We know, We know, it´s just the signs of the times and the way things are these days, so enough with the endless whining. Still it just feels weird that it´s widely accepted - and probably even appreciated by some - that people apparently are getting more dumb and shallow by the minute. Here´s an example: Regardless if they´re in their own four walls or on vacation or going out for dinner or escort their kid to the playground or riding their fucking bike from A to B - things just don´t seem to have really happened if they´re a) not communicated through social media and b) are not perceived through the screen by others.

The question remains: why do we do these kinds of things? Why do people upload a billion pictures on Facebook every minute? And why do we suddenly operate with a different set of values as soon as we feed these platforms?
The very majority of lives lived on this planet are remotely interesting. I know for a fact that mine isn´t. Still there´s this irrational urge to go public, to stretch these wannabe fifteen-minutes-of-fame into an endless presence. Unfortunately though, the very majority of images and clips that get the upper hand in the social media bubble prove that it isnít necessarily the brightest idea to simply participate in things just because they´re available. It´s the kind of footage that you would normally never dare to watch in a million years because it´s insultingly mediocre, downright bad and utterly bland. Welcome to the age of image bulimia -

We hope you enjoy the ride. And hopefully you don´t mind that your cell phone might block the vision of the actual event. So once again, we put together an issue that focuses on the art of photography. Some forgotten masters, some fresh talents. Something analog, something digital. Just to refresh your memory how rad this medium can actually be, we compiled something that feels a bit like a visual journey around the world, contributed by that rare kind of individuals that still aren´t afraid to let life hit them like a truck. Presented to you in HD 3D.

Yours truly,
Lodown