Mato in Nina Mûr frames
"I only started wearing glasses after university. The first frame I really liked, I bought in the Netherlands. I searched for something similar in Slovakia for a long time. Until I discovered ZITA."
19. January 2026, Author: Barbara Garaj, Photo: Jakub Čaprnka, Archive: Matej Kmeť
Mato's been coming to ZITA since the days when we only had the shop on Živnostenská. He's owned several models and returned to one particular frame three times.
The first fell on the road when he was on his motorcycle, but before he could pick it up, a truck ran over it. The second and third were chewed up by his dog Orion. After that third one, Mato decided he'd keep wearing it anyway until he made it back to the optician's for a new pair.
Mato spends most of his time behind the lens. His path crossed with ZITA professionally too. He captured the opening of Pradiareň, one of the important moments for our shop. When he came back for new glasses some time later, he was already walking into familiar territory.
He approached the try-on session with an open mind. He trusted the optician and let himself be guided. Only a few frames made it to the shortlist. But when he put on the wooden Nina Mûr model, all the others fell away. The winner was clear.
"I'm very happy with them. They're light, comfortable, and people often compliment them, especially abroad."
Photography was a natural part of life at home. His father photographed for pleasure and Mato devoted himself to shooting and developing throughout secondary school.
The fascination with photography stayed with him during his studies of underground construction and architecture, though there wasn't much time for it. Towards the end of school came a difficult period and it was the camera that helped pull him out of burnout.
His first work offers came through school friends who'd found their way into advertising and agencies. He started posting his work on Facebook and gradually moved into weddings.
Even then he felt frustrated that wedding photography in Slovakia was heading in a tacky direction. All the more so, he was drawn to work from abroad and the effort to bring more naturalness home as well. Today, thanks to clients from other countries, he travels for weddings to various places across Europe, especially Iceland and the Mediterranean.
"At one Slovak-French wedding, I realized it could be done differently. Less posing, more reportage style of shooting. Exactly what I'd only seen before in photographs from abroad."
What he loves most about shooting weddings is the adrenaline that comes early in the morning and fades with the last shot. As a photographer, he carries a great responsibility to make sure nothing escapes him from this important day and to capture especially the moments others often don't even notice.
It's precisely thanks to these that the photographs hold great value not only for the newlyweds but also for their loved ones. Equally important to Mato is the personal dimension, from which lifelong friendships often grow.
"Strangers book me for a wedding, but by the end of the day I feel like we've known each other for ages. I'm still in touch with many of them."
Besides photography, he plays bass guitar with friends, but spends most of his time with family and his dog Orion. He's currently shuttling between Bratislava and Croatia.
Life by the sea was his long-held dream, which came true sooner than he expected. During covid, he and his partner bought a flat on the island of Brač, where they happily return throughout the year, to the ancient centre of one of the local villages.
