You began your career as a professional photographer and journalist later in life, having previously pursued photography “only” as a hobby. Do you remember your very first photo?
As a very young boy, I spent more time at the junkyard than on the street. That’s where I found my first camera. I would walk around town pretending to take pictures. So my first shots were imaginary—I didn’t even know I had to insert film. It wasn’t until later, when my father noticed my interest, that he bought me my first functional camera—a bakelite model called Pionýr for 50 crowns. With that, I took my first real photograph—of my fox terrier. I wonder where he ended up…
Your name has been listed in the Czech Book of Records since 2012. How did that come about?
Once I began to find my own themes in photography, fate played its part—I captured a photo of a public figure with a chandelier above their head, creating the illusion of a halo. From that point on, there wasn’t an event where I wouldn’t recreate this idea. Eventually, I compiled over 1,600 similar “illuminated” portraits, all under the title A Thousand Faces with Halos, which earned a place in the Czech Book of Records.
Erotic themes are often a strong element in the work of any Renaissance artist. Do you have a way of photographing women differently, considering everything has seemingly been done before?
Everything depends on the inspiration each woman brings. Anyone who claims that depicting the naked female body is immoral or even vulgar is, in my view, revealing something about themselves—becauseTO THE PURE, ALL THINGS ARE PURE. It truly stems from how a woman perceives herself. Even renowned “experts” on female beauty have said that every woman is beautiful—she just might not know it. For me, the greatest compliment came from a woman who, as she was leaving my studio, turned at the door and said: I never knew I was this beautiful.
Which event connected to PRESTIGE magazine has remained most memorable for you?
The very founding of such a magazine—one whose content includes articles that contribute to the cultivation of the individual and, through that, to the betterment of society as a whole.
You graduated from Charles University with a thesis titled Fundamentals of Ecology and Environmental Education in the Context of Lifestyle. What advice would you give for the sustainability of human society?
We should start within our families and schools by learning to distinguish between things and relationships that are truly vital and those that are trivial or petty. Resist anger, give and receive love. And later, continue to educate ourselves constantly in our fields. Though it may sound lofty, we are, after all, the nation of John Amos Comenius. There’s no need to invent new scientific theories—he already said and described everything essential in a deeply human way in his time. We only need to remind ourselves of it and, most importantly, live by it.
Thank you for the interview.
Svatopluk K. Jedlička
Josef Louda
He was born on April 9, 1947, in Klatovy. He trained as a bricklayer and graduated in 1967 from the Secondary Technical School of Civil Engineering in Plzeň, specializing in water management. After completing his compulsory military service (1967–1969, one year in Milovice and the second in Hlohovec, Slovakia), he began working as a sewage foreman for the company Pražské silniční a vodohospodářské stavby. Following political screenings in 1971, despite not being a party member, he spent the next 22 years working for Sběrné suroviny During this time, he earned a degree from the Faculty of Arts at Charles University (1981), majoring in psychology, sociology, and adult education. His thesis was titled Fundamentals of Ecology and Environmental Education in the Context of Lifestyle. In 1993, he joined TV NOVA as a public relations officer. He initiated the creation of the Nova Foundation, under which he organized and ran the largest charity concerts for the mentally disabled, which continue to this day.
Since 2000, he has been working as an independent photographer and journalist. He is the author of dozens of magazine covers and hundreds of published photographs, articles, reports, and interviews, which were later compiled into the book Extraordinary Encounters. He has held numerous successful solo exhibitions. His largest exhibition to date, showcasing various photographic genres, was held in all exhibition spaces of the Old Town Hall under the title 3N – Idea, Chance, Mood (Nápad, Náhoda, Nálada). He has won the Prague Photographic competition three times in different categories. He is the author of the concept for the television documentary The Saudek Brothers and the projects Muse Through the Eyes of Muses and Vaginalia, or We’ve All Been Through It, as well as a poetic photo booklet accompanied by verses from living Czech poets, titled Tempting Folds.
His most recent work is the novel Love (In)compatible with Life (2017, 2025).
