Fashion photography has been a dream come true for me. What’s yours?

Czech Fashion Week, Karlovy Vary 2021

Fashion is not just a fad. Clothing is one of the most important parts of our everyday lives. Whether we realize it or not, every day we express through our outfits our attitude toward life, nature, other people, and, above all, ourselves.

I have wanted to be part of the fashion world since I was a child. My dream unfolded gradually — first, at the age of 15, I enrolled in a fashion school, then I studied photography and discovered my love for clothing not only through creating, but also through the viewfinder of my camera.

When I photographed a fashion show for the first time, I realized that fashion photography is a genre I want to dedicate myself to. At first, I created documentary-style photo series, and later I naturally began collaborating with designers in the Czech Republic and abroad.

It is rightly said that fashion photography is one of the more demanding photographic genres — it combines elements of both documentary and portrait photography, and at the same time must meet aesthetic standards for both the person being photographed and the garment itself. It was in this genre that I encountered both my own limits and the limits of my equipment at the time.

Looking back, I have to say that the period when I “hungrily” photographed every fashion event and refused to be discouraged by a slow camera helped me grow the most. Thanks to that, I am now prepared even for the most challenging shoots. Over the years, I learned not only to master the technical aspects, but also to develop my own style — and most importantly, to be faster and more decisive both during shooting and post-production.

Thanks to my determination, I eventually fulfilled my dream. I became part of the professional team of photographers at the most prestigious fashion event in the Czech Republic — Mercedes-Benz Prague Fashion Week. But I’ll tell you more about that next time.

Originally, I wanted to talk about the techniques and what fashion photography entails. But that would have been long and actually quite dull — because experience cannot be taught, it has to be lived.

What I want to share instead is a simple message: never give up. And above all, don’t sit in the corner and wait for things to happen on their own. Magic begins the moment you dare to do things that might currently scare you the most. Because behind fear lies strength — and every step outside your comfort zone brings you closer to your dreams.

In the beginning, I didn’t have good equipment. My first full-frame camera struggled in low light, so I hunted for moments in shafts of light. My MacBook was struggling too, and every image took forever to load. When I “outgrew” my first camera and its capabilities were no longer enough, family and friends tried to discourage me from buying a new one.

But I didn’t give up.

This is my life. And the only thing that makes sense to me is to follow my dreams. So every day I wake up grateful that I can.

And you know what? I feel like I’m at the beginning again. I have fulfilled my fashion dreams — and that’s why new ones are now coming. Maybe one day I will create my own fashion brand, or collaborate with artists and designers around the world, and build a community where we don’t compete with each other, but support one another and create a better world together.