In Memoriam 13.8.2011

Here was supposed to follow a joyful report about this year’s German Partysan Open Air, but sadly this was not meant to be . A driver, who dropped me after 40km (literally leaving me out in the rain), and not being able to find another (affordable) transportation in the shortness of time, crossed with my plans. Instead I spent the night at home, honoring the Mighty Dead with humble offerings and looking at photos.

To be precise I did not just look at photos but worked with them, re-editing and adding – for the very first time in my life – my own logo. Which is something I never thought I might do… But hey, it looks good, doesn’t it? Thanks to lastpulsewebstudios.com who came up with this very simple and perfect design!

Neither did I ever think I would upload any of these photos on some social networking sites. Why? Well, others are doing that already! Am I now ego-driven to also upload my own photos somewhere with my own logo on them? Nope, the fact is, I have just been very lazy or actually very busy with other stuff. Until now, where being given this wonderful tool of an own website. (Thanks again, lastpulse!) But to return to the topic of social networking. I hate it! Yes, I do! Who doesn’t? Don’t you just wish for your art or whatever it is you do to become admired without any effort? Well, screw it and welcome in the second decade of the 21st century, where now everyone is an artist! But also, as much as I hate it,  I do also love it. Look at Deviant Art. It is one hell of an inspiring place, where grown man are put back to school! You thought you was a real artist? You are nothing, a literal nobody in a maze of fucking talented kids and amateurs, until your work catches up and proves itself, time and time again! And that is great is it not?

Talking of amateurs, I am an amateur. I never bothered about my equipment I just took photos. Lots of photos. I never took the time to expand my equipment beyond amateur level, and when I did have the time lacked the money to do so . I honestly, my ‘equipment’… Since 2005 I am using the Canon Eos 300D. I once had a Canon Eos 50 with a nice Tamron zoom. But they both drowned during a boat trip. The 300D was the best I could afford at the time, and I say, it served its purpose. It is a wonderful camera for nature close ups, and did its job in concerts. A handy comrade, except for the  auto-focus, which always bothered me. For a little longer I will have to get along with this camera, my good friend, who shared many magical moments with me, who even sometimes showed me more than what I would see with my two given eyes, but a new one is definitly one of the first things I will invest into as soon as I am able to.

But equipment aside, basically you can use anything to create a nice image… Btw I am not a great fan of photomanipulation. I like for things to happen infront of the camera, not after the photo has been taken. I also have an almost sentimental love for analogue photography, and black and white and sepia films. You will find some of this on my site. I also yearn to return to working in a darkroom.

So I love real deal photography, particularly if it has a dark edgy twist… Beginning of this year I came across a photographer on deviantArt, who’s name ringed a bell with me but I did not know any works by him. His stuff blew me away immediately! And all the more surprised was I to find him commenting also on my stuff. You want to see some top-notch photography, all settings and compositions are real, no photoshop, only pure creativity pared with executive excellence? You may enjoy the photography of Cyril Helnwein! He also has some amazing rock ‘n roll photos up at his site, you will be surprised who to find amongst the artists he has been shooting live in concert!

Now returning to the background of my blog title, must of course be mentioned here in that special context Jon Kristiansen. Since June he has one heavy weight of a killer book out:  Metalion, The Slayer Mag Diaries. Yeah, all of them, and including lots of photos too! A must buy, even if you’ve never heard of European metal underground before! Well… especially then!

And there is yet another photographer I will list here for the photos he took of Dissection during their last gig: Peter Herneheim, thanks for those!

Regarding Dissection, you heard about a Biography being written? Well, contrary to what I stated elsewhere, that might actually be true. However it is not official (yet) and I hope it will develop more into a direction that had actually been wished for by Jon, which would be rather letting pictures speak than too much words. More info on this to come…

Letting the pictures speak… I hope my photography will speak to you, whether you know me already or are new to my odd ways. It has been a way to get here, to finally having an own place solely dedicated to my photos, and yet this feels very much like a new begining. I am looking forward to expanding more into a conceptual direction as well as adding spontaneous portraits and magic moments to my galleries. Something of what to expect: There will be light-drawings, mystical trees, flower devils, root demons, homunculi, fire gnoms and imps, soul signatures and spirit traces, and some other surprises, in short a number of natural and unnatural oddities that not seldom occur at the border between that which is visible and that which is usually invisible to they human eye…

There may also come new concert photos soon, my next option being Wolfszeit Festival. Hopefully nothing will cross my plans then.

Hail the Mighty Ones of Spirit!

W.