Forgotten Places: The Photo Art Of Annie Bertram

The work of the talented Annie Bertram first came to my attention in issue 19 of Gothic Beauty Magazine.

Her photography struck me because it was so bright yet it still maintained a dark presence – a balance that is hard to find in most photography. I've since enjoyed keeping up with her various projects and collaborations. Her work always seems to tell a story, often times a fairy tale that you can't quite pull yourself away from. She lets us take a peek into strange, beautiful new worlds that always leave a lasting impression.

Annie Bertram is, quite simply, an amazing photographer. Based in Germany, Bertram is no stranger to publications in Europe such as Gothic, Orkus and Zillo. She has been making herself known to America in the pages of Gothic Beauty with three covers and several pictorials featuring Drastique (Gothic Beauty’s model of the year in 2006). When asked how she broke into the publishing world, Annie said "My first book publisher supported me a lot and gave me the chance to present my works in his own magazine. Later some German gothic magazines ask me for pictures for compilations and so on, and some gothic musicians engaged me for their promotion pictures (Blutengel/Unheilig)."

Her talent extends beyond her stunning fashion photography and branches into bands, fellow artists, and an other-worldly collection of hers called "Forgotten Places" - which features abandon castles, factories, homes, and hospitals. On the subject of this collection, she remarked "Documentation of forgotten places is a very special part of my art and they were also my first photo subjects. I am still deeply impressed by the beauty of decay. It is like diving into another world far away from reality. It is fascinating with how much love the 'old world' was created, every single detail is important and it is wonderful to explore this and take in every single little thing. In my works, I try to combine both of those two different worlds… the old decaying world with the beauty of human beings. I try to tell stories. It is not only about a cool location or background for me… it has much more intention and direction than that and it has also become a special part of my life."

Her band photography has become increasingly popular in Germany with the Goth set. Bertram has a great deal of passion for this type of work and has been called upon by bands like Bluengel, Terminal Choice, Unheiling, Diary of Dreams, and Scream Silence for promo-shootings and CD artwork. In fact she is so enthused with bands that her talents often run over into artwork conception and promotional projects.

Bertram's photos are often haunted with a deep sense of mourning behind them. Her photos seem to be less about horror and more focused on dark beauty, making her a true Gothic photographer.

When asked if her work has always leaned to the dark side, Annie replied "Yes, I am a melancholic person and also a deep thinker. There are so many facets of life I would like to show – I am not merely pure dark and also not pure white. There is a lot in-between those two colors. For me, art comes mostly from my heart and soul and that's the important thing: To be honest to yourself."

Bertram's sense of lighting and placement seems to mimic paintings more so than traditional photographs. Perhaps this talent comes from the fact that she has engrossed herself in the craft since childhood. She tells me about her first camera as child, which happened to be a broken one. "I had to roll back the films under a dark blanket, because it was not automatic!" Later in life she moved on to taking pictures with an SLR camera and also started developing her own film in her dark room.

Annie Bertram has an ever growing fan base for her work. She is in demand for various book and CD projects. I asked about the future of her art work and she said "I have a lot of dreams and I think that it's important in life to keep your dreams alive. I would love to publish more books and to have exhibitions. One of my biggest dreams is to have an exhibition in the USA. I'd also like to be able to work on more projects."

An extensive portfolio of Annie Bertram's work is viewable on her website anniebertram.com. In addition to the galleries, her book Wahre Marchen (True Fairy tales), along with several of her prints are also available for purchase.