Welcome to the October 2018 newsletter. My first and long overdue newsletter. 2018 has been a very busy year so far, and right up until the end, it’s going to be busy with three more trips in place. Two of those are for potential photography tours in the future.
Over the coming year ahead plans are already in place for a number of photography workshops and tours, and some are in the final stages of being prepared. So what does the next year or so have in store?
The rest of 2018 looks like this. In early November, I will be travelling to the Dolomites in northern Italy. Right off the back of that is a 12-day stay in the Osaka area of Japan. Both of these are being used as vehicles for future photography tours. Then, finally, southern England in December for a quick visit, but this is more of a regular photographic trip.
But it’s 2019 where the magic starts to happen with both work visits to different areas and some VERY exciting tours that are being put into place.
Most of September was taken up by a 3-week visit to Mongolia.
In January this year, I met with Eternal Landscapes, who are based in Devon but operate in Mongolia. Providing various experiences in the country, from horseback riding to fully fledged tours, they asked if I would like to go over and photograph the country, to, in turn, run Mongolia photography tours. It was hard to say no!
Landing in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, I freely admit to thinking “what have I let myself in for?” but that was soon forgotten once you let go of your western ideals. It’s true that Mongolia isn’t fully equipped with modern hotels outside of the capital, but if you can forget this and let yourself in for an adventure, then you will be welcomed by friendly people who are only too willing to show you their country.
There are many stereotypical notions of what to expect when you visit Mongolia, so let’s break down some of them. Yak’s milk is not on offer every time you visit a family. In fact you’re more likely to be offered milk tea, fermented horse’s milk (actually very nice) or in the evening, vodka.
Eagle hunters are not on every corner. The eagle hunters are in the west in the Kazakh area of Mongolia. Yes, you will see some in tourist areas, but in the main, if you want to photograph the real eagle hunters, then go to the Altai region.
You’re a vegetarian? I’m a vegetarian, and I had no issues eating at all in Mongolia. In fact, our trip assistant/ cook gave us so much food that we had to ask her for smaller portions. Of course, if you eat meat, then you’ll be absolutely fine as you’ll be offered beef, mutton or horse.
What about the photography in Mongolia? Over the three weeks that I spent in the country, I came to the realisation that it is more about the journey rather than the final destination. A lot of the time, we get very spoiled if we go to destinations such as Glencoe, Tuscany or Provence. You can drive for a maximum of 20 minutes and have various options and iconic places. It doesn’t work like that in Mongolia. You need to be prepared for a drive that can take several hours, but on the way, you are likely to see all manner of things such as wildlife, daily herders’ life and all manner of scenery.
And then there is the people side, and you have to get used to straight yes or no answers when it comes to taking them. If you’re taking a family portrait, then it’s likely they won’t be smiling either. They do smile and laugh a lot, but it’s just those straight family shots that they tend to sit with no smile on their face. This doesn’t apply to everyone, but I found it a lot.
So if you think that all of this sounds like it’s right up your street, then you’ll be pleased to hear that two Mongolia photography tours are being finalised over the next weeks or so. One in March, whereby we’ll be heading to the Altai region to photograph an eagle festival and one in September that is more based around some of the landscapes in the central area of Mongolia.
