Category Finalist 2007: playground

Vitek Ludvik

I was born on May 23, 1973, in the Czech Republic. I got started in photography at age 10 with a camera that was a gift from my grandfather. At 14, I started rock climbing and always had a camera around my neck. After I finished technical engineering school, I left for a surfing trip to Hawaii where I discovered the magic of landscape photography.
 
I got seriously into photography on a trip to Mt. McKinley in 1996. My work was first published in 1997 and in the same year, I founded Sharp Pictures, a multimedia agency specializing in the international sport industry. Since then, I have been working as a freelance photographer. I shoot catalogs and ads for clients such as Rip Curl, Quiksilver, Fomei, Tamron, and Sensor. I also make and collaborate on movies, including Goosneck and Real Night in Prague (mountain biking) and Just One Day (snowboarding). A trip to photo-shoot and film life and backcountry snowboarding in forgotten Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria and Romania resulted in another movie as well as stories and photos in magazines. In 2002, I attended the Vancouver Film School and although I still live in the Czech Republic, Whistler is my second home.

Nationality: Czech Republic