Basitan Kalous was born in 1980 is from Freyung, a small town in Bavaria, Germany. The village is located near the Czech Republic and Austrian borders. Bastian is fasinated with instant photography and uses it as his primary medium often times with expired film. He has photographed canyons, mountain peaks and valleys of several National Parks in the United States as well as areas nearby his home in Germany with his many different Land/Polaroid cameras.
What I absolutely love about the instant images is that they are part of the “real world”. This means for me that I can hold something in my hands. It’s not only saved on some hard drive on the PC it’s something “real”. I can touch it, hold, turn it around and this all with my fingers and hands. I also love the fact that I have to handle it with care. Especially when I took the image out in the wilderness, which mostly is my terrain. Then I have to take a lot of care to bring it home safe. Like some fragile present or something. I put my prints into a plastic box which I always bring with me with some sandwich paper. It’s something like my treasure box. When it’s windy or the weather is bad the images gets some marks from dirt and trees than i also can feel the “wounds” of the picture. That’s what I mean when I say I have to handle it with care and bring it home safe. I never know what these very expired films will present me when I peel them apart. That’s another fact i am absolutely in love with. It also can be very depressing when the whole emulsion is totally dried out. But when there is a new magic moment with the perfect imperfections on the image I am on fire again and want to shoot more and more. The magic peeling moment is strong because of the smelling of the chemicals. It’s also a part of this type of photography. Every different film I have has it’s own smell and I love them all.
My real world is mostly a very isolated place deep deep in the woods. I love these places. The places where no traffic noise is heard, where no internet is working and where no mobile phone is ringing. These are the places of my inner dreams and I am always on the hunt for them. We all should be seeking for these very special spots. They are getting lost more and more in this modern and very fast living world. The best hike for me is when I walked alone through the woods, mostly with my Rhodesian Ridgeback Schoki, sometimes with a friend or two, but I also love going alone. Just me, or this little group, and the pure wilderness of nature. Normally I bring a backpack with the SX-70 or the converted 110a Pathfinder, sometimes I bring both cameras and I always bring the Ebony SV45TI with me. Therefore I normally carry around about 15 or 20 kg on my back. The best feeling is coming home and feeling my muscles ache and loving my dirty shoes and sweaty shirts. It’s part of my trips and it reminds me that I live in the simple but also difficult world.
To view more of Bastian’s work please visit his website.