Let's be clear : Miroslav Tichý is a creep. The artist-turned-photographer spent much of his life wandering the streets of Kyjov, Czech Republic shooting covert photos of unsuspecting women. It's why he was frequently arrested, and as a woman, I give thanks the local police for doing so.

However, I find it fascinating that all of Tichý's photos were shot with a homemade camera. An outsider for much of his life, Tichý lived off a disability pension and spent his days constructing cameras—including telephoto lenses—out of toothpaste, ash, cardboard toilet paper tubes, elastic, plywood, tin cans and old camera parts. In an era of crazy advanced technology, it's a humbling reminder that art nor photography require fancy DSLR cameras or the latest version of Photoshop. Just an eye to see the beauty in the day to day, and perhaps, a voyeuristic streak.

While Tichy's work has been shown in art galleries + museums around the world, he once said, "If you want to be famous, you must do something more badly than anybody in the entire world." He died in 2011 at the age of 85.

[ pictures courtesy of here ]