personality made us a perfect match, and even under the pressure of extreme fatigue we persevered and were a close team. Thanks also for the wonderful conversations we had during the often long wait. I would not have wanted to go on this special adventure with anyone but you.

In closing, I'd like to mention my dear husband and our three precious children. Knowing you support me is a comfort. You give me the liberty to pursue what makes me happy, and this means more to me than you likely understand. Though I adore travel, having you as my secure base makes returning home the best part. 💞

During the writing of this blog, the unavoidable occurred. I was faced with the heart-wrenching task of letting go of our cherished cat, an integral member of our family. It was the last compassionate gesture I could extend to him, yet it was so tough to bear.

Dear Max, my loyal little friend, your presence is sorely missed. My eyes wander, hoping to catch a glimpse of you at your usual spots, but I don't find you any longer. Little things that were so obvious and are no longer there. It is quiet in the house, we loved you so much. I carry the memories of you with me in my heart, forever.

Have any feedback or inquiries? I'm eager to hear from you and assist where I can!