Photography Life
- Posted on Friday April 03, 2026
I just returned from Nepal! Before you ask, the answer is no – I didn’t see Mount Everest on this trip. Instead, I was visiting a different region of the Himalayas to do the Annapurna Circuit Trek. This trek maxes out at 17,770 feet, slightly higher than Everest Base Camp and sometimes considered the world’s highest trekking pass (but still nowhere near the summit of Annapurna I, which reaches 26,545 feet). I want to emphasize that I did NOT try to summit Annapurna, which would most definitely be the last thing I ever attempted on this earth, as it is considered the deadliest mountain on Earth to climb. Continue Reading » - Posted on Wednesday April 01, 2026
Today, I would like to take you on a journey into the dark green twilight of the tropical Andes…where a raging mountain torrent weaves its way between the rocks. Where foamy water thunders down into the depths of a rock gorge. Where the branches of the trees are covered with decorative carpets of orchids, ferns, bromeliads, mosses and lichens. For, it is in this mysterious world that you can encounter one of the most iconic birds in all of Latin America – the Andean Cock-of-the-rock. Continue Reading » - Posted on Monday March 30, 2026
At 3,798 meters, the Grossglockner is the highest mountain in the Austrian Alps. In fact, it could be considered one of Europe’s last wildernesses, as there are no cable cars and the summit is only accessible to trained climbers. The steep slopes belong only to the birds and the few species of mammals that call it home. It is a world of snow, ice and jagged peaks. But even this seemingly unspoiled place is undergoing a dramatic transformation due to global warming, perhaps faster than anywhere else. Continue Reading » - Posted on Monday March 30, 2026
Spring has finally arrived in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where I’m writing these lines. You can feel it in the air—and at last, you can hear it too—that wonderful season of love. A few days ago, while out for a run along the river, this reality really hit me. Not because I saw more couples in love than usual on the trail, but sadly, because of the first dead frog of the year. Every year, thousands of them are killed under car wheels on their way to the water, where they breed. Give their love a chance, and please drive carefully. Continue Reading » - Posted on Saturday March 28, 2026
The dynamic range of a sunrise over the sea exceeds the limits of even the best sensors. Thus, with a single shot, you’re forced to accept crushed shadows, blown highlights, or a compromise using graduated neutral density filters. Instead of fighting those limits, I prefer creating an HDR image by merging multiple bracketed shots. Continue Reading » - Posted on Wednesday March 25, 2026
Kingfishers have held a special place in my heart since childhood. I can still recall the excitement of receiving, then devouring in a single breath, one of my very first books: a beautifully illustrated story about a kingfisher family and its struggle to survive in a human-dominated world. Kingfishers on the Blue Bay by Karel Nový did not romanticize their lives. Continue Reading » - Posted on Wednesday March 25, 2026
DxO PureRaw has carved out a niche among photographers seeking to efficiently and automatically denoise their Raw files. With the release of PureRaw 6, I had high expectations for new features that would further refine this powerful software. After extensively testing it, I found that this version adds something new, but it is more of an evolution than a revolution. Continue Reading » - Posted on Sunday March 22, 2026
It almost felt like the autumn of 1989, when the totalitarian communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia was collapsing. Back then, Letná Plain—the largest open space in Prague—was filled with 800,000 people. This Saturday, “only” around 250,000 showed up, but the goal was similar: to send a clear message to the current government about disagreement with the direction in which the country is heading. Nothing we don’t see in news reports from around the world every week. Continue Reading » - Posted on Friday March 20, 2026
When we think of a duck, most of us probably imagine a stocky bird with a flat beak, cruising across calm, mirror-like water. And indeed, of the 165 species of ducks known today, the vast majority fit this description. But there are four species that have chosen a very different path of making fast-flowing rivers their home. And among them, the undisputed extremist is the South American Torrent Duck, a bird whose entire existence is bound to the raging rivers cascading down the steep slopes of the high Andes. Continue Reading » - Posted on Thursday March 19, 2026
Today I'm excited to announce the release of our newest Online Workshop: Secrets of Professional Photographers with Libor Vaicenbacher! This 2 hour, 41 minute course takes you behind the scenes with two eminent Czech photographers, Ondře Prosický and Magdaléna Straková, revealing their secrets in two in-depth interviews. Continue Reading »
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