I was born in 1964 in Maribor, where I live and work. My journey in the world of photography began in 1982 when I became a member of the TAM Maribor Photo Cinema Club. The very next year (1983), I received the 2nd prize at the 14th Republic Exhibition of Youth Photography, which further motivated me to explore the world of photography. Thus, between 1983 and 2013, I submitted my works to 194 exhibitions of fine art photography at home and abroad, where I exhibited 98 black-and-white photographs and 142 slides, receiving 28 awards and recognitions (5 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze, and 15 diplomas or commendations).

From the very beginning, I have been inspired by both documentary and creative photography. Regarding portrait motifs, I prefer focusing on nature, enjoy photographing jazz or rock concerts, and exploring nude photography. I shoot in both color and black-and-white techniques.

I also photographed during my military service (1984–1985) in the former JNA. As an interesting fact, I brought back all the negatives I shot and developed there, but sadly, I no longer have them today. Namely, a few years later, during an apartment renovation, a closet I had placed in the common hallway of the building at Gospejna ulica 7 was stolen. It contained almost all the negatives I had shot up to that point. I assume the thief only needed the closet and threw my negatives away. And so, I was left without my archive.

Although this was initially a loss, over the years I realized that it holds a profound philosophical lesson. It taught me that we should not desperately cling to the past and the material proofs of our work. Perhaps it is precisely because of this loss that I am so convinced today that photography is not just a record of time, but primarily a way of seeing. What truly mattered were not the stolen negatives, but the sharpened gaze and understanding of light that no one could take away from me.

My professional path also includes obtaining the title of Photo Amateur 1st Class (FA I. FZS, 1990) and completing a seminar for photo instructors (1986). In 1988, I became the president of the black-and-white photography section of FKK TAM Maribor, and a year later, I took over the leadership of the committee for photo and film activities at ZKO Maribor Tezno. For the successful organization of the 15th Republic Exhibition of Color Slides, I received the Puhar Diploma (1989).

For several years, I was a photographer for the online magazine RockOnNet, one of the leading Slovenian portals for music lovers, where I photographed concerts of domestic and foreign artists. My photographs adorned the covers of numerous music publications, including albums by Metulj, Screaming Headless Torsos, Sonja Lovrenčič, Brad Shepik, Jure Pukl, and others. I regularly photograph concerts, choral events, and opera singers. My portraits of opera singer Sabina Cvilak have been published in several publications, including a postcard (2010) and the theater program of the SNG Opera and Ballet Ljubljana (2017). I also participated in publishing anthologies for the jubilees of music groups, such as the 80th anniversary of the KUD Pošta Maribor Wind Orchestra (2011) and the 30th anniversary of the Vocal Group Allegro (2025).

Between 1989 and 1991, I was the photographer for the FolkArt event within the Lent Festival. FolkArt was the first festival that started the story of the Lent Festival in 1989, today the largest open-air summer festival in Slovenia.

Interestingly, my professional path was not always exclusively visual. Between 1993 and 2006, I worked as the Head of IT and the Head of the Security Control Center at the company Varnost Maribor. I spent thirteen years in the world of codes, computer security, and strict algorithms. But it was exactly this experience with technology that allowed me to realize that machines and algorithms themselves cannot capture the truth – only a human can do that. When I stepped onto the independent entrepreneurial path in 2007, I did not discard technology; instead, I harnessed it in the service of art and communication. This technical knowledge is still reflected today in my work in the field of digital solutions, as I build and design websites (including this one) myself, thereby maintaining full control over the entire process of digital communication.

In 2007, I founded the photography studio Fotomedia at Radvanjska cesta 43 in Maribor. In 2008, together with Milko Linc, I founded the Maribor Society of Photography Lovers and became its president. That same year, we organized the first digital photography course. Between 2009 and 2014, under my leadership, the society organized numerous prominent events, exhibitions, and photo contests.

In 2010, I became a member of the leadership of the professional section of photographers at the Regional Chamber of Craft and Small Business Maribor; in 2012, I was the initiator and organizer of the Maribor Photography Days, and in 2013, I took over the function of secretary of the Photographic Association of Slovenia.

Between 2004 and 2006, I was a member of the editorial board of the magazine Varnost-nik, where, in addition to photographing, I also participated in editing the content. In 2012, I was the editor of the catalog “Maribor Salon 2012,” the first international photography contest, as well as the catalogs for the exhibitions of the Maribor Society of Photography Lovers: “One-oni,” “Navzgor spodaj” (2012), “Črno-bela glasba” (2013), and “Fotografska razstava DLF” (2015).

From 1984 to the present day, I have prepared more than 20 solo exhibitions in Maribor, Ljubljana, Celje, Kranj, Slovenska Bistrica, and other cities. Among the most important are the exhibitions “Sabina” (2008, Rotovž Exhibition Salon), “Kontrasti” (2010, Jazz Club Satchmo), “Toscana” (2013, Hotel Habakuk), and a joint exhibition with Grega Bajc “Popoln začetek dneva in zgodbe za lahko noč” (2014, Kranj, Maribor). In 2019 and 2020, I exhibited within the Maribor Photography Festival with the exhibition “Ni vse črno belo.”

In 2013, I prepared the solo exhibition “3 x 10” at the Fotogalerija Stolp in Maribor, which marked 30 years of my artistic exploration in the field of photography. The exhibition was divided into three thematic sections: a series of slides from the 1980s, a selection of black-and-white photographs from a longer creative period, and a series of nudes. The exhibition was also presented in Ljubljana at the ŠOLT gallery in 2014.

I have participated in more than 100 group exhibitions in Slovenia and abroad, including exhibitions in Zagreb, Leskovac, Osijek, Rijeka, Motovun, and Austria. I regularly participate in the annual review exhibitions of the Maribor Photo Club and the exhibitions of the Maribor Society of Photography Lovers.

Between 2008 and 2017, I regularly participated in the international art colony Žmavc in Vukovski dol, where I documented the creative work of Slovenian and foreign painters and sculptors with my camera. I also participated in international art colonies in Austria (Pitschgau, Eberndorf).

Since 2000, I have regularly participated in documenting the International Children’s Sculpture Meeting Forma Viva in Wood in Malečnik, where I contributed to the publication of more than 15 catalogs. Since 2011, I have been collaborating with the Maribor Regional Museum on the photographic documentation of exhibitions and the publication of museum leaflets.

Art critic Mario Berdič wrote about my exhibition “Toscana” in 2013 that I find “ever new inspirations in nature, as an obvious consequence of the professional deformation of constant watching.” This watching for the perfect moment often leads me to art colonies, where, in the company of painters and sculptors, I myself transform into a creator who captures their characters and moods with a camera.

My photographs have been published in 145 publications, recorded in COBISS (2000-2025), including books, exhibition catalogs, textbooks, scientific monographs, museum leaflets, and magazine articles. Among the more important publications are scientific monographs on Niko Kralj (2010) and “Design for all, all for design” (2010), the professional monograph “Dediščinski horizonti: 120 let Pokrajinskega muzeja Maribor” (2023), textbooks “Čudoviti svet glasbe 4” (five editions 2010-2024) and “Ličenje” (three editions 2017-2023), the book “The Last Sky” by Alice Nelson (2010), and numerous catalogs of exhibitions and art colonies.

My work has been presented several times in the Slovenian media. In 2006, the magazine Mariborčan dedicated the interview “V objektivu Marjana Laznika” to me, and in 2008, the newspaper Večer published the article “Fotograf, ki je dal prednost (ženski) lepoti.” My photographs have been published in more than 60 articles in the magazines Večer, Dnevnik, Varnost-nik, Mariborčan, Poetikon, and others.

My search for expression, however, does not end with the visual. Where light and photography stop, sound often speaks. Art for me is not just observation, but also creation – not only visual but also musical.

I am a member of the Maribor Photo Club, the oldest and only continuously operating photo club in Slovenia (founded in 1936), and a member of Nikon NPS (Nikon Professional Services).

At the Fotomedia photography studio, I organize photography courses, workshops, and lectures, where I pass my knowledge on to new generations of photography enthusiasts.