5 - WBF 2024 - The Last Light at Klagenfurt
A farewell to World Bodypainting Festival (10min read)
We didn’t drive straight to Klagenfurt.
First, the detour. Munich Airport. Two Finns, Katja and Kiiski, standing at Arrivals with big makeup cases and bigger smiles. Jasmiina had pulled them into her creative crew late in the game, and cheap flights only landed in Germany. So I picked them up. The car ride turned into a warm-up show. Laughter. Good music. Talk of past festivals, pigments, weather.
The sun followed us all the way to Carinthia/Austria-4 hours.
Thursday: The Workshop
Thursday wasn’t for spectators.
I had a full-day workshop to teach—bodypainting and portrait photography, side by side with artists who know what they’re doing. We were inside the exhibition hall, surrounded by acrylic smells, compressor hum, and anticipation. Jasmiina ran a creative makeup class. Lucia, from Italy, held one on brush techniques.
We had Kamila in front of the lens. Nadja painted her, then painted herself. Two models. Not bad. But our group was hungry. So I stepped out, crossed the hall, asked the other workshop leaders if their models would join us in the evening. They did. Fifteen of them.
We moved from indoor setups to evening light. Outside, in the golden hour. Then back again. Batteries died. Memory cards filled. It was one of those days where you earn your dinner. Every frame taught something.
1- Jasmiina Walters
2- Heleni Post
3- Ottorina Danese
4- Belinda Wrann
5- Emira Messner
6- Solange Hille
7- Jannika Karolina
8- Workshop Group
Friday: The Rush
By Friday, the air had changed.
Competition day. Categories: Brush & Sponge, Team Award, Facepainting. I walked the rows, greeting old friends. Some painted. Some posed. Some already looked like beings from other planets.
People recognize me here. After 15 years, I’m that guy who sends them photos. That’s why they smile wide when they see me. No empty promises. I shoot, I send. Always.
2 p.m., I clock in.
I set up near the black curtain—my own little zone. Three flashes, two modifiers. Bautydish. Striplight. Barebulb. The setup lets me control everything, even when the model has half a jungle glued to their face.
I ran two cameras:
– EOS R5 - 85mm f/1.2 II
– EOS R - 135mm f/2
Fast. Sharp. Clean.
The models came straight from the jury. Some spotted me and walked over. Others got pulled into the official photo line—endless backdrops, a hundred photographers deep. If I didn’t raise my hand, wave, catch their eye—they’d miss me.
But once they saw me, they knew. No need to explain. They stepped into position. The light hit them. I nodded. We began.
Pose after pose. A glance to the left. Chin down. Shoulder turned. Flash. Flash. Flash. “Let’s get the back,” the artist next to me would say. “Did you catch that shoulder detail? The headpiece? The foot?” I'd nod again and adjust.
Some paintings called for softness. Others demanded power. The models knew their work. They came prepared. Fierce, sweet, distant, divine—whatever the piece needed, they gave.
Two to three minutes, sometimes less. Then they were gone. Onward to the stage. Music. Applause. But in those short moments, we caught what mattered.
And then… done. The camera bag zipped. The lights packed.
At 8 p.m. I stood in front of the stage. No camera in hand. Just a beer and good company. I watched the models move beneath concert lights. The paint shimmered. The crowd clapped. It felt good to just enjoy.
Back in the apartment, Sarah scrubbed the color from her skin. I dumped the cards. Culled. Edited. Uploaded. By midnight, the first gallery was online. That’s always the best part. Seeing messages flood in the next morning:
"Wow! Thank you."
"You captured it."
"I look like a goddess."
1- Sanna Juhala
2- Ines Bonjour
3- Laura Giusti
4- Nadja Hluchovsky
5- Roosa Leino
6- Elina Kymälainen
7- Laura Sivestrelli
8- Yi Feng Li
9- Heleni Post
Saturday: The Big One
Jinra Kim is a force.
She flew in from South Korea to compete in “Open Category”. I was booked to document it all. Full-day video reportage. One model. Sarah was the canvas.
9 a.m. sharp, we walked in. Jinra was already setting up. Her little daughter was there too, helping with stencils and tape. A quiet team, precise and warm.
Colors. Stencils. Airbrush. Boots glued with gold plates. A headpiece like armor. I filmed all of it. Wide shots. Close-ups. The buzz in the air.
Hours passed.
Then came the jury. The photo zone. The stage. I filmed it all, even the waiting. The nerves. And then—the announcement.
3rd place in the world!
Not what they aimed for. But still: joy, relief, pride. Sarah finally took off her hat. She could breathe again. I could too.
Full reportage for Jinra:
We went straight to the party.
The Finns were already deep in celebration. Jasmiina had judged the creative makeup category. Her team placed well. Drinks flowed. Stories were shared. At some point, we ended up in a downtown club. We danced like we’d never be back.
Sunday: The Goodbye
The morning was slower. I picked up Katja and Kiiski. Coffee helped. A walk along Wörthersee helped more. The sun was out. The lake shimmered like a mirror trying to remember summer.
And then, the drive back north.
Reflections
There won’t be a WBF this year. No festival in 2025.
The news hit hard. It’s more than a gathering. It’s a family reunion. You hug people you haven’t seen in a year and it feels like yesterday. You share snacks, chargers, cameras, brushes. You laugh. You remember.
This year I sent out 3,500 pictures to over 140 artists and models. The inboxes filled with gratitude. I hope we’ll find each other again, somehow, somewhere. Maybe not in Klagenfurt. But on some other stage. Under other lights.
If you want to see more:
www.toto.tobi-s.com
Optional Sections
Favorite Unplanned Shot
What I’d do differently next time
Dance more. Stress less. Laugh louder.
Tech Minute
You don’t need vintage Leica glass to tell a story. Just heart and timing.
Quote from the Off
“It’s only three days—but every second counts.”