Photographer: Stanislav Fehér

Can you tell us a little about you? I am 42 years old, I live in Skalica, picturesque small town in the west of Slovakia and I am a teacher by profession. I teach at primar y school and my role is to teach children how to read, write and count. I have a great family. My wife is photographer, my two clever children are inclining to art too. I like to read and go to nature. Both are then an ins piration to me.

How and when did you get into photography? If I don’t count photos from family celebrations o r trips, I got to photography thanks to my wife. She is a portrait ph otographer, she makes a living by photographing peo ple, families and weddings. As she changed her hardware, old cameras stayed at home laying around. I tried how it ’s to make photos with better cameras and it got me. N ow it is 6 years already, that I took it more serio usly. At the beginning , I took pictures of ever y thing – maybe as all of us. I tried to shoot nature, landscape, mac ro, architec-ture… I realized that those kinds of photos really don’t fulfill me, that I want to take pictures of p eople instead.

What does photography mean to you? Photograph is a stor y to me and an escape from rea lity. I like, when people stop and think when looking at my photos. Ma ybe it is, because I like books, histor y and phanta sy world. I tr y to bring it to my photos. I like to work on pho tos, that are dreamy, surreal and fantastic. Howeve r, I do not avoid capturing reality and current topics, but aga in in my own view.

Please briefly describe your photography style for our readers. Style, that I shoot, will be best classified as fineart and conceptual photography. I tr y to make m y photos eye-catching and that they carr y a notion, that people think about. I like getting feedback from pe ople, when they write me, that my photo caught them , that it reminded them of something , inspired them. I have a feeling of fulfillment and work well done.

Where do you get inspiration from? There is a lot of inspiration around us. Nature, u nconventional places, inte-resting people, events, books and last but not leas t our dream world. Sometimes it's an ordinar y tree I walked around, and the idea of incorporating it into a pho to came to my mind.

Do you think in advance what you want in the pictur e? I am not one of the photographers who finds a mode l, takes her to the studio and "clicks". Ever y photo o f me is well thought out and prepared. The idea com es first. I will draw it on paper. Gradually I will collect or make props and find a suitable location. Then I wil l contact a model who is typified in my project and only then w ill we go to take pictures. When taking photos, som etimes something interesting is created spontaneously on t he spot, but the vast majority of my photos are tho ughtful and planned.

Studio, on location or both? I do not use the studio. I love natural light. I li ke to take photos outdoors, or in old abandoned buildings. Although the complete equipmen t for the studio is stored at home, I do not use it . Maybe sometime in the future, but now I'm completely comf ortable with plein-air.

Would you consider yourself a hobbyist or a paid pr ofessional? As I wrote at the beginning , I am a teacher by profession. Photography is my hobby. I take it as r elaxation, escape from reality and the opportunity to fulfill my dreams. I can't imagine having to take pictures of what I don't like because the client requires it. I like freedom and I take photos when I have an idea and a desire to create, not when I am pressed by a deadline.

Nikon or Canon? Favorite lens? Nikon and I won't let him. Gradually I tried more of them. I started with the Nikon 3200, then the Nikon D300s, I also tried the Nikon D800 and now my favorite Nikon has been D750 for a few years. The most popular lens is probably Nikkor 50mm F1.8. and Sigma 50mm f1/4 DG HSM Art Nikon

What has been your most memorable session and why? There were probably more like that. I like to reme mber taking photos in the old Franciscan monaster y, wher e we photographed the horror scene. The models were dres-sed as nuns. The monaster y was completely empty and a strong wind was blowing outside. When we prepare d the scene, the models took their positions and I to ok a photo, ever y thing fell silent and in the empty long corri-dors only the hum of the wind could be heard. It wa s sug gestive, it had a really scar y atmosphere. Mem orable photos were probably also for several of my models, when we took photos at negative temperatures, in s trong winds and snow. The girls have my admiration that t hey did it so perfectly. I enjoy photography, so ev er y one has it own charm and I am ver y happy about ever y one.

What is one piece of advice you would like to offer a new photographer looking to start their own busi ness? As a hobby photographer, it is difficult for me to com ment on business. But still, I would have one piece of advice for a beginning photographer who wants to do business. Find your style and hone it to perfection. A style that fulfills you, that describes you and then offer it to the cl ient. Never tr y to take pictures in a way that ever yone likes. Be yourself - if you do your job properly, the client will find you himself.

What do you think of our new magazine? I discovered your magazine only recently, but I wa s ver y pleasantly surprised. I am ver y happy to be a part of it.

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