Meet Tony Dočekal | Photographer and artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tony Dočekal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tony, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
Working as a documentary photographer, I have seen a lot of trauma. I do not have the illusion my work will transform lives, but stories do have the power to change how we make sense of the world. I try to empower individuals and communities through my work, hinting at (social) issues of our time in ways that leave room for interpretation and story. Storytelling brings new perspectives, key to empathy, needed to understand each other and our community. Accurate and inclusive representation is very important.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love storytelling. My dad worked as a photographer in Germany, but he and my mom moved to Tucson, Arizona for his flight training. Nine months later I was born in Amsterdam. I grew up around my dad’s old cameras, which fueled my love for analog photography. I would romanticize their old photos and create stories in my head, and later with cameras. My interest in the concept of home (a big theme in my work) stems from my own family history. My Czech father fled with my grandmother from Prague to Germany in 1968. The subject was not talked about at home, which increased my curiosity. The pictures of photographer Joseph Koudelka taught me about Czech history and showed me the power of photojournalism. I went on to study Fine Arts and graduated in analog photography in the Netherlands.

I have been working as photographer and storyteller for different non-profits, portraying underserved communities and people experiencing homelessness and poverty. Since the pandemic, I have traveled globally and spoken with people who recently lost their housing or are barely making rent. I capture stories of people living on the street in a way that explores an overlap between documentary and fiction.

In between assignments, I keep coming back to Arizona. I’m working on a photo book, a road-movie in book shape, about personal growth and taking risks, featuring people I met on the road.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Not being a local, I feel like I’m usually the one being shown around! I’m in Tucson almost every year but also love to explore outside of the city. I just love driving and being in nature so I would send them to Flagstaff, then down the canyon to Sedona, it’s one of my favorite drives ever. I loved shooting in Prescott because it unexpectedly snowed when I was there (the picture with the pink sky), and that was the first time I saw snow in Arizona.

Last week my friend and model Gabby and I took a road trip to Roswell, New Mexico and we stopped at hot springs and White Sands to shoot. Bisbee is really cool and I would definitely recommend going there if you’ve never been. In Tucson, I’d recommend Substance Diner, plant-based and located at MotoSonora Brewing Co. to hang out. Outside of El Pais, the places I visit the most are probably Jones Photo and Monument Camera 🙂

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
El Pais motel in Tucson (@elpaismoteltucson) – This place has played a big part in developing my personal work and art practice by providing a safe haven during my travels to work, rest, get in the flow, develop my film, and just nurture the creative process. Every time I stay, I end up meeting new and inspiring people, a lot of who I end up photographing, like my muse @gabbyssketchbook_, who did a lot of the artwork around the property.

El Pais – Spanish for ‘the country – is a winter sanctuary for the increasing number of nomads and vanlifers throughout the US. The location, its history, and its visitors are all endlessly fascinating to me. The line between my documentary and autonomous work often blurs here.

And my boyfriend Bas, founder of Sheltersuit, is my partner in crime in our work of supporting our unhoused communities and raising awareness for this issue and has helped me navigate the ups and downs of working on my ongoing series Unsheltered Moments.

Website: https://tonydocekal.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonydocekal/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-docekal/

Other: For bookings, please contact info@tonydocekal.com

Image Credits
Tony Dočekal at work © Gabby Barreda