Today, Christian Heeb is a well-known and accomplished photographer, globetrotting around the world with his wife, Regula Heeb, from their home base of Bend.

In his new, self-published book, “Coming to America: A Photographer’s Tale,” Christian Heeb looks back on nearly 40 years of adventures that have taken the two around America and the world.

“It’s been a wild journey, from St. Gallen in Switzerland to Munich, New York to Bend, Oregon, and on to El Sargento in Mexico,” Heeb writes in his introduction. “In between are 90 visited and photographed countries and over 200 illustrated books.”

While those projects are often focused on others, this one is concerned with the man behind the lens. Chapter one begins in May 1986, with a letter from Heeb to Andy, a friend back home.

Heeb paints a vivid picture of his and Regula’s flight over the Atlantic and arrival in New York. Culture shock hits quickly, and at one point early on in their American adventure, Heeb writes to his friend that, “Everyone happily confuses Sweden with Switzerland, but they are all terribly nice to us.”

Across America

Heeb, for whom the U.S. long held fascination, also learns that the English he learned in school may not be up to snuff: “We listen to the radio in the car, and Madonna’s song ‘La Isla Bonita’ keeps playing. As soon as the (DJ) starts to babble his American gibberish, I only get half of it.”

Before he’s through with the letter, he tells his friend how he can’t wait to begin his journey, which takes them first through Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee, before they make their way to Montana, where the young photographer is eager to photograph a pow-wow.

In another early letter from South Dakota en route, he tells his friend two things that point to the life ahead for him, travel and adventure with Regula.

“So far, I’ve been lucky in my life. Meeting her is the best thing happening so far,” writes Heeb, then in his 20s. In the next paragraph, he questions how people do it, “it” meaning “living a boring life” of dull marriages, row housing and tedious employment.

“(A)re people actually so boring that they see this as the ideal life? I do not want that. That’s why I set out to photograph Indians and become a famous photographer. So I will be free to do whatever I want,” Heeb writes.

Sure enough, the Heebs, still living a lifestyle that holds true to those words, had just arrived in Switzerland when Explore contacted Christian for this interview, done by email:

Explore: Why was America the land of your dreams? What was your impression of it growing up in Switzerland?

Christian Heeb: My mom was a fan of American music (Louis Armstrong) and loved American movies. I wanted to see and photograph Indians and wild nature, which America provided.

Explore: Did the country and its citizens meet or exceed your expectations once you arrived?

CH: In 1986, we came for 18 months. We loved the people, the land, all of it.

Explore: Could you have done all of it without Regula by your side?

CH: It would have been very different. She is a fantastic organizer, tech guru and has a great eye. She is truly my better half.

Explore: How did you two end up living in the High Desert of Oregon?

CH: We were shooting a travel guide on the Pacific Northwest and discovered Bend in 1996. It had it all, dry climate, mountains, desert, lots of nature. We bought 40 acres near Horse Butte and built our solar straw bale house where we still live.

Explore: How has Bend changed since you arrived?

CH: The mood changed from being a place where people hung out for the outdoors to a playground for rich people. It’s still a friendly town, but I loved it with 21,000 people. I don’t need the fancy restaurants and all. It will end where it always ends, with congestion, terrible traffic, crime and water shortages, sadly.

Explore: How much of the year do you spend traveling?

CH: We used to travel eight months out of the year. Now we spend winter in our house in Baja, the summer in Bend and travel for our photo tours in between.

Explore: What are your favorite places to travel to and photograph?

CH: I love Patagonia and Tasmania in Australia, but really have no favorite place. We photographed in 90 countries.

Explore: Were there times over the years that you’d have preferred to have settled elsewhere or considered moving back to Europe?

CH: The only time I was seriously considering leaving was when (former President Donald) Trump got elected. I grew up in Switzerland when the shadow of fascism, Mussolini in Italy and the Nazis was still lingering in my elders’ memory. Seeing a Mussolini-like figure rise in my chosen country was very depressing.

Explore: What projects are you proudest of in your life?

CH: Being together with Regula for 42 years, my American Dreamscapes images and my books and photos on Indian Country.

Explore: What compelled you to write and publish “Coming to America”?

CH: With COVID, we canceled all our tours, so I had too much time on my hands. I have been writing travel articles for years, so now I wrote my story and my experience as an expat.

Explore: What do you hope people who read the book learn or take away from it?

CH: I hope they have fun reading some of the stories and it helps them see the country through different eyes.

Explore: What else would you like people to know about you, the book or your travels?

CH: Well, I do write brutally honest about how I experienced it all. I tried to be as honest about myself as on Oregon. I sure was pretty brutal in my descriptions of me growing up in Switzerland. I hope people will see that and not be offended. I wrote the book in German and translated it, so there may be some language errors in this version.

“Coming to America” is available only through Amazon.