Felix · Specter

Fern·weh /ˈfɛʁnˌveː/ noun · German

Fernweh — photographs by Felix Specter

The deep pain and longing for a place you have never been. Opposite of homesickness.

Elsewhere, right now

70 countries · maybe more

World travel · Adventure · Meditations

Stories from the edges of maps — invitations into worlds you may not have known existed.

Photography started as a way to remember. To prove to myself that these moments were real. Somewhere along the way the camera became something else — a way to translate feeling into image, image into story.

No geo-tags. No check-ins. Just the quiet accumulation of moments that matter.

The happy ghost

IThe Bottom of the World14
IIResidents11
IIIAbove the Circle06
IVSteppe07
VRites26
VISalt & Sand09
VIIDepartures24
VIIILines We Built17
IXBlue Hours25
XWhat We Carry14

I

The Bottom of the World

The particular quality of solitude you only find at the edge of the world.

14 frames

Old steamship aground on rocks in a harbour, snowy mountains behind — Nº 89

Snow-covered island on the horizon across a calm deep-blue Antarctic sea — Nº 09Land, finally

Through a ship's porthole: travellers in red and blue expedition jackets boarding a Zodiac below misty cliffs in South Georgia — Nº 01Through the porthole

Weathered wooden fence on a green shore, snow-capped mountains across a grey bay in South Georgia — Nº 02

Rusted tanks and buildings of an abandoned whaling station beneath snowy peaks, South Georgia — Nº 03

Rusted whale-oil tanks towering over green grass, a snow-streaked peak between them, South Georgia — Nº 62

Tidal flats and green hills beneath a jagged snow-capped range — Nº 81

Bow of a rubber Zodiac pushing through choppy water toward snow-streaked mountains — Nº 80

Steep rocky mountain capped in low cloud across calm grey water — Nº 82

Blue iceberg with a glowing turquoise underwater keel in still Antarctic water — Nº 10Blue that only ice can make

Expedition Zodiac with a photographer and guide beneath snow-streaked mountains, South Georgia — Nº 08

Row of rusted whaling-station tanks on a black volcanic beach below snowy hills — Nº 79

Zodiac full of travellers silhouetted on calm water, snowy Antarctic coastline behind — Nº 11

Zodiac drifting at dusk on glassy water below glaciated Antarctic mountains — Nº 12

II

Residents

The ones who were there first.

11 frames

King penguin standing tall on a pebble beach, more penguins behind — Nº 94

Two king penguins preening beside an old pier, mountains and blue sky behind, South Georgia — Nº 05

Two king penguins facing each other on a beach, flippers out — Nº 93

King penguins standing on a rocky shore beside a derelict wooden pier, mountains behind, South Georgia — Nº 04

Five king penguins walking across green tundra below a cloud-wrapped snowy mountain, South Georgia — Nº 07

Two gentoo penguins on a pebble beach below snow-covered Antarctic mountains — Nº 77

Young seal resting among rocks and snow — Nº 06

Fur seal asleep on grey sand, a king penguin colony and misty mountains behind — Nº 92

Giant petrel floating on dark rippled water — Nº 91

Black-browed albatross gliding through a flat grey sky — Nº 90

A lone seabird gliding low over grey South Atlantic water into fog — Nº 72

III

Above the Circle

The top of the world keeps its own hours, and most of them are fog.

6 frames

Steep sunlit granite ridge dropping to a white-sand beach and calm sea, Lofoten, Norway — Nº 66

Red rorbu, the traditional fishermen's cabins on stilts, beside a still fjord below a sharp peak, Lofoten, Norway — Nº 67

Two dark wooden cabins on rock above a mirror-still tarn, wrapped in fog — Nº 69

Hiker at the end of a long wooden boardwalk crossing a grassy valley under grey sky — Nº 68

Lone hiker with trekking poles climbing a muddy grass trail into thick white fog, Lofoten, Norway — Nº 76

Lake, mountains and a curving rail line seen through a train window on a grey day, Lofoten, Norway — Nº 74

IV

Steppe

High pasture, wind off the lake, and a sky that changes its mind by the hour.

7 frames

A white yurt on dry ground by the shore of a great lake under heavy clouds, Kyrgyzstan — Nº 125

Wind-bent poplars along the shore of a lake, snow peaks faint in the distance, Kyrgyzstan — Nº 127

Two tall poplars side by side on a green plain under a white sky, Kyrgyzstan — Nº 129

A rainbow falls on snow-capped mountains above a green valley under storm clouds, Kyrgyzstan — Nº 132

Horse riders crossing a beach below snow-capped mountains — Nº 33

Horses and foals graze on high pasture beneath bare mountains and summer cloud, Kyrgyzstan — Nº 139

A snow-capped peak above a green valley with a river and pine forest, Kyrgyzstan — Nº 147

V

Rites

Some places you visit. Others look back at you.

26 frames

Elderly priest in a yellow cap with a red cross, wrapped in a white shawl, shot on film — Nº 14Keeper of the cross

Ash-covered holy man with a long beard and coiled dreadlocks, eating — Nº 15Ash and morning

Performer in a carved skull mask and white body paint at a highland festival — Nº 16

Man in a feathered headdress with yellow face paint at a highland festival — Nº 18

Men in white shawls glimpsed through a window and its reflection, shot on film — Nº 13

White-robed pilgrims gathered at an ancient stone church — Nº 20

Woman wrapped in a white shawl pressed into a narrow passage of rock-hewn stone, hand raised to the wall — Nº 64

White-robed figure standing at the base of a towering rock-hewn church, Lalibela, Ethiopia — Nº 73

An elderly priest in white robes and turban crouches with his staff between towering pink stone pillars of a rock-hewn church, Lalibela, Ethiopia — Nº 152

Black and white: an elderly priest in white robes rests on his staff beside worn stone steps in deep shadow at a rock-hewn church, Lalibela, Ethiopia — Nº 153

Lone fisherman standing in a small rowboat casting a net into thick fog over still water — Nº 75

A Highlands dancer in a red and white painted face and a horned headdress of bark and feathers at a sing-sing in Papua New Guinea — Nº 97

A man in yellow and red face paint and a striped woven headdress, cordyline leaves in front, at a Highlands sing-sing in Papua New Guinea — Nº 99

A Highlands elder in red and yellow face paint, a white beard of fluff and a crescent shell on his brow, Papua New Guinea — Nº 107

A boy painted in grey clay with a feathered headband and shell necklaces looks back over his shoulder, Papua New Guinea — Nº 103

Three boys blackened with charcoal and wearing seed necklaces stand together in a festival crowd in Papua New Guinea — Nº 102

A woman covered head to toe in grey clay holds a piglet to her chest at a Highlands show in Papua New Guinea — Nº 100

A small boy blackened with charcoal, feathers in his headband and shells on his chest, sits among dancers in Papua New Guinea — Nº 101

A young boy in face paint and a striped sarong stands holding a tall spear at a Highlands sing-sing, Papua New Guinea — Nº 104

Highland men wrapped in white shawls share cups of tea at a gathering, on Fujifilm 400 film, Ethiopia — Nº 149

Men in white shawls walk a loaded donkey and goats along a highland road, on Fujifilm 400 film, Ethiopia — Nº 150

A park scout in a red knitted cap carries a rifle across his shoulders above the cliffs of the Simien Mountains, Ethiopia — Nº 106

A young man with three small children outside round stone huts, escarpment cliffs behind, in the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia — Nº 108

A crowd of boys leaning in together on a dusty highland road in northern Ethiopia, laughing at the camera — Nº 98

Women in white and saffron robes stand in the stone doorway of a rock-hewn church, on Fujifilm 400 film, Ethiopia — Nº 151

A young Vietnamese soldier in an olive uniform and red-banded cap stands in a doorway in Hanoi — Nº 126

VI

Salt & Sand

Where the ground forgets water, and stone remembers empires.

9 frames

Man walking alone along the ridge of a red sand dune — Nº 25Walking out of the frame

Dead camel-thorn trees on a cracked white clay pan below a towering red dune — Nº 28Trees that forgot to fall

Ancient Roman temple columns against a blue sky — Nº 34Still standing

Red sun setting through haze behind power pylons — Nº 35The sun goes down the same everywhere

A lone figure sits on pale sand facing a great orange dune under a blue sky, Namibia — Nº 96

A pool of acid-yellow water ringed by orange and white mineral crust in the Danakil Depression, Ethiopia — Nº 114

A man checks his phone beside a Land Cruiser with its doors open on a shining wet salt flat in the Danakil Depression — Nº 116

A loaded four-by-four and its reflection stand on a flooded salt flat under a grey sky, in black and white — Nº 115

Wind-drawn ripples and curves across a pale desert seen from high above — Nº 111

VII

Departures

Window seats, gates, and the hours between places.

24 frames

Aeroplane window looking out at a red-and-white wingtip over a hazy coastline — Nº 22Somewhere over somewhere

Airliner landing over a runway in pale haze — Nº 26

Sharklet, the upturned wingtip of an airliner, against a pale blue sky — Nº 27

Airport apron and terminal seen through an aeroplane window — Nº 30

Air France airliner at the gate seen through a terminal window — Nº 38

Airliner at the gate with baggage stairs on the apron — Nº 37

Red wingtip of an airliner against a dusk sky — Nº 42

Cloudscape at dusk seen from an aeroplane window — Nº 48

Aircraft wing over a pink and orange sunset sky — Nº 49

Clear blue sky and wing seen from an aeroplane window — Nº 40

Aircraft wing and a daytime moon in a blue sky — Nº 52

Aircraft window glowing with orange sunset light — Nº 23

Main wheel of a Soviet-era aircraft, green hub and chock on the apron, Cyrillic stencilling on the fuselage — Nº 63

Clouds pouring over a mountain ridge seen from above — Nº 36

Jet engine and wing of an airliner parked on a grey apron — Nº 83

Rear of a sand-coloured Land Cruiser with a spare wheel and roof rack — Nº 87

A passenger in a quiet aircraft cabin looks out of an oval window at a pale sky — Nº 105

The painted threshold of a runway and green hills ahead, seen from the cockpit side of a plane, Thailand — Nº 121

Folded ridges and dry valleys turned blue in haze, seen from a plane window — Nº 110

A thin band of cloud on the horizon over a deep blue sea, from a plane window — Nº 112

Snow-streaked mountain ranges rolling to the horizon under a deep blue sky, seen from a plane over northern Pakistan — Nº 142

A line of beachfront towers and a marina at the edge of a turquoise sea, seen from the air over Miami — Nº 123

A turquoise sea meets a long white beach and a patchwork of fields, seen from the air — Nº 135

A white UN Land Cruiser loaded with gear kicks up dust on a mountain track in northern Ethiopia — Nº 109

VIII

Lines We Built

Roads, towers and the shapes we leave behind.

17 frames

Lone road disappearing into fog, black and white — Nº 21

Empty road beneath a concrete overpass, black and white — Nº 50

Abstract lines and shadows of a building facade — Nº 43

Illuminated tower glowing with coloured light above a city at night — Nº 29

City skyline with a needle-thin supertall tower rising out of pale haze — Nº 78

Glass tower reflecting a pink and gold sunset sky — Nº 85

City skyline at night in black and white, a lit spire among the towers — Nº 84

Tall glass facade rising into streaks of orange sunset cloud — Nº 86

Terracotta tower glowing at sunset — Nº 53

Person climbing a large rope net — Nº 54

White steel ribs of a transit hall reach toward a glass tower against a clear blue sky in Lower Manhattan — Nº 117

An old red-brick warehouse with arched windows beside a glass tower, against a blue sky in Brooklyn — Nº 145

A concrete grid of balconies, each with a row of small green shrubs, on a building in Beirut — Nº 146

A wet wooden pier leads toward the Manhattan skyline and the Empire State Building at dusk — Nº 120

Dark timber slats and a grass roof step down to a blue lake, snow-capped peaks beyond, Chilean Patagonia — Nº 113

Rows of angled white fins across the face of a building in Beirut — Nº 148

A traffic light and blurred tail lights on a dark New York street at night — Nº 143

IX

Blue Hours

Water, sky, and every blue in between.

25 frames

Turquoise sea meeting a rocky headland at the horizon — Nº 17

Aerial view of colourful beach umbrellas on white sand beside a turquoise sea — Nº 24

Aerial view of large boulders and turquoise water below palm trees, Nusa Penida — Nº 41

Mirror-still turquoise lake reflecting pine forest and mountains — Nº 39

Volcano rising above a band of white clouds over a deep blue sea — Nº 51

Masts of tall ships moored in a harbour at dusk — Nº 46

White sailboat on open blue sea — Nº 47

Catamaran at anchor on still water under a pastel dusk sky — Nº 32

Abstract shapes and light in clear blue water — Nº 44

Figures silhouetted against bright water from the deck of a boat — Nº 19

Forested mountain peak under a blue sky — Nº 45

Misty hillside forest with a small shelter — Nº 55

A single feathered streak of cirrus cloud across deep blue sky — Nº 70

Calm pale-blue lagoon with a low line of trees on the far shore — Nº 71

Rainbow dropping into a dark sea under heavy rain clouds — Nº 88

A low green shoreline floats between a still lagoon and a pale blue sky, Greece — Nº 119

Footprints in a shadowed dune and three yachts at anchor on a pink evening sea, Sardinia — Nº 131

Two sailing boats on a calm sea at dusk seen from footprinted sand, Sardinia — Nº 133

A catamaran and its reflection on glassy water under a peach and blue dusk, Sardinia — Nº 134

Gold and blue ripples on the sea beneath a dark headland at sunset, Sardinia — Nº 136

A sailing catamaran seen from water level, its bow lifting over a deep blue swell, Sardinia — Nº 137

Masts and rigging of moored yachts against a soft pink evening sky in a Sardinian harbour — Nº 138

Surf rolls in toward a dark headland under a gold sunset sky on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua — Nº 144

Two coconut palms lean into a bright blue sky on an island in the Gulf of Thailand — Nº 122

A single feathered streak of cirrus cloud across a deep blue sky over New York — Nº 124

X

What We Carry

Home isn’t a location on a map. It’s a feeling you carry with you.

14 frames

Grandmother in an embroidered headscarf holding a baby in a knitted hat — Nº 60Held

Young boy in a dark sweater, black and white portrait — Nº 58

Young girl with a small bird perched on her head, black and white portrait — Nº 61A bird on her head, unbothered

Toddler in patterned clothes looking into the camera — Nº 59

Young girl in a red jacket looking into the camera — Nº 31

Farmer working among lush green fields below forested hills — Nº 57

Elderly man resting in a chair beside a path, black and white — Nº 56

Three figures silhouetted on a grassy ridge against a gold and blue dusk sky — Nº 65

A Hmong mother holds her wide-eyed baby in an orange sweater in a doorway in the hills of northern Vietnam — Nº 130

Two women in conical hats sell bunches of yellow flowers at a market in central Vietnam — Nº 140

A crate of ripe peaches heaped edge to edge at a market in south-west Turkey — Nº 95

A woman in a red check shirt crouches over baskets of apples and fruit at a market in central Vietnam — Nº 141

A crate brimming with green apples at a market in south-west Turkey — Nº 118

An orange Vespa parked against a stone wall under pink oleander on a Greek island street — Nº 128

These photographs are what remains.

Prints · Assignments · Or just a story — write to me