#mongoliaphotography

Throwback to Mongolia. This is a taditional game that goes back many many years. Farily simple concept: Switch your horse to full-speed-crazy-gallop-mode, hang on the side and pick up a piece of cloth from the ground. It may be only 1 horsepower but it was more spectacular than any car race I've seen. #mongolia #mongoliaportrait #horsegame #altaimountains #mongoliaphotography #postcardplaces #tamron70200g2 #natgeo #natgeoadventures #natgeoyourshot #natgeoadventure #animalsofinstagram #animalphotos #animalphotography #wildlifeperfection #wildlifephotos #wildlifephotography #wildlifeplanet #instanaturefriends #horsebackriding #horseridingmongolia #horseriding #gallop #actiongame #gallopinghorse #WithHumans #horsegallop #altaimountainsMongolia #horseaction (at Western Mongolia Altai Mountains) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHADmwMJ9sr/?igshid=1ns46597qoaps

Agreed, a decapitated sheep is not the nicest view. This has been a Mongolian cultural tradition since forever. It's a game where two men, seated on a horse, are pulling on a headless sheep. If you let go, you lose. This image was shot about 1 second before the man on the right fell off his horse. It can get pretty rough. There are no fences or any shielding to protect the crowd from the battle so it happened more than once that the men and horses came crashing into the crowd. There are multiple rounds to beat the opponent. The winner gets the sheep and a medal. I'd prefer a game of Scrabble instead. . . . . . #mongolia #mongoliaportrait #horsegame #altaimountains #mongoliaphotography #postcardplaces #tamron70200g2 #natgeo #natgeoadventures #natgeoyourshot #natgeoadventure #animalsofinstagram #animalphotos #animalphotography #wildlifeperfection #wildlifephotos #wildlifephotography #wildlifeplanet #instanaturefriends #AnimalElite #discoverwildlife #wildlifeonearth #IGPortrait #PortraitOfTheDay #WithHumans #InstaPortrait #PostMorePortraits #PursuitOfPortrait #DiscoverPortrait #thosethatinspire (at Altai Mountains) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvy6PwCArlR/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=h3kznwgos9jg

As promised, same game as yesterday's post, but this is shot at the very moment the guy actually grabbed that piece of cloth off the ground. It seems like these guys have a death wish. Crazy to dangle from a horse like that. You can tell he's at full speed because the all the horse's legs are floating in the air. Quite a challenge to get the focus right on a subject moving towards me at that speed, but it's spot on. Shot at 200mm, f/4, ISO 500 at 1/2500 of a second. . . . . . #mongolia #mongoliaportrait #horsegame #altaimountains #mongoliaphotography #postcardplaces #tamron70200g2 #natgeo #natgeoadventures #natgeoyourshot #natgeoadventure #animalsofinstagram #animalphotos #animalphotography #wildlifeperfection #wildlifephotos #wildlifephotography #wildlifeplanet #instanaturefriends #AnimalElite #discoverwildlife #wildlifeonearth #IGPortrait #PortraitOfTheDay #WithHumans #InstaPortrait #PostMorePortraits #PursuitOfPortrait #DiscoverPortrait #thosethatinspire (at Altai Mountains) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvwJpYiAn_0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1w6sb506f9o3k

As promised, same game as yesterday's post, but this is shot at the very moment the guy actually grabbed that piece of cloth off the ground. It seems like these guys have a death wish. Crazy to dangle from a horse like that. You can tell he's at full speed because the all the horse's legs are floating in the air. Quite a challenge to get the focus right on a subject moving towards me at that speed, but it's spot on. Shot at 200mm, f/4, ISO 500 at 1/2500 of a second. . . . . . #mongolia #mongoliaportrait #horsegame #altaimountains #mongoliaphotography #postcardplaces #tamron70200g2 #natgeo #natgeoadventures #natgeoyourshot #natgeoadventure #animalsofinstagram #animalphotos #animalphotography #wildlifeperfection #wildlifephotos #wildlifephotography #wildlifeplanet #instanaturefriends #AnimalElite #discoverwildlife #wildlifeonearth #IGPortrait #PortraitOfTheDay #WithHumans #InstaPortrait #PostMorePortraits #PursuitOfPortrait #DiscoverPortrait #thosethatinspire (at Altai Mountains) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvwI2mdg1ln/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ih8ydeodpqdj

Bit of a different portrait this time. Same spot as yesterday's photo where our truck broke down in Mongolia. This was kind of a silly situation; from two hundred meters away, this cow head looked like an eagle sitting on a pole. I quickly swapped my lens for the 70-200mm and approached it really slowly. I felt incredibly lucky that it stayed where it was. Once I saw the contours, I finally noticed it wasn't an eagle. Didn't know yet what it was until I got even closer. I'm not sure what the purpose is, but I bet people dry it in the sun and find use for it. Nothing gets to waste in these communities. . . . . . #mongolia #mongoliaportrait #mongolianface #mongoliaphotography #postcardplaces #natgeo #natgeoadventures #natgeoyourshot #natgeoadventure #PortraitPerfection #Portrait_Society #IGPortrait #Portraiture #PortraitOfTheDay #WithHumans #Portrait_Mood #InstaPortrait #PostMorePortraits #Portrait_Shots #PursuitOfPortrait #PortraitPage #PortraitSociety #DiscoverPortrait #thosethatinspire #90daycontentchallenge (at Altai Mountains) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvWSnGAguOd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=13l18ds86aale

I've got a lot of photos from my trip in Mongolia last year September, so here's another portrait from a man in the Altai region. Our truck broke down (again) in so we stopped by some house in the middle of nowhere. This guy and his son helped us fix the truck. Because that's what you do when strangers knock on your door, apparently. We had lunch with his family and after that, I asked if I could take his photo. It was burning hot, around 1 pm, broad harsh daylight so I asked him to stand next to the house in the shade and got this. . . . . . #mongolia #mongoliaportrait #mongolianface #mongoliaphotography #postcardplaces #natgeo #natgeoadventures #natgeoyourshot #natgeoadventure #PortraitPerfection #Portrait_Society #IGPortrait #Portraiture #PortraitOfTheDay #WithHumans #Portrait_Mood #InstaPortrait #PostMorePortraits #Portrait_Shots #PursuitOfPortrait #PortraitPage #PortraitSociety #DiscoverPortrait #thosethatinspire #90daycontentchallenge (at Altai Mountains) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvUQpDnAfP0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=dac8ubix6ys3

Looks like y'all dig portraits, so here's another one: This guy I met during a stopover to get a snack or ask for directions or something in the Altai mountains in Mongolia. Before I stepped foot on this soil, I knew I wanted to take a portrait of a super characteristic Mongolian male, so when I saw this guy, I knew it was him I was looking for. He was a little shy but absolutely willing to corporate so I got the shot I wanted. A few hours later we arrived at the local family to stay for the night, turns out to be the same dude and his wife and kid! Super friendly folks and another great experience in that beautiful country. #mongolia #mongoliaportrait #mongolianface #mongoliaphotography #postcardplaces #natgeo #natgeoadventures #natgeoyourshot #natgeoadventure #PortraitPerfection #Portrait_Society #IGPortrait #Portraiture #PortraitOfTheDay #WithHumans #Portrait_Mood #InstaPortrait #PostMorePortraits #Portrait_Shots #PursuitOfPortrait #PortraitPage #PortraitSociety #DiscoverPortrait #thosethatinspire #90daycontentchallenge (at Altai Mountains) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvRjiicgEZ0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=rev0us7lrr4g