About

Hi, I’m Claudia Pautz – a fifth-generation native of Usedom who simply can’t stay away from the sea. I spent every spare minute of my childhood on the beach. That wasn’t hard to do, given that I grew up in Ahlbeck, less than 100 meters from the Baltic Sea. I realized just how much the sea is a part of me during a school trip to the Harz Mountains. After completing the arduous climb up the Brocken, my first instinct was to try and spot the sea in the distance. I couldn’t see it, of course—but it could have been there. And the mere thought that it was out there somewhere felt good to me.

I discovered my love for photography a few years later. It was really the only logical outcome, as it combined my enjoyment of technical gadgets with my passion for the sea. Photography allowed me to finally capture and share the things that thrilled me. I was also lucky enough to be friends with a fantastic photographer. One day, Mandy Knuth handed me an Olympus OM-D EM10 – a stylish, retro-looking camera that was incredibly fun to use. From that moment on, photography became a part of my life.