Hello. My name is Gergo Rugli. I am a seascape and ocean photographer living in Sydney, Australia.
I was only a small child learning how to speak when my grandfather used to read stories about the oceans, dolphins and sharks, in the landlocked country of Hungary where I grew up. I still very vividly remember how fascinated I was by these stories which ended up shaping my whole life.
In my early years, my love towards nature was expressed through my drawings, and later on, in my twenties through my beloved award-winning garden. Designing and maintaining this garden opened my eyes to the smallest details of nature’s beauty. I was amazed by the intricate beauty of the hundreds of flowers. This made me realize that we’re surrounded by wonders that we often ignore because of our busy lifestyles. Capturing the micro world of this “little oasis” was when I put my hands on a camera for the first time.
By my mid-thirties, I established a comfortable lifestyle through our successful family business. Despite all the good things that life provided for me, I felt an emptiness. Something was missing and I was looking for it restlessly.
In 2014, I visited Australia for the first time; my heart was filled with joy like never before. On my last day there, I went for a swim at the famous Bondi Beach. It was magical. The waves were gently rolling in whilst I was floating on my back with my eyes closed, letting the current drift me around. Being in the ocean, I felt peace like I never had before… it was that moment when everything became crystal clear and I felt like I found what I was looking for so long. Unfortunately, the following day, all of this magic ended as I returned to Europe. The emptiness struck me, and the feeling of lost love was unbearable.
My daily routine after my return was watching the sunset from my balcony and longing for that magical land with its vast oceans. My mind was spinning from the hundreds of excuses about how it would be impossible for me to live close to my beloved ocean. Every time a plane flew above in the sunset sky, the voice in my stomach was screaming “you must go”. It was during one of these evenings when I decided to stop swimming against the currents and instead put my life in the hands of the Almighty and let the river of the Universe take me far away. In that moment, when I made up my mind that I would give up everything, like an epiphany, as if someone turned on the light – everything became crystal clear. All the excuses, all the fears and every mental obstacle in my mind faded away.
I left the comfortable and calm waters, and I drifted to a faraway land, through furious cascades, rough whirlpools and severe storms, all the way back to my beloved ocean. Throughout this journey, it was photography that helped me fight the currents. Photography helped me focus only on the positive, the magnificent beauty of our world and its wonders. It shined a path for me during the dark hours. Without this passion of mine, all my dreams would have been lost forever.
Now I have the privilege to spend most of my time by the ocean and contemplate its beauty day by day.
I am continuously searching for those magical moments like the ones that shaped my life forever in my grandfather’s stories. I endeavor to capture the beauty and wonders of our world for the rest of my life.