Born in Prague, the son of a maid and a tailor, during his youth Dostál was a junior national champion in high jump,[1] and a record holder in the sprint relay and high jump.

[1] His most famous work is Letní lidé ("Summer People"), a collection of photographs taken between 1968 and 1990 in the village of Zlenice, on the banks of the Sázava river.

[1][3] During his career Dostál held about 70 exhibitions, published 20 photo-books and collaborated with numerous magazines and newspapers;[3] his archives consist of several thousand photographs.

[1] In spite of his success, he never abandoned his main profession as a machine tool designer.

[2] He received over one hundred awards,[1][3] including in 2008 the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic’s Prize for his lifelong contribution to amateur photography.