Eric Turkebayev
@ericturkebayev
Best of the week 30 at #nomadict 2021
Firstly I would like to dedicate this photo to my dad, since he always loved my work and rejoiced in my success more than I did myself.
My path to photography started quite a while ago. I was taking photographs at my brother’s wedding when I realized I enjoyed doing this. Nevertheless, I had no idea what I should do with that knowledge or in what direction to move forward.
As a kid, I greatly enjoyed watching films and finding out how films were made. I also loved to draw. Those two things influenced how I experienced the world, and, above all, how I make my vision come to life.
"Many times I was told that the pictures I take look like the covers from movies."
There are plenty of photographers in Almaty, where I live. It is located at the foot of the mountains, which are very accessible. That is the reason why hiking, trekking and other outdoor activities are very popular in this area.
Everyone has their own unique way of photographing nature here, but everyone has one thing in common – their love for nature. It’s this love that led me to exploring Kazakhstan. Our country is the 9th biggest in the world in terms of size and most of that is covered with nature: mountains, lakes, the sea and steppe.
"Kazakhstan is unique for its vast variety of landscapes, from sand dunes, to snowy peaks all of which are easily accessible from the city."
The tourism in our city is growing daily, but mostly it is explored by the people who live here. Since I live in Almaty I am personally inclined toward the mountains the most.
Unsurprisingly, the mountains are also my favorite subject for photography. Especially snow covered peaks, they are always epic and breathtaking.
The photograph that won the contest was taken quite recently, about a month ago. It was a cloudy day, which is my favorite weather when in the mountains. I went to the peak called “Memory”, which is one of my favorites. As I was climbing to the peak, I saw a person walking on the path with the view of the peak in the background – I was astounded and had to catch the moment.
I reached for my camera, focused and took the shot. I was in awe of this photograph and how there were, unlike normally, so few people standing in front of the magnificent silent mountain. A person cannot conquer a mountain, he can only battle with it and bow down to its splendor.
After I came down from the mountain, I transferred the files to my phone so I could see how they turned out. The shot came out beautifully, and later, while editing, I attempted to show the vastness of the mountain and tried to portray the emotion and atmosphere of the photo. Lately I tend to not edit my photos very much, I strive to keep it looking as natural as possible, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. I really like the color blue and that is why you can see a lot of blue tones in my final photographs. Blue tones show the vastness and scale of the picture, in my opinion.
"It's respectful to stay close to the original, impressive landscapes, and a little editing enhances the strength of the photos while I am able to visualize my emotions."
They say the mountains call us and I have experienced this. I took the most important photos in my life this way; first I feel the call to different places and then set out to explore them. I have always thought that emotions are the most significant in photography, it’s what makes a great photograph – connection with the subject, with the moment.
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