About This Site

Who I Am

My name is Lucie Novakova. I am a self-taught photographer based in Prague, and I have been documenting Czech Republic with a camera for the past three years. Before that, I worked in graphic design and thought I understood visual composition. Photography taught me I had a lot more to learn.

FilovaDika started as a personal notebook — a place to write down what I was learning so I would not forget it. It became a website when people I knew kept asking me the same questions about getting started with photography. Writing the answers down once seemed more efficient than explaining aperture for the fifteenth time.

My Background

I am not a professional photographer. I do not shoot weddings or portraits for clients. I go out with a camera because I find it genuinely interesting — the combination of technical problem-solving and visual thinking is unlike anything else I have tried.

My professional background in design means I came to photography with some understanding of composition and visual hierarchy, but almost no knowledge of how cameras actually work. The technical side took time. I spent a lot of months shooting in Aperture Priority before I felt comfortable in Manual mode.

Why Czech Republic

I grew up in Brno and moved to Prague in my mid-twenties. Czech Republic is an extraordinary place to learn photography. The architecture spans centuries, the light in winter is low and dramatic, and there are enough landscapes — from the Bohemian Switzerland rock formations to the Moravian wine country — to keep you busy for years.

Prague specifically is both a blessing and a challenge. The city is beautiful and endlessly photogenic, but it is also one of the most photographed places in Europe. Finding a perspective that is not already in a thousand travel blogs requires effort and early mornings. I find that challenge interesting rather than frustrating.

What This Site Is

Everything here comes from practical experience. I write about things I have actually done, places I have actually been, and techniques I have actually tried. When something did not work, I say so. When I am not sure about something, I say that too.

I do not accept sponsored content or free equipment. The moment money enters the picture, the writing becomes something else. I buy my own gear and pay for my own travel.

Get in Touch

If you have questions or want to share your own experiences shooting in Czech Republic, reach out through the contact page. I read everything, though I cannot always respond quickly.