Thirty-year-old Czech born photographer David Blazek began his career photographing friends skateboarding after he “fell in love with the skateboard” in 1996.
He now specializes in snowboarding, skateboarding, bikes and product shots and spends much of the year travelling.
His shot of snowboarder Pavel Bruzek performing a simple air-to-fakie trick won him the sequence category in the 2007 Image Quest. He actually appears in the photo, the shadow of him standing on a stepladder taking the photo can be clearly seen in the background.
So, what have you been up to since winning the Sequence category at the Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2007?
Classic stuff I guess: travelling and shooting a lot. When I got back to Prague right after the 2007 Illume contest, (professional snowboarder) Martin Cernik called me and asked me if I would join him and Matus Hubka (another pro boarder) for the North West trip for two weeks. I didn't really unpack my stuff but just left my home again.
Did winning the prize change anything for you or your career?
Well, I became a main photographer at Horsefeathers, a company here in Czech and it changed many things. I am happy about that.
What have been your most memorable shoots in the past couple of years?
Two weeks of skateboarding on Tenerife Island - that was the best for sure. So many good shots. And the other side of the coin, there was one shooting in Barcelona over last summer with 42 ºC there. I won’t ever forget that!
What interesting shoots or projects do you have coming up?
Let's see what the economic crisis will bring. It's not so easy now. I just have to keep on working no matter what.
You're best known for skate and snowboarding photography, but on your website you have some architecture shots - what is it about architecture that appeals to you?
Ha, I would not call it architecture. I would call it interior photos and it is just part of my work, nothing special. I just put it there to be able to navigate potential clients to see some previews. I will probably move it aside soon.
What is it about skateboarding and snowboarding that you particularly like to photograph or try to capture?
Good action shots and the lifestyle. I still love to work with a 6x6 camera and many, many flashes for the action stuff. Also I like taking polaroids and shooting rolls. I just love the quality and the hardness of it. It makes me feel like I am a photographer.
What do you see as the future of action sports photography - how is the industry changing?
Young and crazy digital dudes – there are a lot of them everywhere who don’t even know what aperture or ISO are. That’s the bad part. Good part is that there is lots of sick digital stuff on the market these days and cheaper and cheaper digital backs for medium format.
www.davidblazek.cz
2007 Winners' Q&A: David Blazek
2007 Winners' Q&A: David Blazek