For more photograpic adventures come visit transformsiberia.com
A Pirate’s Life?
A pirate to me was the thing to be I thought as a young lad. Who wouldn't want to be a scallywag scouring the seven seas for treasure and adventure. I am older now, but have yet to lose my lust for adventure. Treasure I find in people, instead of bling. People and their cultures are our planet's most inestimable treasure, full of wonder, mystery and laughter. You just need to find the key to open the box.
Adversity
This was a journey of 10,000 miles, which took me from Bozeman, Montana through DC, Beijing, Ulaanbaatar and ultimately Dadal, Mongolia in Khentii Aimag (Province). It was a journey of adversity. Adversity is a vital ingredient to story making. In my ten years spent in Siberia and Mongolia I have often courted adversity. (Adversity is the brother of Danger, they are often found together.) When I face adversity, at some point I remember, if I survive, this experience will make a great story.
The Payoff
My prize on this particular journey was what lay at the end of this road. What awaited in a remote village, in a remote country was Altargana. Altargana is a semi-annual international festival celebrating the culture and sport of the Buryat people who call Southern Siberia, Northern Mongolia, and a faraway corner of China their homeland. My desire in photographing the Buryat people is twofold. I want to reveal the beauty and uniqueness of this people, and I want to transform the image that comes to mind when a person thinks of Siberia. I connected with a community of Buryat musicians from Ulaanbaatar, none of whom I knew, and with them made my way to Altargana. The images that awaited me were indeed worth the journey.