HIS FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION
Ladislav Sitenský, when he had the chance, published his pictures in the magazine Pestrý týden (Varied Weekly), which was particularly friendly to photographers. In July 1939, he published a remarkable article in Issue 28, when he was still not quite twenty-years old:
THE THOUSANDS OF POSSIBILITIES OF AN AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER
The World from Another Side
The things that surround us can be looked at from a variety of points of view and as a result can always appear differently. First of all, each individual observes a thing individually, according to his or her opinions and according to his or her taste, so that each thing can have as many facets as there are observers who judge it. Secondly, the same observer can view a thing differently from a variety of points of view. If we say about something "it's great, it's beautiful, it's ugly, etc." our opinion on the matter is far from exhausted. The same thing will affect us with so many different impressions, from how many sides, in how many different forms of lighting and in how many moods we are experiencing when we judge it. Life is multifaceted and it is up to us how we look at it.
In photography we can also capture the same thing in a variety of ways. We call this kind of capture a “shot.” An impressive shot is the main aesthetic condition of a good photograph, whether it be an artistic photograph or a piece of reportage, etc. In this respect, modern photography has already made tremendous progress. In exhibitions and magazines, we can find a number of truly beautiful and impressive shots every day, many of which, however, are often repeated in various variations ad infinitum. However, we also have some courageous pioneers pursuing new directions in photography who are not content with old, albeit artistic and impressive shots, but are always looking for new and novel ways of taking effective shots and achieving great successes. It is enough to point out examples like Machaté's film “Extase” or Riefenstahl's great film “Olympia.”
The normal shot is a photograph from eye level, presenting us with an image as we would see it through normal observation. In addition to this kind of normal shot, the most widespread shot is taken from below, which can often achieve a far more powerful effect than a normal shot. The effect of this kind of shot is particularly striking, for example, when photographing dance and other jumps, because it creates the impression of the jump involving a far greater height than it actually had. A much rarer, and generally less rewarding shot is taken from above, which, after all, is not always possible.
In the search for an effective shot, however, it is not the height of the lens that matters, but countless other circumstances. Thus, we can achieve beautiful effects by shooting against the sun, and in general by choosing the right kind of lighting and cast shadows.
The search for effective shots is the main concern of every amateur photographer. The diligent amateur photographer never stops searching, innovating and trying new and novel shots, even if at times an unusual shot does not achieve the desired effect, and instead of increasing the impression, only a ridiculous distortion of the object being captured occurs. No amount of disappointment can deter the amateur, however, because with persistent work he will soon gain so much experience that he can create a good shot from the most mundane things, something worthy of attention.