Autoportrait of Milan Kapusta in the center of "Big Travers" above the Zadiel valley, Slovak Karst.

About the author:

Milan Kapusta was born on 6th August 1960 in Roznava. He got to taking photographs through mountaineering which he began with in TJ Tatran team in Spisská Nová Ves, from where he changed to HO TJ Metropol Kosice Team. Besides Slovak High Tatras he has made ascents in Alps, Spitsbergen, Pamire, in Yosemite National Park in USA, has climbed sandstone towers in The Czech Republic and Germany, and also the bizzare rocky formations on Korzika, in Romania and former Yugoslavia.

He has been active as an amateur photographer since 1984 and has won a number of awards ranging from regional to international ones. As a member of The Photo Club NOVA in Kosice he has won the title The Champion of The Union of Slovak Photographers. His original occupation is mining technician, he graduaded in 1979 from geological research and minig measuring at Secondary Technical School in Spisská Nová Ves. Since 1994 he has been working as a photographer for TASR Slovakia – The Press Agency of The Slovak Republic in Kosice where he lives.
As a photoreporteur for TASR – The Press Agency of The Slovak Republic – he can handle live journalistic pictures of people including sport events /you can see some examples:
The Pope's John Paul VI. visit of Slovakia, Her Majesty the Queen of UK, actions in Tatras, Gipsies in Eastern Slovakia and others.../

References:

- First own exposition of pictures called Mountains and People in Nova Photo Gallery in Kosice in 1989. Subsequent shows : Tatranská Lomnica in 1990 and Pribor in The Czech Republic.
- In 1991 participation in the collective exposition called Slovak Countryside Picture in Prague. The exposition was organized by The Union of Slovak Photographers together with help from The Union of Czech Photographers.
- In 1993 an honorary title Champion of The Slovak Union of Photographers.
- Diaporama during The International Festival of Mountain Films in Poprad in 1994.
- Second own exposition of pictures called Tatras in 1994 in Stary Smokovec in Vila Flora.

Subsequent shows:

Kezmarok – in Baronka 1997
Roznava – Gallery of Mining Art 1997
Snina – as a part of fine art festival Snina 1997
Bratislava – The Polish Institute 2001, under the patronage of the Polish ambassador to Slovakia Jan Komornicki and The Office of The President of The Slovak Republic.
Kosice – The East Slovak Gallery 2001.

One of his pictures got after having been approved by the church to the pope John Paul II. in Vatican as a gift from a Slovak pilgrim. The name of the pilgrim is Mrs. Komárová, she lives in Stary Smokovec and the pope was accomodated in her house in 1959 together with other young Polish priests during their stay in High Tatras.

He had the honor of personally handing a picture of Gerlach peak, the highest mountain of High Tatras, to the president of The Slovak Republic, Rudolf Schuster.

One of his pictures of High Tatras was given to the Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski as a gift from the Slovak president Rudolf Schuster.

His macro-pictures of mineral crystals were published in a book called Precious Stones by Rudolf Duda and Lubos Rejla, Aventinum Publishing-house i.n.c in Prague.

The president of The Slovak Republic, Rudolf Schuster, chose M.Kapusta as his personal photographer during his official stay in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.

He is the co-author of the book called Karst – Roznava and Surroundings. The authors of the book were awarded with The Prize of the Town Roznava in 2001.

He is the author of the 2003 calendar for the company Air Transport Europe.


Some Awards:

1985 - Novy Jicin, second place in the contest "Radhostsky kvitek" in the category mountaineering and an honorary acknowledgment in the category of mountain land pictures in a state contest of diapositives.
1988 – Jelenia Gora, Poland. Second place in the category of diapositives, first place was not given away, there were two second places.
1989 – Bratislava, The Award of Milan Krissák of the Slovenka magazine, second place
1994 – Bratislava, Slovpressfoto 1994, third place in the category of portraits
1994 – Spain, Maria Luisa Memorial, international contest of mountain land diapositives, first place in the category of non-alpine climbing
1995 – Prague, Czech Press Photo 1995, third place in the category of actualities
2007 – Vancouver, Int. Mountain Film Festival, 1st prize in Mountain Culture for the photo Indra Kali Rai, Nepal
2007 – Vancouver, Int. Mountain Film Festival, 2nd prize in Mountain Fauna and Flora for the photo Hemitragus, Nepal
2008 – Zakopane, Poland, international photo competition "Przestrze? ?icia, a part of The Festival of Mountain Films.
1st prize in the Cathegory mountain sport actions.
The photo Malý hrot cathes climbing asccent of two members of rescue team from Stary Smokovec, High Tatras.