KOOL FELLAS, LTD.

Titel: Kool Fellas, Ltd. - Photography by Dirk Behlau
152 pages, about 400 photos, colour & b/w
Size: 28x20 cm, Landscape format, Hard-/Softcover
Language: English
Released on Halloween // 31.10.2010
Publisher: Huber Verlag GmbH & Co. KG

"Kool Fellas, Ltd." is the 3rd Hot Rod book by photographer Dirk "The Pixeleye" Behlau - internationally acclaimed for his authentic kool lifestyle photography. Kool Fellas Ltd. is a stylish statement for all the coffee table book lovers who are into great athmospheric high-class photography combined with a big blend of Rock´n´Roll attitude. Kool Fellas, Ltd. is full of cool guys & gals, Hot Rods, Kustom Kulture, Pin-Ups, Custombikes, Tattoo Artists, Garages, Pinstripers, Musicians and much more - you can nearly feel the attitude and smell the dust´n´gasoline...shot in USA & Europe!

Ol´ Skool Rodz Magazine (USA)
Dirk Behlau is one of those rare photographers who is able to take photos of people you've never met and make them seem familiar, friends almost. His photographs of vehicles make you want to reach out and turn the key. His new book, Kool Fellas. Ltd., continues that pattern. It’s safe to say that Dirk is one of the top two or three kustom kulture photographers in Europe. He understands the subjects – hot rods, custom cars, stripped down motorcycles, pinup and burlesque girls - and the men and women who live the lifestyle every day. That is obvious from his photography. It is gritty and raw, like his subjects, never polished or pretentious. He’s not a photographer trying to figure something out. He has it figured out because this is his life, too. Dirk just relays what he sees from the inside. This book could be sub-titled “A Day in the Life of Dirk.” Shot in the USA as well as in Europe, Kool Fellas, Ltd. is a feast for the eyes, a great coffee table book for the casual observer or a pictorial textbook for the student of kustom kulture. Simply, slowly studying the photos will tell you much about this kulture. Except for the noise and the smell of oil and gasoline, it’s all there in the book.

Deadbeat Magazine (Australia)
Dirk "The Pixeleye" Behlau is renowned for his ability to capture the kustom kulture lifestyle [...] The Pixeleye´s lens takes you to events in locations including the USA, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy where you´ll be introduced to the characters he finds lurking backstage, in back alleys, garages, car parks or burning down the vintge 1/8 mile race. Although he travels the world to capture these people, there is a sense of familarity in all of his work hich stems from his ability to immerse the viewer in his shootes and transport them into the world of his subjects [...] Dirk´s work will be looked back upon in the future as some of the most iconic imagery that chronicled international kustom kulture scenes today!

Pinstriping & Kustom Graphics Magazine (England)
This is Dirk Behlau´s third "Through the lens" book depicting the old-style Hot Rod/Kustom Kulture scene and the colourful characters that embrace the culture. With his fly on the wall insight and wonderfully framed photos it´s abundantly clear that Dirk prefers depicting the kool lifestyle that surrounds american automobiles from the 30s up to the 70´s, classic Pin-Ups, rockstars and out of the ordinary people with attitude. I particularly enjoyed the "used" feel to the photos, some black and white other sepia while the colour shots have an almost hand coloured feel to them. A fantastic book for those who enjoy slice of life photography with modern subjects and an old twist style... actually a great book for those who enjoy wonderful photography.

More Books by Dirk Behlau:
Kool Fellas, Ltd. - Photography by Dirk Behlau 
(2010, Huber Verlag)
Hotrod Empire, Inc. - Photography by Dirk Behlau 
(2008, Huber Verlag)
Speed Kings - Racing Photography by Dirk Behlau 
(2007, Die Gestalten Verlag)
Inkarnation - Tattoo & Lifestyle 
(2012, Zeixs)

Co-Op books:
The Ride (2013, Die Gestalten Verlag)
Kustom Kamera (2010, Korero Books)
Old-school Motorcycles (2008, Huber Verlag)
Hardcore for Life (2008, Huber Verlag)
Cook Wildest (2010, Huber Verlag)

Stern.de (Germany)
Style, Freunde, Autos und Leidenschaft: Der Fotoband "Kool Fellas" führt in das Universum von Hot Rods, Kustom Kulture und Rock´n Roll. Fotograf Dirk Behlau hat seiner Welt darin ein Denkmal errichtet. [...] Mit "Kool Fellas" ist The Pixeleye ist ein feines Buch gelungen. Es ist mit Herz gemacht und ehrlich, dabei nicht übertrieben stilisiert. In dem Fotos finden die Leute zu sich selbst. Seine Fotos bilden die Szene so ab, wie sie sich fühlt. Wer dazu gehört, besitzt mit "Kool Fellas" ein standesgemäßes "Garage-Table-Book" für die Schrauberhütte.

Street Magazine (Germany)
Mit Kool Fellas, Ltd. hat Dirk Behlau nun den dritten Bildband zum Thema Hot Rod- und Kustos Kulture veröffentlicht und auch das neue Werk weiss durch stimmungsvolle Fotografien, die in den USA und Europa entstanden sind, zu begeistern. [...] Tolles Bildmaterial, tolle Grafik und wie immer liebevoll zusammengestellt, dass man Staub, Benzin und Öl förmlich riecht!

SundaycruiseFever (USA)
Dirk “The Pixeleye” Behlau Releases Another Shocking Book! Dirk “The Pixeleye” Behlau probably has the coolest job on the planet. When he’s not out photographing beautiful hot rods draped in gorgeous women, he’s compiling books about beautiful hot rods draped in gorgeous women. And when he’s not doing that, his photos become the spokesperson for the entire oldskool subculture in Europe and beyond. His work in documenting the people and the cars has a certain way of conveying the spirit and the attitudes within the subculture. It’s not just your typical “Brylcreem user in a flat black ’32 roadster” photographs that we’ve almost come to expect from thousands of greasers playing tough for the camera, appearing on Flickr and in half-rate hot rodding magazines. Behlau is actually a part of this scene, crossing the line from photographer to subject to capture it from the inside. In Behlau’s latest book, “Kool Fellas, Ltd.,” not only do you get “attitude” shots of greaser guys, there’s also the real, honest, not-so-gritty side of the subculture. There are photographs of pin-up models doing their makeup, and “flag girls” playfully jumping to start a drag race the old fashioned way. It’s an inside glimpse of a unique world that few outsiders are lucky enough to see. Behlau’s work is the real deal, a colourful tribe of hot rodders, captured by one of their own on a pinstriped camera.