SheFeatures: Marketa Zvelebil
Name: Marketa Zvelebil
Camera: Nikon Z8, Nikon Z7 II
Favourite type(s) of photography: Wildlife, night (especially cities), street, macro, portrait and pets
Website: marketazvelebil.mypixieset.com
Instagram: @marketa.zvelebil
Location: Carcassonne, France
How did you get into photography?
When I was 6, I became very ill and my father gave me a camera to take my mind off things. It slowly developed from there. I used to take B&W film photos of people and cut their heads off! It stayed a serious hobby until I retired early, and then it became a passion.
Do you have any photographic qualifications or accolades?
I have a diploma in professional photography from the New York Institute of Photography and a Licentiate from the Royal Photographic Society (RPS).
What's the first photograph you remember seeing or shooting?
The first photographs I saw were us as kids, square B&W small photos. The first photograph I took that sticks in my mind was when I was eight, and we were in Venice. We had become political refugees that morning but still visited that beautiful city. But my 8-year-old heart got taken by a ‘handsome’ policeman standing on a bridge. I took a photo of him and didn't even cut his head off. The photo is still somewhere in a box.
What do you love about photography?
It saves my sanity! When I am looking through the viewfinder, the outer world ceases to exist and I become one with the camera. It's a form of meditation.
What do you wish you'd learned about photography earlier?
Not to be afraid to take the photo. And to realise that photography is a subjective subject; not everyone is going to like what I like, and I may not like a photo that other people like. In a way there is no good or bad photo (to some extent).
Where is your favourite place for photography?
That depends on what I am photographing, but in general, I photograph outside (as long as it's not raining) where there are loads of birds or other animals and few people.
Do you have a favourite photographic technique?
Not really, I like to experiment, whether it's ICM (Intentional Camera Movement), Pep Ventosa or a fast exposire to catch a bird in flight.
Can you briefly outline your approach to image processing?
I start with Adobe Bridge and move to Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) for first culling and going from Raw to Jpg. Then more careful processing and editing in Photoshop. As I shoot a lot of birds, I also use Topaz Denoise a lot.
What's your favourite lens?
That's a hard one. In the city, for example, the Nikon Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens. For general wildlife photography, the Nikon Nikkor Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S.
Do you have a favourite accessory?
My 1000x ND (neutral density) filter for long exposure shots.
Have you found the perfect camera bag yet?
I have a couple that I use, depending on what lenses I take. But both are Lowepro.
Which photographers have influenced or inspired you, and how or why?
I love Henri Cartier-Bresson for street photography, Robert Capa (who can forget his photos?), and Lee Miller, the only female photographer in WW2. She photographed Buchenwald and Dachau.
Please recommend 2 or 3 female photographers to follow on Instagram.
Paola Franqui, Kelsey Rodas and Asa Sjostrom
Is there a camera, lens or accessory that you don't have yet but you'd like to buy at some point?
Yes, the Nikon Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR to be my everyday lens.
Is there a photography genre you love but haven't tried yet?
Nighttime wildlife.
What's your proudest photographic moment?
When National Geographic Traveller magazine brought one of my photos, and coming second in Camera Jabber Photographer of the Year 2024.
If you could have one superpower that could help you with photography, what would it be?
If you could have one superpower that could help you with photography, what would it be?
Simply to walk and to be able to get down on the ground and up again.
Your favourite baked goods are?
Now that's really difficult...there are so many. Pavlova, any cramy sponge cakes. I can't choose!
Please tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in what used to be Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) in Prague. I became a refugee at eight years old. I lived in the USA and moved to Holland (I am Dutch by passport). I lived and worked in the UK (for more than 40 years) and consider that my home, but I now live in France. I speak a few languages. I became ill and then disabled between the ages of 6 and 8, but that didn’t stop me from doing sports etc, and becoming a relatively well-known scientist in my field. I love animals, good food and wine, I love good company and absolutely love photography.
I now live in a tiny village in the south of France, near Carcassonne. It’s a beautiful area for photography, so if anyone wants to visit, let me know.
