Articles

• The World According to Herr Willie – Duga III, The Sound of the Woodpecker

  written by wil6ka on 2017-11-14 #culture #people #places

  

  The final chapter of my Chernobyl adventure takes us to Duga III. A super secret Rocket defense system of the CCCP, which was even unknown to most Soviet citizens. But hobby radio enthusiasts all over Europe could hear a strange repetitive knocking sound which originated from Duga III, which was dubbed Woodpecker.

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• The World According to Herr Willie – Apo Whang Od

  written by wil6ka on 2017-11-07 #people

  

  100-year-old Apo Whang Od is most likely the oldest tattoo artist in the world. A living legend in the Philippines, she has mastered the indigenous inking art of the batok and is a fascinating testament to the culture of the butbut people in Northern Luzon.

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• The World According to Herr Willie – Pripyat, The Last City of the CCCP (Pt.2)

  written by wil6ka on 2017-11-03 #places

  

  Pripyat is a modern day Atlantis. The inhabitants of the Soviet town had to run from the nuclear disaster and therefore it has been preserved more or less in the state of 1986. I made my way up to the North of Ukraine thirty years after the catastrophe. This is the second part of this adventure.

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• The World According to Herr Willie – Pripyat, the Last City of the CCCP (Pt.1)

  written by wil6ka on 2017-04-10 #places

  

  When I went to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone I was deeply impressed by Pripyat. The city was home to most of the workers of the nuclear power plant and evacuated two days after the disaster. Now it's a larger than life museum about the Soviet Union. It is the last city of the CCCP.

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• The World According to Herr Willie – Wendiceratops Pinhornensis

  written by wil6ka on 2017-04-05

  

  I like to think, that every location I have been writing about in the past years was a discovery of some sort. This story will be about the discovery somebody else made. Wendy Sloboda is maybe the coolest dino hunter of our time. She has tattoos, dreads and she found a new species of dinosaur, that now carries her name: the Wendiceratops Pinhornensis.

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• The World According to Herr Willie – Chernobyl (Pt. 1)

  written by wil6ka on 2017-03-06 #places

  

  It’s the epitome of a disaster. One fatal day in April 31 years ago changed the world forever. Reactor number 4 exploded, nuclear fuel sticks melted and a radioactive cloud frightened Europe. Chernobyl is a testament for the fragility of humankind. I paid a visit to the post-apocalypse.

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• The World According to Herr Willie – The Car Cemetery of Båstnäs

  written by wil6ka on 2017-01-21 #culture #places

  

  Photographers capture uniqueness. Fashion photographers strive for new faces. Conflict photographers are present, when history is made. And some folks, like me, go to hidden places with an own narrative. Like the car cemetery of Båstnäs, deep within the forrest maze, where Sweden touches Norway

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• The World According to Herr Willie – Polar Flight to the North Pole

  written by wil6ka on 2016-12-13 #places

  

  With my visit to the polar station of Ny Ålesund I already got a taste for the far north. But eventually I wanted to get a piece of the real thing. So I went on a journey straight to the North Pole, 90° latitude and a point, where every compass goes cuckoo crazy. It was remarkable.

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• The World According to Herr Willie – The Art of Propaganda of North Korea

  written by wil6ka on 2016-11-26 #places

  

  Pondering about the pictures I shot in North Korea, I realize certain things about this secret place and storytelling helps me construct a wild mess into a clear concept.

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• The World According to Herr Willie – Gulang Yu

  written by wil6ka on 2016-11-19 #places

  

  Travelling like the Chinese is a tough call to make theses days, as they are discovering the planet like no time before. But going to places only the Chinese go is a great choice to make these days. One of those places is the magical island of Gulang Yu.

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• The World According to Herr Willie – Mount Rigi in the Swiss Alps

  written by wil6ka on 2016-11-12 #places

  

  Vicuna is one of my best friends and wherever the wind takes him I will catch a paraglide to meet him. I did so, when he chased turtles in Polynesia and now, when he is digesting cheese in Switzerland. My prerogative was to hit a mountain on my birthday and so we did.

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• The World According to Herr Willie - Outside the Polar Station of Ny Ålesund

  written by wil6ka on 2016-07-05 #places

  

  It is maybe the closest you will come to the North Pole: the polar region around Ny Ålesund. It is on 79° degrees north, where polar bears play polo and I was farthest from civilization. A tale about 50 shades of ice.

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• The World According to Herr Willie - Inside the Polar Station of Ny Ålesund

  written by wil6ka on 2016-06-20

  

  All of a sudden I found myself in the Northernmost settlement of mankind: Ny Ålesund, maybe the world's most significant polar station on the arctic archipelago of Svalbard.

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• The World According to Herr Willie: Kumgangsan and the Sacred Mountains of North Korea

  written by wil6ka on 2016-06-04 #places

  

  The Korean Peninsula is very mountainous, especially in North Korea. The landscape has affected the mentality and economy of its state. The beauty of Mount Kumgang and other mountains ignited myths and tales for a whole nation living on a rock.

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• The World According to Herr Willie: Pura Besakih, The Mothertemple of Bali

  written by wil6ka on 2016-05-20 #places

  

  On my birthday, I climbed the holiest mountain of Bali on a genuine pilgrimage. Walking towards Pura Besakih is also a tale about Balinese Hinduism, which is a singularity in Indonesia. So tighten your sarong around your hips and stick with me on this spiritual passage through the gates of heaven.

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• The World According to Herr Willie: The Metro of Pyongyang – Rails of the Cold War

  written by wil6ka on 2016-05-14 #places

  

  One of the proud achievements of North Korea is the Metro system in the capital of Pyongyang. It might be one of the most unusual MRT's of the world and you probably never would have guessed where the trains are coming from! It is an awkward tale about the twists and turns of the cold war.

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• The World According to Herr Willie: Lake Toba

  written by wil6ka on 2016-01-03 #people #places

  

  Talking about the creation of the world. A big bang, meteors hitting planets, ice age and tectonic breakdancing. The world is an incredible start up and the landscapes, that were created through the elements and time. Sometimes your eyes can still see this amazing process in a timelapse. Such a mystical place is Lake Toba in North Sumatra. Or as the locals call it: Danau Toba.

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• The World According to Herr Willie: Ilha de Marajó

  written by wil6ka on 2015-11-08 #places

  

  Brazil is an awesome country for traveling. There's so much to explore, each place very different from one another. It will definitely take a stretch of trips just to get to know this this South American pearl. I finished my copa tour last year in Marajó, the island of bulls—it just might be an eternal highlight for me.

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• The World According to Herr Willie: The Spirit of Jogja

  written by wil6ka on 2015-11-03 #places

  

  It is the marvel of Java, the cultural center of Indonesia: Yogyakarta, or, as we assimilated locals call it, Jogja! Jogja is full of historic sites and exudes a very adventurous yet welcoming spirit. It is a true multireligious melting pot that has seen kings and sultans come and go, and religions introduced and either went or stayed. Time has been gentle on Jogja. It's one of my most favorite cities in Asia.

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• The World According to Herr Willie: North Korea

  written by wil6ka on 2015-08-20 #places

  

  This might be a bit melodramatic but, hey, it's the Internet. But yes, I went to North Korea. Even better, I came back safe and sound and with some 80 rolls of film in my rucksack.

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• The World According to Herr Willie: Brasília

  written by wil6ka on 2015-07-10 #places

  

  It's a modern utopia, a one-of-a-kind in the world: Brasília. The capital of marvelous Brazil is the wet dream of every architecture aficionado, the masterpiece of Oscar Niemeyer. This architect created an illusion of better living; thus, Brasília was declared an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. This is a homage to lines, curves, and boldness.

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• The World According to Herr Willie: Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

  written by wil6ka on 2015-07-03 #places

  

  Singapore, like Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong, is a likely stopover when you fly far. The city is a tiny urbanized hub but it's very favorable if you know some high-spirited locals. I was lucky to hook up with king kimbo (@hakimbo), who showed me around. He took my lame limbs to the Gardens by the Bay, an amazing place which was visually striking. I was hugging some artificial trees there when I found a baby—a very big baby.

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• The World According to Herr Willie: Olympiastadion Berlin

  written by wil6ka on 2015-05-19 #places

  

  The 2015 UEFA Champions League Final will be held at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on June 6. It is a place full of history and is also the only football stadium with a blue track course. Some say it is the most beautiful stadium in the world, and I totally agree with them. But then agai,n I might be biased because it is the home court of my favorite team, Hertha BSC Berlin—my blue-white bloodline.

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• The World According to Herr Willie: Salvation Mountain

  written by wil6ka on 2015-05-16 #places #videos

  

  Leonard Knight passed away last year but he left an incredible legacy, an embodiment of love, that is Salvation Mountain. From 1984, he painted and remodeled a little hill in the California desert that's colorful as a cupcake and truly meaningful. And if anything ever would have been meant to be shot with Lomo cameras, it would be this psychedelic, holy hill.

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• The World According to Herr Willie: The Amazon

  written by wil6ka on 2015-04-09 #places

  

  It was the Amazon which I had longed for my whole life. And when it was finally a set deal that I will travel to Brazil with two of my best friends for the Copa do Mundo (World Cup), we really had to start our adventure in the Amazon. I had known about this magical place deep in the rainforest. There was a lodge run by local people of indigenous background, with wooden houses that float on the water and a limited number of visitors. It was eco-tourism as how it should be. To preserve and to celebrate one of the most impressive locations I have seen so far.

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• The World According to Herr Willie: Meet Ishita Malaviya, India's Lady of the Board

  written by wil6ka on 2015-03-10 #places

  

  For the last three weeks, Herr Willie has regaled us with fascinating tales of his Russian adventure. Today, he shares with us yet another great story from one of his travels: meeting the beautiful and influential Ishita Malaviya, the first female surfer of India.

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• Elitechrome 400 EL: Absolutely Retro

  written by wil6ka on 2014-03-14 #gear

  

  The entire Kodak Elitechrome series belong to my favorite films. From the EB, to the EBX, ED, and EL; they all have great features once you know how to use them well. The EL with its 400 ISO hardly gets any attention, which is also because of the fact that it is more uncommon. But that is about to change with this. Here's some e-love.

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• Ferrania Solaris Chrome 100 - A Toxic Link to the Future

  written by wil6ka on 2013-08-31 #gear

  

  There always has to be a reason or motivation to write a film review. Sometimes it’s the sheer excitement about a great series of pictures or a rare find. In the case of the Ferrania Solaris Chrome, it is an epic turnover in the current photo film industry. With their recent statement to be releasing a new slide film, Ferrania made most of analogue film aficionados rub their eyes in happiness. So it's time to go back to the future with the Ferrania Solaris Chrome 100.

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• Imation Chrome 100 - Closing a Ferrania Trilogy

  written by wil6ka on 2013-08-30 #gear

  

  Ferrania came out with new print and slide films and I am jumping up and down with joy. For this reason I just made a review about the old Ferrania Solaris Chrome. It’s said, that this new slide film has an emulsion which was derived from the 3M Scotch Chrome 100. For this film, I made a review already a few months back. But I think there is one last film, which falls into the same range and same emulsion. So to make the film trilogy complete I will introduce the Imation Slide 100.

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• Kodak Ektachrome Panther 400 (35 mm) – Release the Panther

  written by wil6ka on 2013-07-15 #gear

  

  I know the tagline is cheesy, but it caught your attention – so it’s just perfect (evil laughter). And in my quest to squeeze every Kodak film into cameras and the best out of it on film, it certainly caught my attention too, when I first discovered,that not only Apple gets their inspiration from the zoo when branding their products. So may I present, the new find from the photographic animal farm: the slide film that was called Kodak Ektachrome Panther 400:

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• Labaphot BW 100 – Ancient Black Pearl

  written by wil6ka on 2013-07-15 #gear

  

  I am always surpised how durable black and white negative films are. But this one is ultra special. The Labaphot was produced in West Germany, so it’s a relic of the old Germany. Basically the postal code on the film cartridge doesn't exist anymore. And the cartridge is in fact a show for itself. It must be the most beautiful film vessel I ever laid eyes on.

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• Kodak SO 553 – The Special One

  written by wil6ka on 2013-06-10 #gear

  

  Ah, before I forget, I want to write this review about this film. What's it called again? Ah right: the Kodak SO 553. It is quite a strange one! Coming in the similarly mysterious, unrevealing yellow boxes, like the Vericolor Slide, Technical Pan or SE Duplicating films. And all of those are kinky crazy. So checking this one, it came with a promise.

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• Kodak Ektachrome 320T - A Survivor

  written by wil6ka on 2013-05-02 #gear

  

  There was a range of ultra-low iso slidefilms for artificial Tungsten light from Kodak that delivers all kinds of color-nuances and shades. These films were quite durable and stable, so they were actually quite suitable for many kinds of weather conditions and photojournalists, that always had to be sure that they can deliver results whenever it's needed. One of my favourites in this row must be the Kodak Ektachrome 320ET - a true survivor.

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• Ilford Dia 200 - Singing the Blues

  written by wil6ka on 2013-04-30 #gear

  

  Once I laid eyes on that offer on eBay I was instantly stunned. There was a slide film of Ilford. The British film producer came out with their own branded color transparencies? I made sure to win the bunch and tried the Ilford Dia 200 myself. One of the reasons I liked it is because it used the German name for slidefilm: Dia.

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• Scotch Super Chrome 100 - Repeating History

  written by wil6ka on 2013-04-29 #gear

  

  The history of film production must be as confusing and incestuous as the web of royal relationships of the European kingdoms in the 17th century up to the 19th. Back in the days, a German noble becomes the Russian Czaress, French lords became kings of Spain, and even the Danish were ruling all of Scandinavia. A marriage here, a war elsewhere, a coup d'etat everywhere - such a mess. Nothing was like it seemed and you could never trust what you were told. And with the Scotch Super Chrome 100 it’s history repeating itself.

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• Vericolor Slide Film So-279 – Engineering 2D Graphic Photography

  written by wil6ka on 2013-02-27 #gear

  

  It’s the original encounters, which unfolds the most energy and evokes the strongest feelings! There's nothing quite like finding a film that has its own secrets and leaves you guessing. Such is the Kodak Vericolor Slide Film, a sensation in blue and black.

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• The Creation of Panoramic Macros

  written by wil6ka on 2012-12-07 #gear #tutorials

  

  It's the photographic accidents that sometimes bring out some new twists and thoughts about photography. Things you never really thought about in the first place. Just imagine the lens of your panoramic camera gets loose and creates some very interesting new results? How about that?

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• Mt.Inwangsan – the Green/Holy/Touristy/Millitary Hill

  written by wil6ka on 2012-07-03 #places

  

  The construction of the lomographic guide of Seoul is gaining pace and content. And so I thought I should pull out a merry old location to join the jam. A few years back on my first stay in Seoul, I discovered a green mountain in the middle of a city made of concrete and steel. Mount Iwangsan is a big city delight with a lot of incentives and shamanic ghosts.

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• AGFA CT Precisa 200: A Film with the Pox

  written by wil6ka on 2012-06-28 #gear

  

  We are all in love with the marvelous and unchallenged pinnacle of colour-cross-explosion of the Agfa CT Precisa 100. In the quest to find films with likewise features, I looked in the neighborhood and found another gangsta: the Agfa CT Precisa 200. But, this black sheep in the family surprised me with unprecedented effects. This film is sick – it has the pox!

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• DMZ - the World's Hottest Border

  written by wil6ka on 2012-06-06 #places

  

  It is most likely the one border that is constantly in the focus of the world. The demarcation line between North and South Korea is always hot and edgy. You better hold your horses and don’t get silly, because the soldiers have their finger on the trigger. But beside from that, the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in South Korea can also be considered as a political version of Disneyland.

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• Holga meets Olga: Holga 135 Spotted in FHM!

  written by wil6ka on 2012-06-04 #news

  

  She is up and coming and hot like a vodka afterburn. Olga Fonda is taking Hollywood by storm and she gets down and dirty with a toy camera. The model and actress did a shoot for the FHM Germany and she was wearing a Holga 135 and not much more. ;-)

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• ALFO Professional Slide Film: Digging Deep into History

  written by wil6ka on 2012-03-12 #gear

  

  In my quest to find films everybody forgot about, I found the ALFO Professional Slide Film. Never really heard about that one, so I started my CSI engine. So this review is rather about the way one researches about the history of gone film-gems than the look of its emulsion.

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• Seoul Palace: Royal Guard Changing Ceremony

  written by wil6ka on 2012-02-27 #places

  

  A palace is a spectacular sight in every corner of the world. But sometimes the events around the monument have that special edge, that make it a unique lomographic location.

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• General Photo Black and White Surveillance Film: You Are So Dirty!

  written by wil6ka on 2012-01-27 #gear

  

  You are a dirty film, very dirty! Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? Exposing yourself blank in front of all those people? And look at all the grain in your face and on your body! I cannot leave you for a bit and really, I don’t want to!

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• Voigtländer V200: Attention, Please!

  written by wil6ka on 2012-01-19 #gear

  

  Color negative film often doesn’t appeal to me. There seem to be endless variation and colours are not as reliable as slide film, and cross processing it is basically not an option. But it is the variety, that makes analogue photography ever exciting and the Voigtländer V200 is a choice that catches more of my attention lately!

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• Ilford Pan 100: Panchromatism Galore

  written by wil6ka on 2012-01-17 #gear

  

  I don't remember how I came across this film-gem. But nonetheless, I took this film-gem on a trip to Sweden last summer and I can proudly say that the Ilford Pan 100 is one of the greatest black and films I ever got to try.

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• Maco TS Eagle 400 AQS: A Graphic Novel

  written by wil6ka on 2012-01-13 #gear

  

  This must be one of the craziest monochromatic emulsions I came across with. Not only the title is a promise of an adventure, but the pictures are as well. In most black and white films that I have used, objects in the distance become darker. With the Eagle, the darkness flies away. In fact, it's the other way around. The further the object is away from the lens, the brighter it is.

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• Siberan Adventures in LomoScope

  written by wil6ka on 2011-05-31

  

  It was Siberia. A call to a distant and mystic land. And I picked up the landline telephone. Last summer I was asked to join a group of young adventurers to go from middle europe by all means of transportation. Aiming a a tiny village called Man Yckwe. To be enchanted by indigenous Siberians and to fall in love with a remote paradise!

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• Kubik Club in Hamburg

  written by wil6ka on 2011-05-20 #places

  

  The Kubik is a traveling club that is exactly what its name promises! A collection of glowing boxes that light up to the beat of the music (Billie Jean says 'hello').

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• Santa Monica Pier

  written by wil6ka on 2011-05-18 #places

  

  L.A. is Hollywood, is Bel Air, is Downtown, is the beach of Santa Monica, is Michael Jackson and is the Pier. After all, this piece of bridge in the Pacific is the absolute culmination of what LA represents. Basically, it's all about fun and relaxation.

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