The Hillsborough River is filled with natural serenity and untouched wildlife. Laszlo Horvath, a retired photographer from Hungary, saw the potential the river had to offer and has decided to exhibit his work in the center of the HCC Ybor Performing Arts building.

  The Water’s Edge includes video and photos of the Hillsborough River and its inhabitants. Much of his previous work entails freshwater and natural wildlife.

  He is also inspired to continue working through the beauty of Florida’s saltwater and Spanish moss that nature holds.

  The video in his project was not shot with an actual video camera. Horvath used a $400.00 Panasonic camera and Nikon lens to shoot shutter photos and play them quickly enough to simulate video.

  Upon visiting his exhibit, it’s a complete shock to know nothing was produced with video, DSLRs, or any expensive equipment at all. Horvath has only recently began using videography.

  When I asked Horvath how long it took to get the 20-30 photos that he was showcasing, he informed me that he shot 2,000 short trailers prior to the exhibit’s opening, expressing that it took “a surprisingly long time to complete.”

  Within the exhibit is a steel canoe with a video projected on it. Horvath said it wasn’t the one he rode on the river but was similar in many aspects.

  He rode a kayak with a clear bottom so he could photograph the marine life beneath him. The music that plays in the exhibit is a 52 minute long song Horvath recorded on the Hillsborough River.

  He noted that whenever a truck or plane would pass by, the noise produced was so distracting, he would need to re-record the song.

  Horvath admitted he was uncomfortable filming on the river for the first few sessions due to the spiders, snakes, and gators that roam the area.

  However, over time, he became enamored with his surroundings. He arrived on location by sunrise to capture an entire day’s worth of material.

  He added that the only negative aspect of his project was when he would be traveling through the marshes or quietly drifting through the water, getting lost in the beauty of the landscape, and his partner or companion would whisper, “What are you looking at? What do you see?” He’d sigh exasperatedly, telling the story and disappointed that people couldn’t see the beauty in nature that he could.

  Laszlo Horvath: The Water’s Edge exhibit is February 6-28 on the Ybor Campus in the Campus Gallery. The display is open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Tuesdays until 7 p.m.