Before we start shooting together, you should have an idea of who Dan Hůla is. I invited my friend who is a journalist to write a story about me. Enjoy your reading.
An adventurer, a dreamer focused on details. That’s how Dan describes himself in three words. He reveals a little about himself so you can decide if you want him as your photographer. He sits in his camper in the middle of a forest outside Prague. The car is polished to the last detail, every thing has its place and its function. And there’s plenty of cushions, Dan loves those.
My photographic dream is not to starve to death
Dan enjoys taking pictures of people, observing and capturing them in the environments and situations they find themselves in. My question about his photographic dream amuses him and he bursts out laughing, „My dream is not to starve to death.“ But then he daydreams and immediately wants to clone himself to get everything done. „There’s so much in the world, I’ll never have enough.“ He’d like to go to Africa, to Kenya, and see how they’re doing. „Someday I’d like to try to shoot an indigenous wedding. In the middle of a tribe in Africa, for example, I wouldn’t even have to understand them. Just observe and take pictures,“ says Dan.
Outside of work and shooting weddings, couples and portraits, he takes pictures of nature, foreign places and people he doesn’t know for fun. „I want to capture how they live here and now,“ he explains.
Favorite…
…series: M*A*S*H, Peaky Blinders, Sandman, Taboo
… movies: Interstellar, Dune, Star Wars, Batman, The Last of the Mohicans
… bands: „I don’t limit myself to pigeonholes. When I was a kid I was able to dress like a skateboarder and listen to metal or techno and I didn’t care. That’s actually what’s stuck with me ever since.“
… colors: „I enjoy variety. The crazier the better.”
Can I clone myself?
If Dan were to remain the last man on the planet, he wouldn’t have chosen anyone to join him. „I really wouldn’t want that. I enjoy watching people and if there was no one here, I’d be sad,“ he explains. Balance is important to him.
Nordic mythology, nature and dreamcatcher in one tattoo
A tattoo reveals a lot about a person. „The only easy day was yesterday.“ A slogan that’s impossible to miss on Dan’s arm. „Every day you have to push yourself further. To intentionally make it a little bit harder again and evolve,“ explains Daniel. Nordic symbolism, cosmic geometry, the relationship with his grandmother and important life experiences are also intertwined in Dan’s tattoo. „I have flowers of life made of circles. A bit like dream catchers, because I loved Indians when I was a kid. The calligraphic brushwork symbolizes the relationship to art,“ he explains. Odin’s crow, on the other hand, is an observer.
Hot chocolate and cupcake do a lot
When Dan wants to relax, he picks up and heads outdoors. „In the winter I ike snowboarding. But I don’t go on the slopes. I decide which way I’m going to go. I’m looking for my way, for freedom. When I fall out of an airplane, it’s the same,“ he adds with a laughing remark about jumping out of planes. He also dives, climbs and drives a motorcycle. „It doesn’t matter the destination. I enjoy the ride, I enjoy running. I’m not running from something or to something, I enjoy the running.“ Sometimes, though, he’ll fix his mood with just plain hot chocolate, a cupcake and a chat with a friend.
Dan is of the opinion that if he and his clients can find a common theme, tune into a similar wave, it’s easy to shoot and nice images are produced. „I’ve probably revealed enough about myself to make it easier for you to decide,“ Dan explains. „If you feel like it, get in touch with me and we’ll see what we can come up with together,“ says adventurer, dreamer, detailer and above all, great photographer Daniel Hůla.