Welcome

In the desert I had found a freedom unattainable in civilization; a life unhampered by possessions, since everything that was not a necessity was an encumbrance.

Wilfred Thesiger

Even as a child, curiosity was my most outstanding quality and I found it hard to stand the confinement of the big city. I spent every free minute outside; I was always a seeker and probably also a nomad in my heart. Before I was ripe for the desert, the sea was the place of my longing. Several times a year I needed to have a clear view of the horizon. In Berlin, where I grew up, the view mostly ended at the next house wall.

Then came the first desert journey. With the motorcycle. This was a big project, because first the vehicle had to be adapted to the requirements of a crossing of the Sahara. Driving in the sand was adventurous, but I soon realized that the most intense moments were those when the motorcycle was parked and I was walking. The next desert trip, that was clear, would be on foot. Just like the nomads have been doing for thousands of years.

a Life of adventure

For almost 30 years I have been walking through the last untouched landscapes on earth. It started with the arid sandy deserts like the Sahara and at some point other desert forms like the ice or lava desert found their way into my tour book. I spent countless months travelling and also made friends with many desert dwellers. At some point the nomads gave me the name “desert son”, because they knew no other European, who had taken their landscape so much to his heart and knew so well about life in the desert. Until today I have covered more than 25,000 kilometers on foot on my extraordinary journeys.

You can find more about my adventures here

sandscapes project

The first time I went into a desert, I was overwhelmed by the boundless expanse of the landscape and the unobstructed 360° panoramic view. I remember that all the subjects I photographed were pure wide-angle shots. The impressive desert cinemascope simply had to be captured to be shown at home. Thousands and thousands of pictures were taken on countless journeys and were presented at shows and published in magazines. more

News from Jerome

How does a nomad bake bread in desert sand? How do you load a camel? How do you find your way through the sand sea without GPS?

I will answer these – and many more – questions with a selected team and my Moorish nomad friends in early 2021. For almost two weeks in a row we live as nomads and travel with a small caravan through untouched Mauritania. more

Writing about deserts

“Whoever takes the risk of going into the desert not only discovers a piece of nature that has become alien to us, but also experiences a piece of himself, reaches the sources of his own existence.” This quote by the well-known German graphic artist and desert hiker Otl Aicher, describes why I am always on the move under the desert sky. Of course, my notebook is always there, where I write down thoughts, discoveries and encounters. more