🔴 Guest Post: Ondřej Trojan
“Using Leica cameras in the work of a professional documentarist and photojournalist.”
Who is Ondřej?
Ondřej Trojan is a documentary and reportage photographer focused on black-and-white humanist photography. His work has been featured on the official Instagram accounts of Leica and Leica USA, and in 2024 it was exhibited as part of Czech Press Photo at the National Museum in Prague. In the same year, he held his first solo exhibition at the Matějovec Gallery.
Between 2023 and 2026, he has participated in numerous group exhibitions and photographic projects, including Kafka 2024, FOTOSTART, and Traveling with Leica. His photographs were published by Respekt magazine in the book World Intellectuals. He has also collaborated with Czech Television and the organization Paměť národa. Since 2022, he has worked as a staff documentary photographer for the Faculty of Humanities at Charles University.
My journey to Leica?
I see my path to Leica cameras as a very natural evolution. I started with Nikon cameras and later moved to Fuji. From DSLR systems I transitioned to smaller mirrorless cameras, and I was drawn to their compactness. Around eight years ago, I discovered the work of the English photographer Alan Schaller, and I was completely struck by the quality of his photographs. I noticed that he was using Leica cameras, and I immediately knew that I needed to have one.
Around the same time, I began exploring the old French school of photography, including my favorite photographer in the world, Henri Cartier-Bresson, who never let go of his Leica. As a result, I eventually purchased my first Leica, a Leica M240, and began using it for all of my professional work.
Why Leica?
Leica is a camera I know I will never let go of. Over the years of using it, it has grown so close to my heart that I can no longer imagine working without it. It is small, discreet, fast, and above all I love the lenses I can use with it. I fell in love with this small German miracle, which represents the pinnacle of precision and engineering. I can operate it even blindly, and I need nothing more.
What Do You Photograph and Why?
I am a freelance photographer, working both on commissioned assignments and, above all, on personal work. I focus on long-term projects; at the moment, I am working on around five of them. I love to travel and always have a camera with me. I try to capture the essence of each place I visit. People interest me the most—photography without people feels empty to me.
My work is rooted in documentary photography and long-term projects focused on various themes. For several years now, I have been working on a project titled Northern Bohemia, in which I seek to capture the environment in which I grew up—an area that is not widely known. During the Second World War and in the period shortly after, terrible events took place there, and traces of them are still visible in the landscape today.
Thoughts
As you can see, my work is primarily black and white. I made this decision right at the very beginning, and I’ve stuck with it ever since. Personally, I think I can’t even shoot in color. Someone once told me it’s just an “artistic” stylization, but I strongly disagree. Black and white is a way of storytelling—it’s not just “decoration.”
For me, it can express more than a colour photograph, because it shows things more directly and doesn’t distract the viewer with a layer of colour. Black-and-white photography still makes sense today; it is relevant and contemporary. It needs to be approached as an independent photographic discipline, not merely as an editing variant.
How Do You Know MrLeica?
I discovered the channel a few years ago when I needed to find information about different lenses. I have to say that it has always been extremely helpful in helping me decide which lenses or cameras are the right choice for my specific needs.
Favorite Leica Camera?
For me, it’s the Leica M3 and the Leica M10—I use both for my work, and there isn’t a day when I don’t have one of them (or both) in my hands. But if I had to choose the one I’d take with me to the grave, it would be my M3. For me, it is the absolute best camera.
Favorite Lens?
Personally, I fell in love with the 50mm focal length about two years ago, when I was still shooting primarily with a 28mm. Once I put a 50mm lens on my camera, I almost never took it off. It’s a focal length that truly reflects how I see the world, feels the most comfortable for me to work with, and can do everything I need. At the same time, almost all of my favorite photographers used a 50mm, so through their photographs I also grew to love this perspective.
At the moment, I’m using the 50mm Leica Summarit f2.5 and Leica Summicron 50mm f2 v3. The Summarit is perfect—tiny, lightweight, and incredibly sharp. I often use the Summicron for shooting film; I like having the option of f/2.
Favorite Film?
I use Kodak Tri-X 400 film for a simple reason: it’s the best black-and-white negative on the market, with a long-standing tradition—and I simply love the look of classic photographs by the masters from Magnum Photos. Yes, it’s a bit more expensive, but it does everything I need. I love its grain, sharpness, and latitude. I’ve been using it for so long that I can’t imagine shooting on anything else.
Where can you find Ondřej?
Follow me at:
- Instagram: @ondrej.trojan
- Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/196207616@N08/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OndrejTrojan2
- Irys: Ondrej_Trojan
- Website: https://www.ondrejtrojanphotography.cz
- Eshop: https://shop.ondrejtrojanphotography.cz
MrLeica comments on this article
Thanks OndĹ™ej, and for sharing what’s important to you as a working photographer. I always admire people that use Leica cameras as work tools rather than fashion accessories. It’s what they were made for!
Ondřej reached out after seeing my Instagram story from Prague and we met for coffee in the Leica Gallery. All very spontaneous. I was with my buddy Tobi and we were both really impressed by what Ondřej has already achieved.
When you meet OndĹ™ej he just comes across as a regular guy and quite humble (but you can tell he’s smart). What he fails to mention in his article is that at the young age of 26 he’s already selling his prints for over a 1000 Euros each! (I hadn’t even discovered photography at age 26!)
I’m not sure how you measure success but in my mind that makes OndĹ™ej in the top 1% of photographers around the world. (If people ever ask to buy my photos I normally say ÂŁ50 each so 1000 Euros is a million miles away from where I’m at).
Thanks OndĹ™ej for being proactive and asking to meet up while I was in town – If you ever see me visiting your town feel free to reach out.
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