EXPLORER, DREAMER...

MY NAME IS PAUL REICHERDTPHOTOGRAPHY BECAME MY PASSIONAND I'M FASCINATED BY THE BEAUTY OF OUR PLANET

"... it was our world, with its howling winds and seas, a tired face, that became my teacher. My mentor. It taught me to recognize my photography as a natural way of meditation ... "

Hi, dear visitor!

My name is Paul Reicherdt. I am happy that you came to my page and I hope you like it here.

Few words about myself. I discovered the photography a few years ago. By chance. When an old camera fell into my hands, and I took my first pictures. First friends, then my entourage. And the process itself captured me. I could not stop. Since then, the camera has always been my faithful companion in all my travels. There were a lot of them. But one journey changed me forever. Me and how I look at this world and what I want to say with my photographs.

Back in 2018, I managed to realize my dream of a trip around the world. Yes, it didn’t turn out the way I imagined it. Not so bright, crazy, exciting. It turned out better – real. Colors, smells, emotions found life. Filled those sections of me that so long ago demanded them.

I went on this journey without any specific purpose. With wide opened eyes. It was open to everything that met me along the way and how it would affect me. They say another person is returning from the trip. Have I Changed? I do not know. But I know for sure that, after almost 10 months of travel, dozens of countries and hundreds of kilometers traveled, I can say now:

– I learned not to make plans. And if I did, how to adapt them to factors beyond my control.
– I realized that reality often diverges from the vision. And that’s great!
– I learned to settle for what I have and appreciate this.
– I got to rely only on myself.
– But I also realized that asking for help is normal.
– I realized that not everything can be controlled. And that many accidents turn out well.
– I found out that you can use duct tape to fix things, stick them together, or even decorate!
– That socks are lost in washing machines in any country.
– That Russian, Georgian and German can have an excellent time together.
That sense of humour helps where language barriers interfere.

I got to beautiful places – glaciers of New Zealand and incredibly stunning bays of Vietnam. Visited terrible locations – the Death Fields in Cambodia and the Exclusion Zone in Chernobyl. Explored the facades of soulless skyscrapers in New York and the dangerous slums of Manila. And I was shocked how destructive and cruel marks people can leave behind them. And, at the same time, how hospitable and robust is our planet, that sometimes sweeps these spots without a trace.

And, despite the kaleidoscope of cultures that I met on the way, it was our world, with its howling winds and seas, a tired face, that became my teacher. My mentor. It taught me to recognize my photography as a natural way of meditation. As an opportunity to catch the beauty of our planet through the lens of my camera. And damn it, she’s gorgeous! To capture its greatness, I am ready to get up at 4 in the morning. Drive an hour to the right place. To get another hour to climb up in the complete darkness. Set up the camera. And then freeze. One on one with the sun. When its first rays paint the tops of the mountains surrounding me in scarlet colors. And substitute its warmth for fingers numb from the cold. Feeling how joy fills my lungs with every breath.

Mountains became my new love. Cold, impregnable, looking down. But, should you come closer, hugging you in a tight embrace and taking your breath. Their greatness slows the passage of time. And everything else becomes so insignificant. So unimportant. Only occasionally did I cheat on them – the obtained license of a diver fascinated me with the beauty of the underwater world. Where, with each meter of depth, being alone with the beating of your heart, you become more and more aware of how beautiful and precious our planet is. And all the absurd resentment, pain, claim retreat into the background, become so petty, so irrelevant.

Through this meditation, I found harmony with myself and the world around me. I learned to perceive things as they are. Without trying to impose my idea and opinion. And, first of all, without trying to adjust me to someone’s vision. For the first time, over many years, I became honest with myself. This alone was worth all the effort, money, and time.

And having traveled around the globe, I realized how happy I am. I have arms and legs. And got this opportunity to fulfill my dream and see our beautiful planet.

This is what this site is about: a visual ode to our beautiful world.