DJI Mavic 3 Classic | 24mm F2.8 | ISO 100 | 1/320 sec | F5.6
Photo: Erez Marom
In part one of my series about photographing Mongolia in winter, I wrote about my experience shooting the Khongor Sand Dunes and Lake Khuvsgul. This time, I'd like to take you to another north-Mongolian destination, and to the east of this vast country.
After I was done shooting in Lake Khuvsgul, I took a long 4X4 drive further north-east, across some harsh terrain and interesting, frozen landscapes. We made a short stop to drone over the mountains and valleys of the Khoridol Saridag range.
After long hours, we finally arrived in our next major destination: Jargant River. This river is unique in that its waters come from an underground spring, and so parts of it do not freeze even when it's -40ºC (-40ºF) outside. The temperature difference between the river and the air causes water to rise as droplets, which stick and coat the trees and totally cakes them in white ice. These foggy conditions are great because it emphasizes the sun penetrating between the trees, creating beautiful light rays that work really nicely with the other compositional components around.
The fog here serves both as a compositional element and as a medium through which the trees' shadows show.
DJI Mavic 3 Classic | 24mm F2.8 | ISO 100 | 1/400 sec | F10
Here, the fog serves the separation between compositional elements: the closer tree is perfectly visible, whereas the background trees are shrouded in fog, helping the viewer's brain understand that they are at different distances, thus creating depth. The light rays penetrating between the trees add a lot to the image, do you agree?
Canon EOS R5 Mark II | Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM | ISO 100 | 1/320 sec | F11
A nice example of sun rays shining between the trees.
Canon EOS R5 Mark II | Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM | ISO 200 | 1/250 sec | F8
A top-down image showing the icy coating of the trees. Note that this is definitely not snow, but water droplets that stuck to the trees.
DJI Mavic 3 Classic | 1/30 sec | ISO 100 | F5.6
Jargant River is especially winding, which is useful for creating nice compositions. The fog above it adds another layer of interest.
DJI Mavic 3 Classic, 1/100 sec, f/6.3, ISO 100
The fog from the river had spread across the planes, allowing me to create a dreamier scene in which only the higher-elevation elements are clearly visible.
DJI Mavic 3 Classic | ISO 100 | 1/100 sec | F6.3
Photos: Erez Marom
There are a few nice locations in the Jargant Valley area. If you're there, it's worth your while to take a drive to the Singing Springs (known locally as Duut Spring), another location where liquid water is visible even at a bone-chilling -40ºC or even -50ºC (-40º to -58ºF). The moisture carried in the air coats not only trees, but low bushes and different kinds of plants that look somewhat weird dressed in white.
An aerial shot of the Singing Spring. At -37ºC (-35ºF), liquid water is still visible and usable as a compositional element. Note that the slanted, closer, more visible tree is located in the gap between the left- and right-side trees, to avoid overlap. In general, since the colors are quite homogeneous in this image, separation and depth become more important: apart from the slanted tree's location, I also used the background fog to separate the trees from the mountains. In turn, the warm sunrise tones separate the mountains from the clouds. These planes of separation contribute to the overall feeling of depth in the image, which is critical, especially in winter imagery.
DJI Mavic 3 Classic | ISO 100 | 1/30 sec | F4
Photo: Erez Marom
After returning from northern Mongolia, I took a very long drive toward the far east region of Mongolia: the Steppe, where I spent several days shooting wildlife. My main goal was to get interesting shots of one of the cutest and grumpiest creatures on Earth: the Pallas's cat. This bundle of joy isn't much bigger than a house cat, but its super-dense fur, round pupils and less-than-friendly attitude give it a very special kind of charm.
What it lacks in size, it makes up for in ferocity and in cuteness!
Canon EOS R5 Mark II | Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM | ISO 400 | 1/2000 sec | F6.3
Photo: Erez Marom
I teamed up with an organization dedicated to the preservation of this beautiful species and stayed in a ger camp, from where we would head out twice daily to try to find the wildlife. The mornings were usually devoid of cats, as they primarily roam in the afternoon, so we dedicated them to other wildlife. I got some nice images of owls, which show the snowy, rocky environment.
A little owl perching on the snowy ground. Note how I did my best to show the animal in its environment in a compositionally-appealing way: there is a foreground subject (the owl), another small rock on the left to counterbalance it, and a clear (even if out of focus) background subject comprised of distinct elements with proper separation between them.
Canon EOS R5 Mark II | Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM | ISO 800 | 1/400 sec | F8
The nice thing about this image is the similarity in colors between the owl and the rocks. Both are brown with white blotches: in the owl, it's the feathers. In the rocks, it's the patches of snow.
Canon EOS R5 Mark II | Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM + Extender RF 1.4x | ISO 400 | 1/640 sec | F10
Photos: Erez Marom
The owls were nice, but naturally, my main focus was the Pallas' cat. The cat shooting was very much unlike any wildlife photography I'd ever done. First of all, the cats can be hard to find. We sometimes had to send a tracker to locate one of them, which, considering the vastness of the area, was an astounding feat. Once found, however, the Pallas' cat is a surprisingly easy animal to get close to and shoot. Contrary to more easily-agitated species, their natural behavior is such that they disguise themselves as rocks and stay perfectly still unless you get really close to them.
In this image, I used the color similarity between the grass and the cat's eyes to enhance interest.
Canon EOS R5 Mark II | Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM | ISO 400 | 1/2500 sec | F7.1
A very grumpy blob assuming the shape of a rock.
Canon EOS R5 Mark II | Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM | ISO 800 | 1/1600 sec | F7.1
Cats will be cats.
Canon EOS R5 Mark II | Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM | ISO 200 | 1/3200 sec | F5.6
Photos: Erez Marom
As stationary as they often are, once the cats decide to go, they bolt. This gives the photographer a chance to get some action shots. It's a hard mission, since you don't know exactly when the cat will run or in which direction, but here are my best attempts.
Canon R5II, Canon 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 254mm, 1/8000 sec, f/5, ISO 1600
Photo: Erez Marom
When the Pallas' cat is sitting down, it's possible to get relatively close to it. Morally speaking, as long as you do it in a responsible manner and understand when you're too close, there's no harm in that. This last shot shows exactly such an event: I was still at a comfortable distance, but the cat made sure I knew I'd gotten on its nerves, and so I backed up and went away.
This threatening gesture meant it was time to go.
Canon EOS R5 Mark II | Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM | ISO 1600 | 1/8000 sec | F5
Photo: Erez Marom
I hope you've enjoyed my images from frozen Mongolia. If you are well-equipped for winter photography and mentally able to handle extreme cold, I can highly recommend it as a unique photographic experience.
Erez Marom is a professional nature photographer, guide and traveller. You can follow Erez's work on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to his mailing list for updates.
If you'd like to experience and shoot some of the world's most fascinating landscapes and wildlife with Erez as your guide, take a look at his unique photography workshops in Zambia, China, Colombia, Vietnam, Madagascar, Ethiopia and more.
Erez has recently published his first e-book, Solving the Puzzle, thoroughly explaining his views about composition in landscape photography and beyond.
Selected Articles by Erez Marom:
