End of season

Since I started the festival project in April with Rock in den Ruinen - I have been at nine festivals this year and finished 2012 with the Chiemsee Reggae Summer. I had such a great time photographing at all those festivals and meeting so many interesting people - I actually don't want it to stop. So I'm really looking forward to next year when I'm going to concentrate more on festivals with music genres like hip-hop or electro and maybe some unusual styles of music.

If you know any festivals in germany with awesome visitors which might fit into my project or one with a music genre I didn't photograph yet or maybe you do know a festival-organizer who might be interested in this project, please write me a message here or to theaschneider[at]gmx.net - that would be awesome!! And I'm really looking forward to get some great suggestions!

Stay tuned ;)

Chiemsee Reggae Summer

The Chiemsee Reggae Summer was my next festival. It's a three-day reggae festival but there are also HipHop artists. I drove there on friday the 24th and left at the 26th of august and besides the weather - it was awesome! I really like the location with all the mountains surrounding the area and the opportunity to take a bath in the Chiemsee or the river right next to the camping area called Tiroler Ache. The people I met there were so openminded and friendly and there were many participants for my project. The light was just amazing and the mountains made a beautiful background for my portraits. There were so many interesting people I would've liked to photograph but there wasn't enough time because it started to rain on saturday and it didn't really stop till I left on sunday morning - sadly I had to leave that early. All the rain turned the parking area into mud and I had to wait a very long time until I got my car out of that mess but on friday there was perfect sunshine and the entire time there was a great atmosphere at the whole area. Since the weather always is like that at the Chiemsee Reggae Summer - the visitors were prepared: gumboots and raincoats saved the day and everyone was having fun anyway!

And of course one of my portraits

Chiemsee Reggae Summer 2012


Stay tuned ;)

Weinturm Open Air

The Weinturm Open Air is one of my favourite festivals because it's taking place in my hometown. It' a three-day festival that lies on an idyllic hill in Bad Windsheim called the Weinturm. This year it had it's 35th anniversary and there were up to 3000 visitors a day. The music that is played there varies a lot but I would say it's mostly reggae or ska or something like that - I can't really define it - and the bands are kind of unknown or just before the "breakthrough" - for example Sportfreunde Stiller, Deichkind, Culcha Candela or Polarkreis 18 already played there but before they were big. What also makes this festival special is that everyone is working voluntary and the organizer has no explicit purpose to draw profit - so the food, drinks and entrance fee are rather human. All in all this festival has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and is definitely worth a visit!

And of course one of the portraits

Weinturm Open Air 2012

Stay tuned ;) next post will be about the Chiemsee Reggae Summer!

Klassik Open Air

The Klassik Open Air in Nürnberg was a tough one. It is an open air festival for classical music and I have been there on the fourth of August. It was set up as a huge picnic in a nice park and there were so so many people - it was impressing! But I really had a problem finding people who were willing to take part in my project and let me take their portrait. But those who said "yes" were very friendly and I was astonished that there were so many young people. It's a whole-family-event and it's for free!

And of course one of the portraits

Klassik open Air 2012


Stay tuned ;) next post will be about the Weinturm Open Air!

Juicy Beats

On the 28.07.12 I've been at the 17. Juicy Beats Festival. It's a one-day festival taking place at the Westfalenpark in Dortmund. They play mostly electronic and indie and other music there with more than twenty stages all over that beautiful park in the middle of Dortmund. It's an awesome location for a festival! I was really surprised at the size of the area and the many many stages. Great place, great and friendly people, what can I say - it was fun! But see for yourself:

And the portrait:

Juicy Beats 2012


Stay tuned ;) next post will be about the Klassik Open Air!

With Full Force

The With Full Force festival was my next one! It's a three-day festival in Roitzschjora near Leipzig with a musical range from punk, rock, hardcore right up to death metal and everything lying inbetween. Since this is my favorite festival in germany and me going there kinda every year - I have been really looking forward to it and I've been so happy when I received the photo-accreditation. The festival was from the 29th June to the 1st of July 2012 and I went there on thursday with a bunch of my friends and we camped there till sunday. The weather was freaky and I nearly collapsed because of the heat just to be nearly strucked by lightning on saturday night (the funny part is: Heavenshallburn played at the time when the storm began xD the not so funny part is: many people were hurt because of a lightning strike). I didn't take as much portraits as I would've liked to but at the end of the day it was ok and I had so much fun. All told it was an awesome and eventful weekend :D

And the obligatory visitor's portrait ;)

With Full Force 2012


Next weekend I'm going to be at the Chiemsee Reggae Summer festival! I am all geared up to go there!

Stay tuned ;) next post will be about Juicy Beats!

Schumannfest

Even before the Reload Festival I have been at the Schumannfest. It's a festival for classical music in Düsseldorf and it's dedicated to Robert Schumann (hence the name ;)). Unlike most of the other festivals, the Schumannfest wasn't Open Air - it took place in various buildings in Düsseldorf like the Tonhalle. I went there on the 29th and 30th May and I have been really exited because I have been afraid that most of the visitors wouldn't participate in my project. But I was wrong. There were so many friendly and open-minded people who were willingly taking part and another surprise was, that there were so many young people. I'm very glad that I had the chance to photograph this festival because now I got a lot of various portraits of interesting people.

And of course - one of the portraits:

Schumannfest 2012


Stay tuned ;) next post will be about the With Full Force festival!

Reload Festival

The Reload Festival in Sulingen (somewhere "near" Bremen) was my next festival! The music there is a Mix of Rock, Alternative, Punk, Metal and Hardcore. Since I had a three-hour drive, I decided to camp there all three days from the 15th to 17th July. It must have looked hilarious - me on my moped with a huge bag on my carrier and an enormous backpack on my back. It's a miracle that I got there in one piece xD and I think I made quite a few people laugh xDD
I took a lot of photos for my project and it was great to meet so many nice people and to make new friends. This festival was one of the best I've ever been to. Yes, it's a small one but it had a very familiar atmosphere, everyone was having fun and everybody was friendly and even though I went there all on my own - I never felt that way and it took like 5 seconds to make new friends :D the line-up was phenomenal and what can I say - I saw my favourite band of all time H2O and Slash live - my personal guitar hero!

And one of my portraits:

Reload 2012


Tomorrow I am visiting the Weinturm Open Air in Bad Windsheim (my home town) and I'm really looking forward to it :D

Stay tuned ;) Next post will be about the Schumann Fest!

Ruhrpott Rodeo

The Ruhrpott Rodeo is a punk festival near Hünxe in NRW and the second festival I visited. I have to say - that one was awesome! I drove there both days (saturday and sunday) but didn't camp because I only had a one hour drive. The weather was perfect for festivals (bad for photographers) and much too hot for me xD but I met a lot of really nice and interesting people and besides a whole bunch of portraits and other photos - I got a big sunburn!

And one of my portraits:

Ruhrpott Rodeo 2012


Stay tuned ;) next is Reload!