“We travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us”
is the capture of one of Max´s recent instagram postings, a photographer who describes himself as “27y old creative bird, flying around the world with a camera.” That he cuts quite a dash himself in front of the camera can be seen on his nakedaroundtheworld project, where he takes photos of himself or poses for friends in front of interesting places and amazing sceneries – naked. We had a chat with him about how he started this, what traveling has taught him and one of his funniest moment when posing naked.
all images provided by Max of nakedaroundtheworld
Naked around the world – how did you come up with the idea and did you feel shy at first to post a naked pic of you?
I never felt shy about being naked. I grew up running around naked on the beach with my family. So when I started traveling by myself I was always looking for some special postcards i could send to my family and friends, but they where all just super ‘touristy.’ So I went to special places on my trip, set up my camera, took my clothes off and took a photo. Afterwards I would go to the copy shop and print my own postcards – a picture of myself naked around the world.
“I never felt shy about being naked. I grew up running around naked on the beach with my family.”
Do you get a lot of weird messages too?
Yes, sadly. Some followers don’t really get the message of my page. A lot of those messages are like “Please turn around for me” or “Come show me your front”. But on the other hand I also get a lot of cute and motivating messages like how cool they think my project is or they give me shout outs and say “Best Instagram page I’ve seen in a long time”
Is there a deeper message in this project or is it just about exploring the world and having fun with it? I feel that one your core messages is to live with little material things, and its a lot about freedom and getting out of your comfort zone to see all the possibilities in life. Am I right?
Nothing deep about it really – just a way of life which appeals to me ad it seems that other people resonate with it too.
I love one of your quotes on insta:” Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes around in another form…”. Was that related to a specific event in your life?
I said that?! Yes probably at the time it was something which felt prevalent – which is why right now I can’t really think about what it might have been because life has a way of bringing good back into your life.
Are the pictures always taken by friends you travel with?
Yes! They always taken by friends or by myself. Working as a photographer, I’m always around photographers. I work and travel with them.
“Travelling has taught me that there is more to life than just driving a big car, having a big beautiful apartment and wearing a Rolex.”
What has been one of the funniest or embarrassing moments while taking a photo naked in a certain location?
It’s really hard for me to get embarrassed, that’s why I have some funny stories. But the best one is definitely when I took a naked picture on Lions Head in Cape Town for sunrise in front of probably 100 people. And afterwards I watched the Lions Head Instagram story and saw people taking selfies with me naked in the background!
Which place has fascinated you the most so far and why?
That’s a really hard question! I normally see the good in everything which is why every place I’ve been to was fascinating and magical in its own way. But I must say, there is no place I keep revisiting as much as South Africa. It’s already like my second home. I think everybody who has been to South Africa knows what I’m talking about.
What things do you always need to take with you when travelling?
I always have my camera bag and equipment with me. That’s probably the most important thing. Otherwise I’m pretty easy living. I don’t wear fancy clothes or need fancy accessories.
“…life has a way of bringing good back into your life.”
What has travelling taught you?
Travelling has taught me that there is more to life than just driving a big car, having a big beautiful apartment and wearing a Rolex. For me its more important to learn about new cultures, learn new languages and take all the adventures life can give you.
Where are you originally from and what means home to you?
I’m originally from Germany, Munich.Home means everything to me, that´s why I´m still going a lot to my parents house where i grew up. There is always a bed and my favorite food for me
One life- dream that is still on your bucket list
You will have to watch and see :)
Follow for more naked adventures around the world:
www.instagram.com/nakedaroundtheworld
