Next Lap: Steffen Vollert talks about his new project
With “Next Lap”, Steffen Vollert has launched his second print project. He answers the most important questions about his calendar, the shots and what else there is to know.
Steffen Vollert has lived through the time when, as a rider, you had no higher goal than to get a printed shot in a magazine. This was only topped by a cover shot. Steffen was able to tick both off his bucket list!
A few years have passed since then, however, and the magazines in which Steffen was a regular guest have disappeared or gone into standby mode. And, as we all know, Steffen has also changed his perspective – from a pro wakeboarder who also photographs and films to a photographer and filmmaker who is only on a wakeboard for fun.
For the coming year, Steffen’s work is now available in the form of a calendar for your wall. We discussed how this came about and what drove him in an interview that took place during a visit to his former home in the Allgäu.
Hey Steffen. After a book, now a calendar – how did you come up with the idea?
Steffen: It was important to me to reach more people and create something that had a real purpose. I also had the idea of making a 150-page coffee-table magazine with interviews and stuff, but the effort involved is simply huge. And yet the fact is that I simply appreciate printed photos much more than if they just end up on Instagram.
“If people initially buy the calendar just to have a calendar and then realize: Print is really nice! Then the project has already fulfilled its purpose.”
It’s cool that you’re flying the flag for print. Were the pictures taken especially for the calendar, or did you choose from your archive as you did for your book project?
Steffen: There are 12 pages plus cover, so 13 shots that I needed and they were all taken especially for the calendar. Not a single photo has been published online or printed anywhere before, which was really important to me. In total, I worked at seven wake parks with different riders. I had to organize and coordinate everything, which was a lot of work. And in the end you have to shoot 12 cover photos – not easy.
That leads on to the next question. Did you come up with all the motifs and ideas and did you go into the photo shots with them? What inspired you?
Steffen: I was inspired by a lot of photos that I already knew or had taken myself, or where I was standing in front of the camera as a wakeboarder. I wanted to take this further and take it to the next level. On top I was influenced by current snowboard photography. 60% of the photos were already in my head and the rest were taken during the process. Lukas Süß, for example, had a really good suggestion in Duisburg. As he was happy for me to implement his idea, we then took the shot with Nico von Lerchenfeld.
sneak peak
Okay, a lot of work has gone into this. What else does the calendar look like? Is it just a photo calendar or is there any text?
Steffen: It was important to me to include more information. That’s why on the back of each month there’s a statement from the rider or a bit of background to the shot or the day or thoughts from me. And of course the information about where the picture was taken and who is in it, because that is not always (immediately) recognizable.
Do you have a favorite photo in the calendar?
Steffen: If I have to choose, it’s probably Max van Helvoort’s method in AREA 47. It’s not far ahead, but when others are perhaps at 99 percent, it’s simply at 100 percent. Everything was pretty much perfect for me. But there are also photos that didn’t make it.
And what happens to these shots?
Steffen: Many of the pictures that were a bit “behind the scenes” or didn’t make it onto the main page ended up in the imprint. And then there are others that will either end up on Instagram or perhaps be printed somewhere. The latter would be my preference, but we’ll see …
Book, calendar, what’s next?
Steffen: The cool thing about the calendar concept is that you can repeat it. That is, if it’s popular and worthwhile. Worthwhile means that at least I’m not paying for it. Twelve days of shooting, graphic design, printing, distribution, promotion – it all has to be done.
“It was so f***ing much effort. So for me personally, I don’t have to do it anymore. But it was a nice effort. So if the wakeboard community appreciates the work and supports the project, then I can totally imagine doing it again.”
And now the most important thing: Where can you buy the calendar and how much does it cost?
Steffen: I have BuyWake.com, Warehouse One and Waketoolz on board as exclusive online store partners, who are handling distribution in Germany, Europe and worldwide. You can pre-order from them until the end of October. The calendar will cost 39.99 € plus shipping and will be delivered in time for Christmas. So if you’re clever, order a few now and you won’t have to worry about buying presents for friends and family.
Last words?
Steffen: Yes, I definitely want to thank all the riders, helpers and the wake parks who have supported me. It wouldn’t have been possible without them. It’s amazing how much time everyone took and how much fun everyone had, even though we had to get up early and everything. It was really perfect. The Cables were just on fire – really cool. Thanks also to Olga, who went nuts with the graphic design. It was new for me to work with her and I really enjoyed it. So, thanks to everyone!
Thank you Steffen for your time. It’s great how much love you put into it and how you give the community an important piece of culture. Let’s hope that many people appreciate this and support you.
So, let’s go: Pre-order now!
