vitreousrose submitted this photo with the comment “My best friend Carolyn. We were doing a photoshoot of Carolyn’s goth garb in a cemetary that has graves as far back as 1700. Then we saw a tree… And we knew she had to get in it. It was too perfect.”
Yes, that tree is in the perfect location - surrounded by gravestones and in front of what I assume is a church. We haven’t had a goth loli inspired outfit for a while so bonus points for that. She looks quite at home up the tree, she’s a reasonable height, and she’s not smiling. It’s daylight but our goth is partially in the shade. Bonus points for the excellent tree placement and the cute socks and boots.
Aaaand apparently it’s World Goth Day again (22nd of May) where we celebrate the world of goths. As every day is goth day for me, I’m celebrating by being alive. For you non-goths, I suggest you buy your local goth a drink and compliment them on their hair, or you could buy yourself some decent eyeliner to support the Sophie Lancaster Foundation.
4.8 out of 5 - I’m waiting for my drinks and compliments, thanks.
Franzi submitted this photo with the comment “my best friend and me made this picture at the luispoldhain nürnberg =) greetings from bavaria (germany)”
Greetings back at you, friend! I’m going to be in Germany in October (huzzah!) and I hope that the trees will be full of goths who will point me in the direction of the best shops and places to go out. It will be a kind of up-tree goth tourism service. Fantastic.
Here we have a well dressed cybergoth lady up a tree. I have a soft spot for cyberish goths as I have been known to dress like one and stare off into the distance while standing on a pile of leaf litter in the past. I’m gratified by every aspect of this submission except the daylight. I particularly like the look on this goth’s face; it’s as if some idiot just came up and asked her whether there were any goth shops nearby.
4.9 out of 5 - Top work
Carrie Shriver and Chrissy Basham submitted this photo with the comment “Goth on a stump. My friend said it best, “Your tree is the gothiest because it is DEAD!” Sorry my outfit was not more “gothy”, but I was a Seattle girl in 80 degree Atlanta…I was hot. I saw this stump and could not resist it.”
I think we all know that heat is not really an excuse for a less gothy outfit, friend, but I’ll allow this because, although the singlet could have been a more suitable colour (black), the rest looks summertime goth appropriate. I’m also giving you the benefit of the doubt when it comes to goth footwear choice and am imagining suitably stompy boots.
I like the dramatic ‘oh, I am overcome by heat! I shall loll on this handy stump’ pose. She’s not smiling and she’s in the shade but it is daylight and the tree height is very low.
3.5 out of 5 - Stump lolling at its finest.
Hannah submitted this photo with the comment “It was a sad day for us, but we tried to be happy. Hannah is a great sport.”
The question is: does Hannah normally refer to herself in the third person or did the submitter accidentally put Hannah’s name in the ‘Name’ field when they should have put theirs? I’m going to go with the third person option because Verity*, who has to get her jollies where she can, thinks that’s much more amusing.
Hannah is high up the tree and she’s not smiling. The cunning use of black and white detracts from the daylight, but I’m not fooled. I like the industrial cladding on the building behind but I don’t know why. It’s probably a side effect of watching too much Grand Designs recently.
4.2 out of 5 - I’m deducting points because they admitted that they were trying to be happy despite being perfectly sad at the time.
* Yes, that’s my name, don’t wear it out…. although technically you can’t wear names out.. unless of course you cut the letters out of fabric and sewed them together into an outfit… which would be attractive. On second thoughts, please wear it out.
nr1002685 submitted this photo with the comment “Up to you if this is goth enough, but here’s a photo of me crawling across a city centre park tree in Riga in a somewhat intoxicated state!”
This is a goth after my own heart; she’s drunk in a park in the city in the middle of the day and crawling along trees. She’s provided one of the only excuses for smiling that I’ll accept: intoxication. She’s a low/medium height up the tree and it’s daylight but I appreciate the crawling-goth action shot. I like the practical summery outfit. I am a bit concerned that she seems to doubt her goth cred. You are goth enough, friend!
4.5 out of 5 - Look at yourself in the mirror every day and repeat: “I AM GOTH ENOUGH” and then scowl for 30 seconds.
Emma Robson submitted this photo with the comment “My friends and I went to see Emilie Autumn the other day and took some photos beforehand~ (yes it is in the middle of the day but that’s only because we got to the line really early). Also this was taken in a cemetery with graves from the 1800’s, if that makes up for it being day-time”
I like this submission because the photographer chose to include a large portion of the tree trunk instead of the including all of the goth in the top left corner and/or any of the alleged gravestones near the tree. I suspect that the photographer was in an uncooperative mood due an Emilie Autumn inspired tea-rage pre-gig incident. Understandable, but annoying.
The goths are high up the tree and they’re not smiling. It’s daytime but they’re in the shade. Bonus points for the fully visible goth’s cute and practical gig outfit and for climbing in heels. I wish I could see more of the top goth but, thanks to the photographer, that’s not possible.
4.7 out of 5 - Having photos up trees before going to see a band is a splendid idea. Having photos with the band up trees is a spectacular idea.
inkcatcher submitted this photo and one other with the comment “I am of the understanding that cowgirl boots aren’t very goth… but they do have inverted crosses on them, and there were motorcycles to be ridden.”
Of course cowgirl boots can be uber goth! OK, well, maybe not these terrifying pink ones but, as I told off for questioning the cowboy goth look in a previous post, I will present to you the Fields of the Nephilim who are the gothest cowboys I’ve never encountered. Yeah! Those boys don’t herd cows. OH NO. They herd bats, black fluffy kittens and bloody great direwolves from the backs of ravens the size of a small car.
Our cowboy booted goth has found herself an excellent tree in a cemetery. She’s wearing a practical summertime goth outfit with floppy hat for maximum style and facial coverage. Bonus points for hair colour, boots, lack of smiling, good tree height and balance, and the graveyard setting. It’s daylight but it’s an overcast day.
4.85 out of 5 - I’d much prefer a goth in cowboy boots to a goth in ugg boots (they exist, I saw at least 2 last weekend)
MissZed submitted this photo with the comment “my take on ‘steamgoth’ not sure if it qualifies for your site but wanted to share as I love the pics on here”
I take all sub-genres of goth here, friend, so your picture qualifies for posting. Steampunk may not be my favourite goth offshoot (goffshoot - HAH) but I like this lady’s interpretation due to the minimal obvious brown clothing, random cogs or brass octopi. She’s a medium height in the tree and is using a box for maximum boot display, which I approve of. She’s out in daylight but she’s in the shade. Bonus points for cute boots, stockings and corset. Points deducted for flagrant smiling and what looks like joyous waving (although could be twig obstruction prevention).
4 out of 5 - Being steamy does not exclude you from the smiling rule.
Charlotte Johnson submitted this photo with the comment “Forget the Prime Meridian, go to Greenwich for the trees.”
I’m going to take your advice, Charlotte. I’m going to Greenwich in September and I’m going to find THIS TREE or ONE LIKE IT, because that is an amazing tree. That is also an amazing pose; sort of half seated/half standing, regal yet ready for action on the trunk of the tree. I very much like the finger splaying, dramatic cloak spreading and head position. It’s a gloomy day, the backdrop of skeletal trees is pleasing, and she’s not smiling. She’s looking suitably dark yet warm.
4.7 out of 5 - When in Greenwich, spend the longitude of your time with the trees (*sigh* I tried)
P.S. In serious goth news, in Manchester they’re treating violence against people of alternative subcultures (goths, emos, metallers etc.) as hate crimes, aided by the work of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. I have experienced occasional negative attention for being a goth such as verbal abuse, discrimination, and drunken fools who think it’s funny to make fun of goths in dodgy food joints at 3am *tiny mournful violins*, but I’ve never experienced violence. I was upset to learn that our Manchester alt friends do not feel safe in public to express themselves through the way they look and are being specifically targeted for looking alternative. The change in Manchester Police’s policy sounds like a positive step and I hope it helps reduce abuse because no one should be abused for looking differently (or abused at all, for that matter). GROUP HUG. </serious>
Snarf Elin Lind from Barcelona submitted this photo and two others with the comment “Hi, I hope you will like our photos from a nightly tree climbing excursion.”
Looking at all three photos submitted, you tell that these ladies whole-heartedly embraced their up-tree experience. They were certainly flinging their skirts around with gay abandon. I suspect that they may have dressed up for the occasion, but they’ve done well with their monochromatic colour palette, paled up faces and some nice stompy boots.
The lady in the primary photo has done well with extreme tree height and she’s showing us a bit o’ leg. She’s not smiling and it’s night time. I have qualms about the limited black in the outfit, but it’s monochromatic and they seem like they’ve had a jolly good, skirt swishing time, so I’m going to ignore it as best I can.
4.95 out of 5 - I feel like I’m missing something here.
Inquisitor submitted this photo with the comment “Here you see my friend Porange. I was taking perfectly sensible photos of her one night, when a bystander said “Goths up trees!” I, knowing little of the ways of the world, replied “That’s a thing?” Next I knew, we were bound for pastures arboreal… Enjoy.”
To the helpful bystander who made this photo happen, I salute you. This is an excellent night shot of a paled up lady bedecked in black and white. Our goth is high up the tree and she’s not smiling. She looks comfortable in her up-tree pose as if she’s waiting for something. Bonus points for perfect face angling.
5 out of 5 - If you’re going to yell “goths up trees” at goths, please make sure:
a) that the people you’re yelling at are actually goths (and not metallers or hardcore/scene/emo/punk kids or individuals who just love wearing black and don’t identify with any subculture thankyouverymuch),
b) that they’re having a photoshoot near a tree, and
c) you’re prepared for disdainful looks and eye-rolling if they’re not in a frisky mood.
Jackie submitted this photo with the comment “Two of my very good friends in a tree at our local cemetery in Humboldt county, forgive the smiles, thc tends to do that to you..”
If the gothic subculture is your subculture of choice, friend, then I would consider trying alternative ways of achieving an altered state of consciousness that do not cause you to do something unfortunate like smile. THC is clearly not helping your uberness.
Bonus points for the cemetery location. I like the resourcefulness shown by perching on the trunk at a medium height rather than the branches of the tree. I can’t fully see what’s going on with the outfit but it looks warm and practical. Not sure what the supporting cast member is doing lurking in the corner but he/she/it is adding some eeriness to the shot.
4 out of 5 - You need to consider your gothness in all states of consciousness.
Laura submitted this photo with the comment “Frolicking. :) Full post here.”
Good work, Laura; nicely frolicked. Initially I read the comment as “frog licking”, which I thought was slightly gross for all concerned but also a potential explanation for the amused look on the goth’s face. And then I came across this article about a scientist who licks frogs because she loves them. There’s no mention of whether the frogs appreciate being licked, which I think is an oversight by the National Geographic in an otherwise completely normal article (why do they talk about her hair and height?!)
Sorry, I always get side-tracked by frogs. This goth is looking relaxed and ready to frolic. She’s in the shade and she’s a low-medium height up the tree. Her facial expression is a bit too excited and there’s a lot of pink in her outfit but let’s pretend she’s been licking frogs, which would excuse these things. Cute hat.
3.7 out of 5 - Lick a psychoactive frog and watch your fridge turn into a prandsome hince.
lovesambina submitted this photo with the comment “G. O. Tree. H.”
The submitter is deliberately tempting me with an acronym to decipher to distract me from the obvious fact that she’s just leaning on a tree and is not actually up it. It is, however, a lovely picture and she reminds me of a gelfling from the Dark Crystal, so bonus points there. I love me a blonde goth and I like her make-up but I am questioning her choice of jacket. She’s not smiling but it’s definitely daylight.
3 out of 5 - I’m too lazy to be tempted by your acronym. OK here’s one: Get On Tree, Hellion. Or, my new username: Grim Obsessed Tree Hater.
