Through My Lens: Mongolia

Ger near Kharkhorin.
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A couple years ago, I decided to take a last minute trip (only two weeks notice) to Mongolia to see the Naadam festival and to experience the vast openness of this primarily nomadic nation.  It was a trip where I felt I grew a lot as a photographer.  When I returned home after the trip, I was happy that I had captured my best photo set ever up to that point in time.  Looking back, there are definitely some good photos in the set, but it's pretty obvious to me that my post-processing skills were still fairly amateur (and have come a long way since).  However, like most things in life, practice makes perfect.

These are some of the photos I took during my trip to Mongolia.

Soviet-era apartment housing blocks in Ulaanbaatar.
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Contortionist at the Tumen Ekh Song & Dance Ensemble at the State Youth & Children's Theatre in Ulaanbaatar.
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These UAZ (Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod) vans seem to be all over Mongolia.
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Some Mongolian cowboys (and one cowgirl) arrive at the Kharkhorin Naadam.
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A Mongolia wrestler dances like a bird after winning a match at the Kharkhorin Naadam.
This tradition of dancing like a bird is performed around the flag pole by the wrestlers
before and after each match.
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This 70-year old man, named Chuluunbat, befriended me at the Naadam festival in Tsenkher.
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Airag (Mongolian Fermented Mare's Milk) tastes like sour milk mixed with wine.
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This was the view from the VIP section at the Tsenkher Naadam.
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Mongolian Wrestling at the Tsenkher Naadam
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Mongolian Wildflowers
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TV Interview For The Tsetserleg Naadam Archery Champion
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The horse trainer rides out to meet his winning horse and its rider at the Naadam festival in Tsetserleg.
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Dusk at the Ekh Baigali Ger Camp
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Boat Tour On Lake Khovsgol
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Parliament House In Ulaanbaatar
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My trip to Mongolia was a private trip booked through Boojum Expeditions.  I highly recommend their services for anyone heading to Mongolia.

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You can view all my photos from Mongolia and the rest of our trip to Brazil by clicking here.

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Have you ever been to Mongolia?  How did you like it?