Photographer, writer, music lover, avid gamer, and foosball player – Wiehahn Diederichs dabbles in a bit of everything. We asked the Bellville-based 23-year-old about how he ended up behind the lens, film vs. digital and his dreams of space.

Cape Town Cannabis March ’13, © Wiehahn Diederichs

Growing up in Bellville, did you decide to give ‘Bellville Rock City’ a skip and rather launch into photography or were you born to lead a life with a camera in your hands?
Photography only recently became a passion of mine. I’ve always been fond of music, listening to it, making it, and admiring it. For me there is a supernatural element to it, an ability to transcend beyond the physical realm. I also like music’s ability to convey stories. I’m obsessed with stories. That’s how photography caught my attention; it also has a unique way of telling stories.

In today’s world, our brains are overloaded with visual imagery. But if you stop to take a look you can be exposed to some really magical moments.

Cape Town has a budding creative community. Would you say this is the right place for a up-and-coming photographer to be?
Yes and no. Because of the budding creative community there is a lot of competition, which means it is hard work to make a living, although that makes it all the more rewarding when you accomplish something. With Cape Town’s constantly growing artistic soul, it’s a great place to be a creative and to be inspired. And because you’ll be competing against a mass of other very talented individuals, you will be pressured to push the boundaries of your artistic abilities.

Pressure creates diamonds.

© WIEHAHN DIEDERICHS

© Wiehahn Diederichs

© Wiehahn Diederichs

As a photographer and a writer, which comes first or do they go hand in hand?
That’s like asking a parent which child do they love the most. I love them both equally. Deadlines usually dictate whether I’m writing or shooting. When it comes to my personal works then it usually depends on what mood I’m in. Photography is something I have more control over: I can shoot when I want to. I write when inspiration strikes, which can be at any time and any place. I have to lay the general idea on paper immediately or the magic of that inspiration quickly fades away.

You’re also involved in gaming reviews, how did that come to be?
I’m quite an avid gamer and I love writing. Combining the two just seemed like an attractive notion. And it’s a brilliant excuse to play a shitload of games.

© Wiehahn Diederichs

Bad Drugs, a local band, are frequently found in front of your lens. So unofficial photographer or friends who mutually benefit?
I went to high school with two of the guys. The drummer and I have always been good friends and when Bad Drugs was starting out he asked me to join them at a practice one time. Naturally I took my camera with and I guess that’s how it started. Their music is great and their live shows are epic. Their gigs are fun to shoot and it’s even more fun to hang out with them. They are a really awesome group of people.

Are there other local bands you’d like to shoot or is band photography not a road you see yourself going down?
I don’t really see myself going down that road. Band photography can get a bit repetitive for me. I’m more interested in documentary-type photography.

I have a voyeuristic approach to my photography and I like to explore interesting places and find the hidden stories they hold. My main aim is to capture true, natural, raw moments rather than posed ones.

image: Bad Drugs, Stephan Wessel Swart © Wiehahn Diederichs

© Wiehahn Diederichs

© Wiehahn Diederichs

In some of your shoots you’ve decided shot on film, and to also leave them untouched. With so many editing programs out there, what made to decide to rather take this route?
I originally started out on film at the beginning of my studies. The darkroom soon became one of my favourite places in the world. The amount of effort and time you put in from the moment you take the picture to holding that print just makes it so much more rewarding than digital. Your life and energy pours into that photograph and it becomes alive. Digital pictures sometimes just lack that life force. That’s also why I leave my film pictures untouched. Digitally editing an analogue pic just feels as if you’re killing that life force it contains. If it wasn’t so expensive I would shoot on film all the time.

Do you still dream of making documentaries one day?
I dream of doing so many things. I frequently get lost in my elaborate daydreams. But yes, one day I would want make a documentary, much in the spirit of Rob Fricke’s film. His documentaries never have any interviews or dialogue, just amazing shots of amazing places and cultures. It has a very voyeuristic vibe to it. If you haven’t seen Baraka or Chronos, do yourself a favour and watch it!

© Wiehahn Diederichs

© Wiehahn Diederichs

© Wiehahn Diederichs

If not behind your lens, where else would one find you?
Behind a book, drum kit, PC, foosball table or bar.

Dream subject to shoot one day?
That’s impossible to answer; there are so many things I dream of shooting and every day something new gets added to the list. I’ve always wanted to travel to the far east and document the people of the countryside. There are places there that are untouched by time, people living in the same way they have lived for hundreds of years. With a rapidly modernising world I would love to experience that before it disappears. On a more unrealistic note I would love to travel to and document the farthest reaches of space.

I can only stare in awe at the beauty of our cosmos. And think how amazing it would be to be the first photographer to capture an image of intelligent life on another planet. Now that’s truly a dream.

interview by Chanel Carstens
all images © Wiehahn Diederichs

Wiehahn Diederichs’ Links

Website
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onesmallseed.net profile

© WIEHAHN DIEDERICHS

© WIEHAHN DIEDERICHS

© Wiehahn Diederichs

© Wiehahn Diederichs

© Wiehahn Diederichs