Photographer’s Passport: Claudia Uribe
Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Claudia Uribe has visited 50 countries, had her work published in Travel + Leisure, Departures, and Wallpaper City Guides, and once returned to a remote corner of Namibia specifically to hand-deliver printed portraits to the Himba women she'd photographed the year before. She's also one of my closest friends, and the subject of this Passport in Photos Photographer's Passport.
What follows is an edited conversation about why Africa keeps calling her back, what it means to travel with intention, and the photographs that have meant the most to her.
All photos featured in this post were taken by Claudia Uribe, unless otherwise noted.
Claudia is also the photographer behind the Guest Print Collection on The Edit, Passport in Photo’s curated shop of limited-edition travel prints. Explore her collection.
Q&A with Photographer Claudia Uribe
Passport in Photos: Why do you love to travel?
Claudia: Travel for me is exciting and inspiring. It gives me a sense of freedom. I travel to disconnect, to explore, to learn about other cultures, languages, food, lifestyles and traditions. I travel to escape from daily life in the city and to connect with nature.
Passport in Photos: How many countries have you visited to-date?
Claudia: 50
Passport in Photos: What are your top destinations of all time and why?
Claudia: Africa, Africa, Africa! I visited Africa for the first time in 1991, and it was a life-changing experience for me. I love every country I have visited in this continent, but Namibia is at the top of my list. It is mysterious and fascinating. To be able to stand like a speck of dust in the middle of an ocean of dunes with no other humans in sight for miles and miles is true magic. Namibia has the most spectacular landscapes, with its vast expanses of unspoiled beauty, endless skies of sharp, clean blue, infinite plains of golden grass, and rolling dunes of orange sand. I can’t get enough of it, and I’m always looking forward to going back.
Passport in Photos: Describe a moment during your travels where you felt your photographs were truly significant to someone else.
Claudia: On one of my trips to Namibia, I photographed the Himba women somewhere on the border between Namibia and Angola, and the following year I returned with the printed photos, hopeful that I’d be able to share the images with them. As luck would have it, I ran into two of the same women whilst visiting a Himba temporary settlement (they are nomadic) and was able to hand them their portraits. I was honored to see a photo of mine displayed in one of their huts.
Interior of a Himba settlement hut, Namibia — Claudia's portrait of the Himba women, visible propped against the animal skin, displayed in their home.
Passport in Photos: What places are on your wish list to visit?
Claudia: Uyuni Salt Flat in Bolivia, Greenland, Hawaii and Alaska.
Photos courtesy of Unsplash
Passport in Photos: What is a piece of advice you would give someone regarding travel?
Claudia: Have an open mind and don’t be afraid to try new things. The things you take in through touch, sound, and taste are just as important as what you see. It’s not only the beautiful sights. It’s the people. The culture. The landscapes! I think you should travel to collect new experiences and memories, not just to take pictures to get “likes”.
Market in Helsinki, Finland
Maasai, Selous, Tanzania
Passport in Photos: What travel publications has your work been featured in?
Claudia: Travel + Leisure, Centurion, Departures, Wallpaper City Guides and Fiji Water Guides.
Claudia's way of moving through the world, with curiosity, patience, and a willingness to go back, is exactly what makes her photographs feel like they belong somewhere permanent. I’m grateful to have her work in The Edit, and even more grateful to call her a friend.
You can follow her travels on Instagram at @claudia_uribe_touri.
✧ For the intentionally curious traveler - pass it on.