I began taking pictures as a teenager, documenting my outdoor lifestyle of hiking, backpacking, and climbing in the Pacific Northwest. In my twenties and early thirties I spent a lot of time in Spain and Latin America. It was during my travels that I realized how much I enjoy and prefer photographing people.

I started photographing the West Coast festival culture in 2001, two months after I purchased my first digital SLR camera, a 3.25-megapixel Canon

D30 and a worthy investment. (I have only shot three rolls of film since.) I was drawn by the costumes, the characters, the beautifully adorned women, the nude fire dancers—the wild gatherings and the parties that took place, now in even greater frequency, in Santa Cruz and the San Francisco Bay Area. Later I realized that I was able to give back to the festival and event producers something that they found valuable: beautiful, enticing, and exciting photographs of people having fun.

I love music, costuming, playfulness, and the performing arts in motion, and I’ve deeply enjoyed being a part of it all. At times I was simply the documenter, but mostly I engaged people, often in collaboration, to capture that “magical” image. I’ve been told that I have an ability to capture the essence of people. I hope that the photography in this book is successful in that. This collection represents a lot of time, energy, and personal involvement. Mostly it has been a joy, yet sometimes it has been frustrating. My work benefits from a capriciousness at the festival: capturing the moment and nothing more. Sometimes it feels fleeting and a bit empty. Photography can be intimate and the immediate connection with your subject strong, but then you each go your separate ways, perhaps never to connect again besides via e-mail or a brief greeting down the line. Life can often be that way, especially when you’re mingling with so many souls. I feel privileged as a documenter of this world. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with a lot of talented, beautiful, and creative people, and it has been an honor to photograph the amazing characters in this scene. You’ll find many of them in this book, and they are the reason I come back year after year.

I’ve also enjoyed being one of the few who get “all access.” There are 5,000 screaming fans out there, and I’m in the photographer’s pit between all that energy and the band rocking another tune. Or I’m backstage having a drink with the singer or the fire dancer who just performed in front of all those people. Much talent and hard work go into the creation of these festivals. Being closer to that creative energy has motivated me to continue, even when the financial compensation was small.

I have many people to thank for this book. First and foremost are Michael Honack and Wendy Grace. Without their support this book would not be possible. I’d also like to thank Erik Davis for his insightful text and feedback on the images and spreads, Eli Morgan and Sijay James for all their amazing design work, Johnny Dwork for his input and text, Robert Gould and Chris Decker for their guidance and all the producers of the nine West Coast Festivals that provided a photogenic backdrop for this book.

I want to give thanks to all the wonderful, expressive, artistic and creative characters who appear in the following pages. Every effort was made to notify and get their permission to publish their image. I also thank the collective Tribe for helping me make this process largely a success. It’s been a long, yet enjoyable journey to bring this book Tribal Revival: West Coast Festival Culture to you. Whether you’re new to this scene or a seasoned festival veteran, may this book inspire you to explore this culture and your creative self with greater enthusiasm towards a life full of joy and wonder.

In gratitude,
Kyer Wiltshire