Axel Hoedt - FAST NACHT - 2015

Out-of-print photography book

A beautiful photography book by Axel Hoedt, a German fashion and portrait photographer, published by Steidl in 2015. This is the first edition, in German. It follows Einmal im Jahr (2013). The English edition is called Dusk and is out of print.

The book features the costumes and masks of the Swabian-Alemannic carnival (Fastnacht) in southwestern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. These are not pictures of a celebration: the masked figures pose solemnly, almost unrealistically. The book includes studio portraits against light backgrounds, outdoor Polaroids taken in winter landscapes, and still lifes. There are both black-and-white and color photographs. Embroidered, sequined, made of straw or wicker, the costumes are astonishingly rich in detail.

• Publisher: Steidl (Göttingen), 2015, first edition
• ISBN: 978-3-86930-839-5
• 95 pages, almost entirely illustrated
• Hardcover, with dust jacket
• Size: approx. 20 × 24 cm
• Text in German (very little text; primarily a picture book)

Condition: very good. The pages and dust jacket are clean, with no annotations or creases. (See photos)

Ideal for fans of contemporary photography, fashion, masks, and European folk traditions, or as a coffee-table book.