About the Author

I first got my hands on a camera when I was about twelve. It was a classic analog Zenit – and that kind of “pioneer” photography. I managed to shoot maybe five rolls of film, which was some fifty photos in total – and since color film was way out of my budget back then, everything was black and white. That was probably my first encounter with photography and I left it at peace for a while after that. To put it another way – I just stopped enjoying it, much like many other hobbies that children of that age simply outgrow after a while.

My second attempt came around 1995, when I was slowly becoming an adult. At home, there was already an automatic “soap bar” camera for family memories and holiday snapshots. Even color film was finally affordable. I had a small Olympus that I used to photograph mostly family and friends, but something changed. I found that I was actually thinking about the photo before pressing the shutter – I tried different perspectives and wanted even an ordinary family snapshot to look a bit better. I didn’t know it yet, but that was when I started to look at the world through the eyes of a photographer.

Then came the digital era. When the first digital cameras appeared, I was left in awe. It felt to me like the best invention in the world – something I desperately wanted but, as a student, absolutely could not afford. It took until 2004, when I was 26, until I finally succeeded. I saved everything I could from part-time jobs, borrowed a bit, and bought (second-hand, of course) my first digital Minolta Dimage A1. That was the real turning point. I joined the community at vivo.sk, started devouring photography books, online articles, and building my skills. Thanks to my technical education, editing in Photoshop came naturally. For the first time, I didn't feel like just a guy with a camera, but like a photographer, an artist.

The Minolta era was short-lived – the camera broke after a few months and the repair made no financial sense. But by then, I was working full-time and could finally invest in a proper piece of equipment: a Canon EOS 30D. It was my first “profi” SLR. At that time, I had the good fortune to live in London, a city that is basically one giant photo opportunity. Between the energy of the big city and the chance to travel further around the world, I finally found my rhythm. Some of the photos you see on this site come precisely from this period of wandering and discovering what I could do with a proper lens in my hand.

As the years passed, I upgraded the technology and my collection of gear grew, but work and other duties took up more and more of my time. I found myself picking up the camera less and less. A few shots from trips and holidays – slowly but surely, I was becoming a former photographer. The turning point came in 2018, when I was 39, and a friend mentioned microstock to me. I had tried it once before with zero success and even less motivation – I knew I wasn't the type to shoot “smiling businessmen” shaking hands in a studio. But just out of curiosity, I uploaded a few travel photos. To my great surprise, they began to sell. I still remember the exact photo that earned me my first 36 cents. It wasn’t much, but it was exactly the spark I needed to return to photography.

In the world of stock photography, you usually have to shoot what is in demand. Fortunately, I managed to find a balance between commerce and art that I enjoy. Today, my sales on stock sites fund my hobby and allow me to travel and experiment with themes I truly love – from people and editorial to landscapes. During this period, I also stopped being a “Canonist” and switched to Sony, though over time I realized I am no longer loyal to any specific brand. The tool does not matter as much as the act of photography itself. Even though I am still an amateur – I have never entered a competition, won an award, or had an exhibition – people already know me simply as “Lubo the photographer.” I do not do it for prestige, likes, or money; I do it because I simply love the process.

Those who travel with me have already learned patience. They know I can spend hours waiting for the perfect light to illuminate a specific rock formation, or that a two-hour exposure of the night sky means two hours when I do absolutely nothing but sit under the stars. Those photos might eventually earn me ten cents, but that is not the point at all. It is about that peace, about the journey, and about the possibility of capturing a piece of the world exactly as I saw it. Thanks for stopping by my digital diary.

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The photographs in these galleries are the result of many years of experience, miles traveled, and thousands of hours spent sorting and editing. Unless stated otherwise, all images are my own work, protected by copyright law, and contain subtle digital fingerprints so I can identify their origin. If you find a shot you like, clicking on it will, in most cases, take you to a stock photo site where you can purchase a full commercial license. It usually costs only a few euros, but these small amounts directly support me – if not financially, then at least with the feeling that there is interest in my work.

At the same time, I understand that not everyone is in a position to help monetarily. If you would like to use one of the images for a personal project, a non-commercial blog, or just as inspiration for yourself, you have my permission – I only ask for a careful distinction between personal and commercial use. If you are earning money from the project, please purchase a license. Although I do not require it, when you credit my name next to the photograph, it always sincerely pleases me. If you simply enjoy the gallery and would like to contribute to the next expedition, you can send a small token of support via the link at the bottom of this page.

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Photography was not my first plan; if I knew how to paint, I would rather be painting pictures. But I draw terribly – so the camera became a sort of substitute for my missing painterly talent. Another possible way to show the world how I see it. Yet a lens is just a tool; on its own, it cannot grasp the soul of a moment or the true weight of the atmosphere. I remember once discussing with someone what actually defines a “good” photo. I said that in a truly good shot, you must be able to smell what the air was like back then. It should not just show you a place; it should trigger nostalgia in you, evoke a memory of something that perhaps hasn’t even happened to you yet, but you already know it is worth remembering...

Reality cannot be captured in a digital file. A camera, a lens, a sensor records light, but it cannot capture the feeling of that moment. This is why I rely heavily on Photoshop; not to improve the image or to impress anyone, but to express the atmosphere I experienced when I pressed the shutter. Someone might argue that adding colors, pulling out shadows, saving blown-out highlights, or adjusting the sky is cheating – to me, these adjustments represent how I truly saw the scene. It was just the technology that failed, and the camera did not see that golden sunset or the subtle details in the twilight, the hum of insects by the evening river, and the sudden chill when the last rays disappeared. Even when I do more extensive edits, retouching a distracting object or merging multiple exposures, I do not see it as distorting reality; I am trying to retell it as I felt it. Back in the days when I was active on the vivo.sk server, one author had written in his profile: “Whoever wants to see reality should buy a pair of binoculars.”
I am not trying to document reality. I want to tell my story.

I am equally open to the era of artificial intelligence. Perhaps it lacks a traditional soul, and most AI slop gets forgotten within a few hours or days. But like any technology, it too can bring great results. I do not want generative tools to completely replace my artistic vision, but I admit – I like to draw inspiration from it, and all new technologies are just another helpful asset for me. If a photo looks more like the way I want it to because of it, I do not resist. Maybe I am a hypocrite, but I will not follow some rules of “true photography” just for the sake of it. Edited or straight from the camera, reality or AI – it is not about the process, the author, or in my opinion, even the medium. It can be a passage in a book, a poem, a well-placed song in a movie, or a sculpture; it can be a smile from someone you love, the smell of a favorite meal, or that feeling when you are still lounging in bed at eleven on a Sunday morning while the sun shines through the window... It does not matter at all. All that matters is how it feels in the end. If it evokes a memory in you that does that pleasant “hurty” thing every time you look at it, then it is good.
If you can smell the air in that photo – it is a good photo.