Kategorie-Archive: » Germany
Today I’m starting a new series of images called ‚Germanograms‘.
This series will be running concurrently with my other projects and was inspired by a range of photographic influences.
There will be strong visual references to the newish ‚Instagram‘ photography style, which I like for its perceived timelessness.
This digital style developed its look out of the visual characteristics, failings and shortcomings of the analogue photographic materials used in the 60s, 70s and before.
Polaroid film, square format family snapshots that have faded to orange or green, slide film that developed green/cyan casts after many years of storage in dark corners and damp cabinets.
This familiar look now suggests authenticity and lets viewers connect with images in a way that the clean, perfect look of digital photographs can’t.
The instagram style brings back the visual layers, textures and sensations of analogue photography.
In this way it combines the best of both photographic processes – the quality and convenience of digital photography and the organic feel of analogue processes – and offers an alternative creative avenue for photographers.
The series will also reconnect me with the square format for which I gained a great fondness during years of photographing with my Hasselblad cameras.
The square format – often a format used for highly considered photography – will in this case be applied to an instant photography approach and will be photographed on any camera at my hands, including my mobile phone.
There will be little regard for technical considerations as most images will be taken on cameras that offer no to little technical adjustments.
In essence, the images in this series are reactive to the surroundings and environment I’ll be in and are based on intuition and instinct rather than in-depth creative consideration and artistic reasoning.
The series will start with ‚Germanograms 1‘ but will be expanded over time.
The Leopoldstal in the Eggegebirge in Germany has a history that spans many centuries.
A walk through the protected forests reveals rocks and inscriptions dating back to ancient times.
The rockface below has writing and symbols that were worked into the stone in the mid 1500’s.
In the evening the sun skims across the surface of the rocks, bringing out it’s textures and colours.
The rather theatrical lighting lasts a few brief minutes before the rocks disappear into the darkness once again.
Churches feature prominently in the German landscape.
Although Germany is a secular country the church maintains significant influence over peoples lives in the rural areas.
Nearly every village has at least one church, and often two of differing denominations.
Many Germans still pay a church tax and thereby help to keep the traditions and power of the church alive.
