RICHARD SOBERKA
Photographer and traveler... my very personal page!
My passion: movement.
Moving through infinite space, looking at the blue sky, breathing fresh air, discovering an unknown path... and...
...feeling freedom shiver with every step!
In 35 years... more than a hundred journeys discovering some 50 countries and territories.
Photography: another passion, in perfect harmony with movement!
During my travels, I always find myself behind the lens...
and thus, logically, never in my own photos!!!
Below, some rare exceptions accumulated over the years:
2012
Emotional reunion with the Balearic Islands, exactly 25 years after my very first trip to this island... ...the loop is closed!
Sure, the Balearics are not the pinnacle in terms of adventure and exoticism but, approached in a certain way, even such a touristy island can offer great moments of freedom and discovery.
Capdepera Castle - Majorca Island - May 2012
2011
Dominican Republic - January 2011
Wandering journey discovering this superb exotic country.
(with a lot of sunscreen on the nose!)
2010
Temple of Abu Simbel - Egypt - January 2010
New visit to the Nile valley and its mythical temples
(I had already been here in 2002 a small photo report from that time is visible here in french for the moment) .
2009
January 2009 - Marie Galante island in the French Antilles...
...back to life!
2006
Atacama Desert in Chile - February 2006.
Superb and luminous first stage of my new world tour!
Unfortunately, I will be forced to interrupt this long journey in Asia after 3 months:
having health issues and barely being able to walk, I ended up giving up for the first time in my life.
2005
Dead Sea in Jordan, altitude 421 meters below sea level! - October 2005.
Jordan Valley, Petra, Gulf of Aqaba, Wadi Rum desert, etc...
A well-optimized journey as I like them, perfectly combining: culture, history, vast spaces... and especially great moments of freedom!
2004
The infinity of the desert in the United Arab Emirates - February 2004.
I visited the 7 emirates including, of course, the famous Dubai and Abu-Dhabi where new skyscrapers bloom every morning...
Ultimately, I much preferred the vastness and silence of the deserts.
2001
New York - Summer 2001.
Strange photo taken 5 weeks before the September 11 attacks!
A tragic fate that I could not foresee at that moment.
2000
New Caledonia - Isle of Pines - January 2000.
After celebrating the millennium change in Sydney, Australia... ...and, to start the year 2000 well, here I am in New Caledonia!
One of the rare times in all my travels where I took some time to put down my cameras and swim!
1998
Cuba - Itinerant visit to the country of Fidel Castro - October 1998.
Not very easy to move around in Cuba... the best solution being to rent a car...
But it would still have to be in good condition... ...and not, as here, with tires worn down to the wire!
1997
The Alps... in France (for once!) - September 1997.
1996
Ayers Rock in Australia - 5th stage of my world tour - May 1996.
Australia was a major stage of my first world tour.
An exceptional journey of 53,000 km, probably my most complete trip to date and certainly the most emotionally charged:
freedom, colors, scents, unique moments etc... pure bliss!
Cyprus - So much light! - October 1996.
Back from my world tour, I felt caged in my daily life, this little rebound to Cyprus was welcome!
1995
Canada - Splendors of nature - July 1995.
In the midst of nature or in cities... many superb memories.
In summary, I would only say one thing about Canada: "Hakuna Matata"!!!
1993
Martinique - Antilles - January 1993.
Some of the most beautiful moments of my life in those years.
1988
San Francisco in California - United States in spring 1988.
This was my first real big trip: 9,000 km by bus conquering the west, from New York to Los Angeles!
A "hard" trip often sleeping in night buses and sometimes even outdoors!
Here, the penultimate stop: San Francisco.
Photo taken on the city's famous bridge: The Golden Gate Bridge.
Venice Beach - Los Angeles - United States - June 1988.
End of my journey of 9,000km across the North American continent.
This last stage was marked by a feeling of absolute freedom: go where you want, do what you want, have no constraints, need nothing...
It's here, in California, that for the first time in my life, I felt the "Good Vibrations"... music in my head.
Ultimately, freedom is about having little, and going your own way.
Is it necessary to remind that all these trips are carried out in an "adventure" and itinerant discovery mode:
a plane ticket in my pocket, I always manage on site to move around with local means,
or sometimes by renting a car, a motorcycle or a bike... for more autonomy.
Moreover, not being "rich", it goes without saying that the accommodation is of the "low cost" type:
youth hostels, camping, nights in buses or cars.
The "luxury" being to afford myself occasionally a night at a local's home or in run-down hotels.
People often tell me: "how lucky you are to travel like this!"
But it's important to know that there is a price to pay...
... and the flip side is made up of numerous sacrifices: familial, professional, financial... etc.
Moreover, my travels are often a constant struggle against pain and fatigue!...
Indeed, for some years now I have been suffering from a syndrome of fatigue and diffuse chronic pain,
and it's only with a lot of willpower that I still sometimes manage to take the plane and carry my backpack.
But the most important thing is to never give up on my dreams.