It was a beautiful May afternoon when I received an offer of my dreams. To shoot an AW collection for one of the most expressive Czech fashion designers – Helen Mertl. And what was even better – the whole concept was up to me. No limits, no demands. When I saw her sketches of dresses I was sure that this is something I will enjoy. As a musician I love fashion with rock, punk or gothic elements. This is the environment in which I grew up – I speak the same language. I wished the final photos would speak in the same way a song can speak to you. I imagined a grunge princess who doesn’t mind sitting on a dirty floor or a dark gothic/rock goddess, well aware of her strength and beauty.
It was a difficult part of the job to find a model, a personality able to interpret all these “musical” aspects. With my friend, a fashion journalist, we were looking at dozens of faces from many modeling agencies. Then I saw Tyna and I was pretty sure that she is the one. Very young, beautiful with a very unique face. When I shoot, I also do make-up. Firstly because I know which make-up works well in the final photo and secondly because I like to have things under my control. During this shooting we didn’t want to change make-up rapidly for every single photo, we used very simple make-up, which just pointed out outstanding features of the model. We just played with the color of lipstick and the blush intensity. But what we changed for every photo, was the hair style.
Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and if you’ve been living here for a long time, you would find unbelievably beautiful places which are accessible to public and you can shoot there without any complications. Letna, the city district where I live, is one of the most beautiful places in Prague. This cosmopolitan part of the city attracts artists, photographers, actors, foreigners and you can find many artistic schools, famous bars and hipster cafes there. One of the largest Prague park is here, too. And there is my favorite place, the house which hides a very splendid view of Prague and a vintage globe. It is a place, where I come to talk to myself, where I took my friends, loves and where I know every corner well.
I am a punk photographer, I am not always sure that I know exactly what I am doing. That’s why I took my friend Honza with me for the photo shooting. He also made “making-of” photos. All the final photos are a team work result. I prefer to collaborate with people I value not only for their professional qualities, but also for their personalities – this is the best way to create a friendly and creative atmosphere.
I started to shoot only one year ago. I never imagined that I could shoot a fashion story few months later – for a fashion designer, whose one single dress costs the same as my electric guitar.