I bought my first camera 10 years ago because I went for a holiday, took a few snaps while away, and put it back in the draw for a few months. At that time, taking photos was about preserving memories, point and click, without any clue about light, composition, etc. I did not fall in love with photography on my first holiday. Traveling became my passion, and I started taking more and more trips abroad, with the highlight being 9 months-long travels in Asia. Thanks to traveling, photography became my favorite hobby. I started taking it further by studying all aspects of photography, experimenting with portraits, studio lighting, etc. I spent hours learning how to pose and use flash to conclude that I didn't like it and sold most of my studio gear. It was not until I started experimenting with street photography I found a passion for observing and photographing people naturally without getting noticed. That was the reason why I started photographing weddings. They are all about people, often hectic and always packed with emotion. I don't see myself as a wedding photographer; I like capturing life. Weddings, street, travel photography, or local events - my approach is always the same. Feel free to check out a few of my favorite galleries below…
About me
“In creativity, brightest minds have no place.
You have to think from the heart.”
"Be humble, be human and walk into the situation...
- Raghu Rai
Cuba
Cuba has very unique look and feel. Revolution in 1959 followed by US trade embargo frozen this Caribbean island in time. Streets are full of iconic American vintage cars, while horses and carts still clatter through countryside. Our favourite activity was wandering streets, getting lost and discovering how people live. Kids running around, playing football or baseball, people socialising outside - not staring into their smartphones. Daytime or night time, its incredibly safe country too. Even though popular sights are often full of tourists, its so easy to wander away and discover ordinary Cuba, that is so magical. There is so much to see and experience - from world class beaches to colourful colonial architecture, lush valleys and cities lost in time. We will definitely return to Cuba to explore more places and to buy a hell of lot more famous Cuban cigars :)
Return to galleries
Iran
Why are you going to Iran? Is it not dangerous? I was often asked these questions before travelling there. Iran has a bad reputation around the world but for travelling it's very safe country inhabited by most welcoming people I have ever met on my travels. For example - we were sitting in tube in Teheran, suddenly guy sitting opposite is giving me his smart phone. I did not understand him but I took the phone. On the other side was his friend who spoke perfect english, he explained that his friend overheard where we were going and that we need to change the train, as some parts of tube are now closed. The guy sitting opposite was trying to explain it to us but his english was very basic so he called his friend and passed his phone! Then we followed him as he showed us the right way. He wasted a good 20 minutes of his time and we NEVER ask for help! He just saw that he could help - so he did. Every day of our travels was filled with stories like this, people voluntarily helping us without asking for anything in return. Politics aside, Iran is fantastic country full of historical sites, splendid mosques, hustling bazaars, stunning landscapes and warm-hearted people that are always trying to help. It's a gem, that not many travellers discovered. Can't wait to go back:)
Iran has a bad reputation around the world but for travelling it's very safe country inhabited by most welcoming people I have ever met on my travels. For example - we were sitting in tube in Teheran, suddenly guy sitting opposite is giving me his smart phone. I did not understand him but I took the phone. On the other side was his friend who spoke perfect english, he explained that his friend overheard where we were going and that we need to change the train, as some parts of tube are now closed. The guy sitting opposite was trying to explain it to us but his english was very basic so he called his friend and passed his phone! Then we followed him as he showed us the right way. Every day of our travels was filled with stories like this, people voluntarily helping us without asking for anything in return. Politics aside, Iran is fantastic country full of historical sites, splendid mosques, hustling bazaars, stunning landscapes and warm-hearted people.
Return To Galleries
Street
What is street photography? For me, its about trying to find some interesting moments in everyday life. Street is a giant chaos, filled with people going about they daily business. Its fast paced and unpredictable. Trying to find something interesting can be challenging but rewarding at the same time. Its about developing better observation skills, learning how to stay unobtrusive while being close to strangers. Intuition, timing and being able to quickly seize a moment are things that are very important in storytelling wedding photography too. Its NOT all about moments though, as a lot of my street work is focused on finding interesting light and geometry. Every week I spend quite a few hours on streets chasing light, moments or just experimenting and being curious with my camera. Walking same streets but trying to find different images each time, as life that flows through those street as well as light are constantly changing. Photography is about learning to see and I think street is a fabulous place to learn to see and to experiment a bit:)
What is street photography? For me, its about trying to find some interesting moments in everyday life. Street is a giant chaos, filled with people going about they daily business. Its fast paced and unpredictable. Trying to find something interesting can be challenging but rewarding at the same time. Its about developing better observation skills, learning how to stay unobtrusive while being close to strangers. Intuition, timing and being able to quickly seize a moment are things that are very important in storytelling wedding photography too. Its NOT all about moments though, as a lot of my street work is focused on finding interesting light and geometry. Every week I spend quite a few hours on streets chasing light, moments or just experimenting and being curious with my camera. Photography is about learning to see and I think street is a fabulous place to learn to see and to experiment a bit:)
return To Galleries
China/Tibet
One place that I always wanted to see is Larung Gar Buddhist Institute. At its centre is Seda Monastery, the biggest school of Buddhism in the world, sitting at 4000m/13000 feet above see level. Place where up to 10 000 monks live & study Buddhism. They live in small red very basic houses, build on mountain sides surrounding the monastery. Living conditions are incredibly basic. Every morning when they make a little fire to warm up in there tiny houses, the whole valley gets filled with smoke, as sun is raising over horizon. Streets starting to fill with monks in red robes going to study. Its place like no other. It has its own strange beauty. Located in western China, not far from borders of Tibet. These regions have been inhabited by Tibetans for centuries. Tibetans believe that when person dies - body is just empty vessel as spirit is gone, so in some regions, the last honorable thing to do is to let vultures eat it. Its called sky burial. High up in mountains, a huge vultures filling the sky are slowly descending to sky burial site to be fed again, while family members are watching. This process may sound unreal and cruel for us westerners, but these people are not mean. They are some of the kindest and most peaceful I have ever met.
One place that I always wanted to see is Larung Gar Buddhist Institute. At its centre is Seda Monastery, the biggest school of Buddhism in the world, sitting at 4000m/13000 feet above see level. Place where up to 10 000 monks live & study Buddhism. They live in small red very basic houses, build on mountain sides surrounding the monastery. Living conditions are incredibly basic. Every morning when they make a little fire to warm up in there tiny houses, the whole valley gets filled with smoke, as sun is raising over horizon. Streets starting to fill with monks in red robes going to study. Its place like no other. It has its own strange beauty. Located in western China, not far from borders of Tibet. These regions have been inhabited by Tibetans for centuries. When Dalai Lama was fleeing Tibet, warriors from these regions escorted him to safety. It's great place to see authentic Tibetan culture without going to Tibet mainland as traveling there is very restricted.
Return to galleries
Travel
I think travelling is great way to broaden ones perspective. People are shaped by their environment, society, religious beliefs and have way of life and seeing the world that they consider “normal”. But this normal can be many things among different cultures and nationalities. For me travelling has always been about exploring the other peoples “normal”. Eating giant tarantulas in Cambodia because they are local speciality, visiting Hindu temple that is full of rats because they are considered holy - and people feed them! Things like this may sound crazy for us Europeans, but for people from different backgrounds they are normal and part of their religion or way of life and for them - we may not seem so normal :) I also love history and nature, so a lot of my travelling was focused on visiting historical sites, backpacking through mountains, visiting natural wonders. I love to have freedom to explore & go off the beaten path while travelling very lightweight, ehm, packing cameras first - then any space that is left can be filled with other stuff like clothes etc :) Travelling is something that I always enjoyed and certainly will never get tired of.
I think travelling is great way to broaden ones perspective. People are shaped by their environment, society, religious beliefs and have way of life and seeing the world that they consider “normal”. But this normal can be many things among different cultures and nationalities. For me travelling has always been about exploring the other peoples “normal”. Eating giant tarantulas in Cambodia because they are local speciality, visiting Hindu temple that is full of rats because they are considered holy - and people feed them! Things like this may sound crazy for us Europeans, but for people from different backgrounds they are normal and part of their religion or way of life. I also love history and nature, so a lot of my travelling was focused on visiting historical sites, backpacking through mountains, visiting natural wonders.
I love to have freedom to explore & go off the beaten path. Travelling is something that I certainly will never get tired of.
Return to galleries