My father bought me my first camera as a Christmas present in 1970. At that time, I really liked motorbike racing, and I would take pictures of motorcycles wherever I saw them. It was later on, in secondary school when I was about 16, that I started to learn about photojournalism.
I started out by teaching myself how to photograph, and later I carried on learning through photography classes at secondary school. I was amazed by the work of Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado and he became a real inspiration. Much later, when I was about 30, I met him in Frankfurt. It was a wow moment.
I was working as a photographer for Delo, Slovenia’s biggest newspaper, when the country’s ten-day independence war broke out in 1991. As the story unfolded, I helped out some photographers from other news agencies by driving them through the barricades in my car, and among them was Reuters photographer Petar Kujundzic. After that, a professional dream came true for me: Petar suggested to the regional chief photographer that he should hire me, and ever since then, I’ve been working with Reuters.
Every assignment has something special in it. I can enjoy shooting a story, whether it’s just one picture, or a project that lasts for days.
I like nature photography and local assignments that show something positive. When I take these kinds of pictures, I’m thinking of ordinary people who love the natural world and are interested in good local stories about ordinary and extraordinary individuals. In this fast and furious world, it seems to me that we need a little easy thinking.
My biggest lesson has been finding out that nothing is impossible. That’s not to say things aren’t difficult though. Sometimes, for example, getting information through corporate information desks can be a real challenge. But even if something feels impossible, we keep trying.
Professionally, I really respect the Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt, I’d love to meet him someday. More generally, I respect my 92-year-old mother-in-law for her happy and cheerful outlook on life.
