Dreamy landscape, a photo from East Govi, East

Photographer's Note

It's about time to enter Mongolia, and although this is not the first picture from our 12-day trek, it is the landscape that I have always wanted to see.

Long ago, I have been talking with a friend about going to Mongolia . We both had a horse at that time, and were in full admiration of the Mongolian horsemen, and of the beautiful landscape, the empty steppes, and the herds with shepherds.

On the first day of our trek, not more than 25 kilometers out of Ulan Bator, I found this type of landscape, and seeing that, really brought tears to my eyes, to finally BE in that landscape that has been on my mind for such a long time. I felt so incredibly happy. The emptiness, herds, the steppes, the immense sky above it, so impresssive!
So, never give up on your dreams!!!

The light that night was of the kind that every photographer wants to take advantage of. While we were eating, I constantly grabbed my camera, and shot a bit more.
We had a campfire, shepherds stopping by, drinking wodka, got an invitation from a marmot hunter, to come and eat marmot the next day in his Ger. I will certainly upload a picture of that guy.
It was a very special.

Cropped, USM, frame, some saturation
oops, forgot to clone out a little spot above the clouds, please forgive me.

MiguelP, fredon, Hanssie, Rockyboy, Galeota, nwoehnl, tomaszmarcinek, Michael_Gan, naxius, kikvel, summer89, jpages, avigur_11, carper, jhm, kaud, eleparc, sn00zie, bertolucci, jbweasle, technogran, pamastro, cgrindahl, oochappan, ChrisJ, cmartos, baudinm, greg ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

MiguelP (14470) 2005-01-23 14:33

Your note has move me as much as the photo itself. I think that what you tell us is so strong that is a little bit nonsense to bla, bla, bla about compos, lights, contrasts and so on... I hope to see more pictures of this travel.

PS: I´m thinking about to go there next summer... Any little push in form of information or opinion about the destination is welcome.

fredon (5052) 2005-01-23 14:34

Great landscape. Red mountains and shadows are really amazing. The campment adds the human scale to the wild landscape.

fred

[2]

Hanssie (11022) 2005-01-23 14:34

And I can imagine, that these were special moments, to be there.... to be in this landscape, it's different, it's rough and strange and it's nice...

Rockyboy (20598) 2005-01-23 14:49

This is an very nice landscape, Rinie and when I saw that, you would like to be also with a horse there... It remind me alos my horse riding in Monument Valley and in Mexico.
The colors and the sky are fantastic. I am looking foreward the picture of the marmot hunter...

Galeota (10352) 2005-01-23 15:11

Breathtaking landscape. The colour contrast, cold against warm tones, is astonishing. Soooo empty, and yet so full of life, the type of life that you cannot touch, but feel in every inch of your skin. I can believe that this was certainly one of the most magical moments of your trip. Unforgettable.

RGatward (20108) 2005-01-23 15:17

Absolutely beautiful, and perfect lighting for it. Good use of the yourts (no sure of the spelling) both for contextual detail, and good contribution to the compo.

nwoehnl (122) 2005-01-23 15:21

I was hoping to see this one on TE ;-)
Nothing much to add to the way Gal worded it in his critique - the magic of the place and of the light that you so poignantly describe in your note is 100% conveyed in this wonderful photo. Technical parameters are really secondary here (and all are extremely well mastered anyway). A lovely posting, Rinie.

tomaszmarcinek (1507) 2005-01-23 15:32

This is the picture that I want to see, too. In real life :-). A nice scenery, beautiful lighting. I just wonder why you chose this framing... couldnt't be any better? Wishes, Tom

ChristianS (2997) 2005-01-23 15:41

Wonderful scenery, the light and the colours are fantastic! The contrast between the hills and the sky is very nice. Well done!

flydragon (0) 2005-01-23 16:06

Hey Rinie ;o)
woww this is a beautifull landscape
look so peacefull.
i guess u should enjoye to be there
the light is magic, and wonderfull
did u took this picture before or after
the vodka ,P
a beautifull one Rinie
congrat
••simon••

Isabelle (9046) 2005-01-23 16:07

Rinie, this is a delight. the very emptiness and huge sky i´ve been looking for (just could not imagine it would be sooooo far away!)
your note is really moving. i had this very same experience of "being there" in Canada, with snow up to my knee.
thanks a lot for sharing.

(as soon as msn´s site is available, i´ll reply to your message, ok? a lot to write!)
kiss to you.

Michael_Gan (2776) 2005-01-23 16:22

Rinie! This is the kind of pictures that make me want to turn of the computer immediately... Not because I don't like it, but because I want to grab my backpack and go to see it for myself! That's the way I felt when I saw pictures of Patagonia on TE, and that's the way I feel now. Absolutely marvellous!

Maru (0) 2005-01-23 16:36

I would love to be in that place, so far away from my home.. Nice that you're enjoying your dream :)
The colors and contrast are incredible, and the light really helps.
Keep having fun..

kikvel (4784) 2005-01-23 17:45

HI Rinie

Actually I was the first to comment your photo, but I guess you removed it to add a frame in the meantime I was writing because when I clicked I got an error message telling me that the page did not exist on TE....

Now I see it back with a frame, and I copy paste my very first comment:

"very nice one Rinie
I feel happy to read you reached one of your dreams.
surely the site is great, and I particularly like the light
I look forward to see more postings from this land

my dearest regards!

K."

And I add, that I also have an ex boss living in MOngolia, he usually sends me good pictures of this incredible land, some of them very funny

Please keep on posting them!

summer89 (5422) 2005-01-23 18:59

Great photo Rinie,

I like this composition, the colors are excelent.

Well done

avigur_11 (22553) 2005-01-23 22:30

I was waiting for your Mongolian photos too, Rinie, and this looks like Mongolia for sure..
I like the distance between the Gers. Distance between houses is something that we can't see anymore in other places. Do I see electric poles, or maybe telephone poles? (and don't tell me that they are connected to the internet:-)
I'll waut for more, Rinie, good job.

Kolyamour (1760) 2005-01-24 0:24

You have very interesting trip! Picture is very nice. I like these soft evening colours. Yurtas on foreground make composition superb.

carper (96) 2005-01-24 0:51

Prachtige foto Rinie,
Erg goede compositie, schitterende kleuren, beetje ruis in de lucht, maar daar heb ik zelf ook wel eens last van, goede werk

kaud (1840) 2005-01-24 3:48

This is a well captured landscape shot with light and shade playing the same important role. Everything is very clear and perfectly visible. Loved your note very much, Rinie.

PixelTerror (0) 2005-01-24 4:03

Hi Rinie,
it's a very nice photo, I like the ondulatons of the hills in this desertic landscape and the well positioned yourts adding an human dimension to the place, the light is excellent and reveals very beautiful colors.
Have a nice day, Jean-Yves

spence (65) 2005-01-24 5:10

What a beautiful clean and simple landscape, Rinie. I can imagine the feeling of peace and freedom being here. Glad your dream came true. The light is just wonderful.
ps : having a few computer problems, but I'll be back!

naxius (16685) 2005-01-24 5:18

Hi RInie,
Your composition is really good; with nice colors, light and good perspective.
Indeed a good photo.
Compliments.
Alexandre

eleparc (24063) 2005-01-24 9:03

you bet Rinie! this is typically the type of landscape i would expect and want to see too from mongolia! it is a great photo! the colors are beautiful , your compo is spot on and the clouds very adequately posed...well done! great moving note too!

sn00zie (2384) 2005-01-24 9:33

gorgeous picture.. really dreamy :)

bertolucci (14052) 2005-01-24 12:39

Hi Rinie, I was waitin' for you the post the Mongolian pics....and what a treat this is again! So barren, so elementary in its forms and invoking such rich tails of human toil in difficult surroundings, wonderful.
And to top it of, on a compository level .....the brown grey blue sequence of colours is so wonderful and strong. Excellent job!

jbweasle (9393) 2005-01-24 14:51

Rinie, this is a fabulous landscape bathed in a wonderful light. You have captured it well. The gers at the bottom of the frame add interest and scale. Great shot.

technogran (1339) 2005-01-24 23:26

Thank you for bringing Mongolia to our screens. It is so different, I wouldn't have imagined it like this. Your composition is perfect those sweeping hills look as if they have been blown there by some might winds. The colours of the earth are so rich and the wonderful clouds and sky above make a great contrast. Thank you Rinie.

pamastro (7296) 2005-01-26 0:28

This looks familiar. It really is amazing. This is the kind of landscape I would love to see one day, also. The vastness is unreal. I have been to North and South Dakota, vast open plains, but there is a feel of human touch there. There are power lines someplace or a very distant farm house. There just is something there that doesn't make it seem as untouched. But here that feel is very strong. The yurts, as opposed to a farm house, are a temporary presence, here today and gone tomorrow that keeps this landscape more wild and totally vast and away from any signs of the modern world. The sky and lighting helps here, too. And I like how every topographic feature comes through in this view. Truly amazing and I hope to be as lucky as you to see this one day.

cgrindahl (6113) 2005-01-26 2:44

Stunning Rinie. The trip was worth it, if only for this scenery. The colors are so rich and you got fine detail as well. The yurt at the lower left seems a bit crowded in the corner, but I appreciate your wish to include those sheep on the right side. Decisions, decisions... ;-)

Wonderful work.

oochappan (4880) 2005-01-26 4:02

Mooi gecomponeerd Rinnie met die tenten links en de bergen rechts en sober maar sterk landschapszicht, ik wou dit gisteren al opmerken maar de PC went down.

Amandine (1072) 2005-01-26 4:32

Wonderfull light, well contrasted, the pictre is very well composed an dvery sharp, it give a good impression of immensity Well done

Burnham (2428) 2005-01-27 13:48

Dear Rinie. This looks awfully familiar :o) I just recieved your new years greeting, thank you so much! I´m no longer sure that I will come back to Ecuador after my little vacation in Denmark, a lot has happened, and well, I´m just not sure, I´ll explain later via mail.

Do I even need to add that this shot is amazingly beautiful? :O)

kency (2352) 2005-01-31 0:56

Good work Rinie.You made us very happy with this nice photo.

ChrisJ (171822) 2005-02-12 3:44

Hi Rinie

This simply superb. The foreground yurts give context perspective & an idea of scale. An sensational warm / cold opposition between the blue sky & red hills. Great work!

cmartos (242) 2005-02-13 21:09

WOW! What more can I add? I know I come late and with words you've heard already, but this view is really amazing. So full of emptiness and so beautiful. Absolutely wonderful compo with tents and life on the base and the the mountains and sky. A magical light also. There is so much conveyed here...A breathtaking sight!

Albrecht (11283) 2005-03-02 5:59

Wonderful landscape and colours.Top picture.Shadows,sky,hillside and those tiny cabins are beautiful.

baudinm (349) 2005-05-02 10:11

Hi Rinie,
This is a very good landscape.
I completely agree with Fredon : "The campment adds the human scale to the wild landscape". And this warm light is giving to the landscape and to the shadows a very powerful feeling.
The point of view and the dof are obviously perfect.
The sky is rich of clouds, which is allways difficult to capture because it depends on the weather.
Your post-processing is fine and subtle and you are forgiven : I didn't see the spot...
Bravo !
Amicalement,
Michaël

greg (2835) 2005-11-25 8:53

Hi Rinie! I've been dreaming to make a long journey in Mongolia with horses for several years already... your story gives me some encouragement. How did you arrange the horses?

rushandy (214) 2006-04-06 17:08

Hi Rinie,

This is the place that dreams are made. For so long I've wanted to visit Mongolia, hopefully it won't be too long now before I get the chance and will be able to live in this landscape, and see these things, with my own eyes.

You've got a great capture here...really magnificent. Thanks for posting.

Polonaise (5802) 2007-10-28 13:14

As Mongolian, as only Mongolia can be...

One of the most fascinating places on earth...

How is it possible to live in such countries like Mongolia, or rather...
Is there another one like Mongolia...?

One day, maybe... One day...???

Stay vibrant, Rinie
g.