Warrington’s hidden beauty features in exhibitions around the world

Zoltán Romvári has spent the past 30 years taking photographs after discovering a passion for the art when he was a child.

He tries to “stop time” with his photos and “show small details and missed moments that are invisible to others”.

He has exhibited his photography at exhibitions around the world with his work displayed in Europe, Australia and the United States.

A photograph taken at St Benedict’s Church in Orford was shown in Chicago and Philadelphia last year and will feature at North Photo Festival in Leeds later this year.

A plane in the sky above Arley Hall will also be appearing in Leeds and a chilly morning at Lymm Dam can be seen in Barcelona in March.

'Look up' at Arley Hall - This year's exhibition photo in Leeds

In 2023, he had two black and white photographs on display in Leeds – ‘Last ship’ taken in Meols, Wirral and ‘Sunbathing’ taken at Pennington Flash and he will be appearing in Chicago this year with a colourful image of a flamingo at Chester Zoo.

Zoltán, who is 43 and lives in Orford, said: “During the Covid-19 pandemic, I started to look for overseas competitions and exhibition opportunities.

“Since then, I have had the good fortune to present my work in so many places around the UK and around the world including Asia, Australia and Europe.

“In 2022, I participated in more exhibitions overseas than in Europe and this year I will be participating for the third time in Chicago at Bridgeport Art Center.

“In recent years, Philadelphia and New York have appeared on the tour lists several times, along with Montreal in Canada.

“I am usually present at these exhibitions with local or neighbourhood photos.

“Several Wirral, Lymm Dam or Pennington flash pictures have already been presented to the American public.

'Last ship' at Meols, Wirral - Last year's exhibition in Leeds and this year's exhibition in May at Coningsby Gallery in London (also exhibited in Budapest, Athens, Melbourne, Montreal and Barcelona)

“In fact, I found a collector who bought a whole series of my photos in Philadelphia, the subject of which is Perth Rock lighthouse in Wirral.

“This year, I will be present in Chicago with two photos and the exhibition will last more than a month.

“The first is one of my first and favourite photos made exclusively for an exhibition.

“’Moss in the warm morning light’ was taken on the fence of St Benedict’s Church in Orford.

“The second is the first photo in a series of photos taken at Chester Zoo, which shows the day a flamingo was blessed with a new baby.

“This photo has made its way from London to Johannesburg and all the way to Melbourne in the past year.”

Flamingo at Chester Zoo - This year's exhibition photo in Chicago

Zoltán is originally from Hungary but moved to Northwich in 2007 and now lives in Orford.

He is a master photographer and artist having completed a degree at the University of Manchester.

Here Zoltán talks us through how he captured the photograph that has appeared in more than 50 exhibitions around the world.

'Moss in warm morning light' - This year's exhibition photo in Leeds and last year in Chicago and Philadelphia

Moss in warm morning light – St Benedict’s Church, Orford

Zoltán said: “This was taken on a sunny but cool spring morning back in 2020.

“It took about a week to make because the colours and contrasts that I wanted would not come together.

“The picture itself was taken with a 50-year-old lens because I like to use vintage lenses on digital cameras.

“Little moss lived alone under the well-known wild rose bush on the Dorothea Street side of the church.

“One morning and after many attempts, thanks to a stray ray of sunlight and a light wind, the photo was born.

“I knew immediately that I had taken the photo I had been waiting for.

“It has appeared in exhibitions and collections more than 50 times.”

'Sunbathing' at Pennington Flash - Last year's exhibition in Leeds

Zoltán’s favourite place to photograph is Centre Park in Warrington and the birds, flowers and squirrels at Walton Gardens or Risley Moss and Lymm Dam.

Zoltán said: “I believe that, in today’s digital world, an artist cannot help but use the power of the internet.

“On one hand, this is a good thing because it is easier to participate in international competitions and exhibitions, but unfortunately it also has a bad side, namely the decline of interest in photography.

“Today, the focus is on a photograph’s uniqueness and originality and how it separates itself from the rest.

“Photography is accessible to everyone.”