We usually present books and films on zwischengas.com that are primarily about classic cars, youngtimers or historic motorsport. Here we make an exception, actually only half an exception, because after all it is "incidentally" also about old cars, sometimes...
The real eighties
Sometime in 2014, while researching the classic DeLorean DMC-12, I stumbled across photos that I thought had been taken in the 80s: the colors were slightly yellowed, the black was just a tepid dark gray, girls in typical 80s fashion posed around the DeLorean and I had liked the car since the classic movie "Back to the Future" anyway.
On top of that, there was also this, for me at least, attractive casual photographic realization, the photos didn't seem perfectly composed, rather shot from the hip, the car cropped here or slightly shifted in some other way. Today I know that this is no coincidence, but the photographer's intention and his name is Ben Bernschneider and he comes from Hamburg.
From Brazil to Hamburg
Ben Bernschneider is a child of the 80s, when asked about his age he told me: "In 1986 I was ten years old and living in Brazil. I only had girls and movies on my mind. Back then, my friends and I would run straight to the movies after school and watch The Goonies and Back to the Future, dreaming of the leading actresses, Casio watches, DeLoreans and self-lacing Nikes." Today, Ben lives in Hamburg, but his fascination with that pop culture decade still shines through in his photography, "somehow I'm preserving that time," he adds.
The first book in 2014
This nostalgia gave rise to the first little book called "#Diamondtimes" in 2014. Half of the pictures are analog, half digital. They were shot with a Yashica T4, Leica Mini 3, Nikon EM, Nikon AE, Nikon Df, Nikon D800, Canon 5D Mark II or an iPhone. In 2015, Ben embarked on another journey, capturing hundreds of moments on his cameras and typing texts on his typewriter, the result of which fans and those just discovering it were able to enjoy as "Tales of an American Summer". The third book was published on December 1, 2016: "The Return of an American Summer".
Vintage but still modern
I still remember too well that Ben made an appeal on Facebook at the beginning of 2016 for people to send him expired analogue films by post: "The analogue pictures sometimes have color casts due to the expired films, the scans are sometimes unclean and nothing is color-coordinated, just the way I like it," he said. His letterbox was probably quickly overflowing, only shortly after his appeal he had expressed his thanks for the enormous support.
The result can now be seen in the third volume: some of the pictures are really very washed out, look really old or rough, but that's what his photos are all about: "Lint and hair on slides, which were beautiful when projected, like the crackling on vinyl, should remain and not be stamped out. The text was also moved around a bit here and there. Stumbling blocks."
The photos don't seem to have turned out the way he originally envisioned them until the third volume: "Raw, rough, rancid snapshots. Only three came from a digital camera. Gloomy in their brightness. And I hope someone hates it. Then I'm on the right track."
The subjects photographed (mainly women posing somewhere in summertime America) are not really in focus, but they still look very appealing, authentic and a little mysterious, as if an old negative film of a pop star of the time had been found.
Not always just behind the lens
Photographers usually work in the background - after all, they are behind the lens, not in front of it. However, Ben Bernschneider manages a very good mix of both, not by photographing himself, but by reporting on his trip and his thoughts via social networks and his own blog: "Around 45 films were shot in the first 8 days. Just to catch the sky in the two Miami colors pink and turquoise during the rainy season, I shot quite a few films. I'm very excited to see what the exotic, expired films have to offer." However, he can be seen in a few photos, which were probably taken by his faithful companion, his wife.
Even when all the data had been submitted for printing, interested parties were able to watch the work being created. Ben gave impressions of the print shop and showed on his "social channels" how the book came out of the machines still uncut.
Dream cars?
Naturally, I wondered whether a photographer with an apparently consistent interest in old cars would drive one himself, in real life: "I drive my wife's Smart. But I had a Manta A, in yellow with a black vinyl roof. Top car!" he replied to my question and at the same time revealed what he would really like to drive: "A 72 Chevrolet Caprice. Otherwise I would also take a Chevy Monte Carlo. Dream."
We may find out whether he will ever drive his dream car in one of his upcoming books...
Conclusion
Admittedly, the book is not considered a car book, but it still clearly shows how cars as an object in a photo can catapult the viewer back in time, especially if the photo was then also shot with equipment from that era. It's a book for wild photo fans who love the imperfect, who would probably rather put on a vinyl record at home than stream music via Spotify. It's a book that really takes you on a colorful journey to hot America and lets you forget modernity for a brief moment.
Bibliography
- Title: Return of an american summer
- Photographer: Ben Bernschneider
- Author: Ben Bernschneider
- German
- 240 pages
- Buy book in the official store: store.benbernschneider.com
More books
If you don't want to miss Ben Bernschneider's next book, subscribe to his newsletter or follow Ben's activities on his crowdfunding profile on indiegogo.
