NeiMengGu - the Reindeer
I'm unsure what I expected when it came to the reindeer we would see. I knew they would be big but I think I expected them to be similar to deer from Wisconsin. Maybe because that's the only "live" image I had to reference. I really enjoyed finding out the differences that were unexpected. So, here's a few thoughts on that along with photos.
The first thing I noticed was the horns. Not only were they much bigger than what I had seen on deer, they also had this fur like covering on them. I didn't ever try to touch the reindeer but lets just say they were happy to move me with their horns if I was in the way.
My second observation was less pleasant. The smell. It was hard to not notice this. At first I thought it was just how reindeer smelt. Then I noticed there was always a fire going near where the reindeer rested. I assumed, rightly, that the smoke was to keep the mass amount of flies away from the reindeer. I then learned that the fires were mainly fueled by dung. I didn't get that smell out of my clothes till Tanya washed them twice. I left my backpack outside for about two weeks and was grateful when it got rained on a few times.
On a nicer note, the third thing I noticed was that they were very curious. I would be taking photos/video of them and they would come right up to me to see what I was doing. I think this is due to them being raised by herders. Often times they were looking for this shrub that grew on trees that they seemed to really like. The herders would gather it for them from the trees. The reindeer would often pick the trees clean of it, so you could gather it from the parts of the trees that were out of their reach.
The fourth thing I noticed was they seemed to like to scratch themselves on their horns. It almost looked like the reindeer was doing yoga, the way they would bend their neck & reach up with their back hooves.
The fifth thing I noticed about them was they followed a routine. At specific times of the day they would go off in the same direction. They would come back at roughly the same time each day. Then repeat the cycle. I am guessing that this relates to being herded and being taken care of. It was useful to me because I could plant myself in a spot to get some photos. Though I would learned when I needed to move or I would be moved.
This proved useful to get some really nice shots at golden hour. I kept seeing this beautiful golden light coming in through the trees at around 6pm. Which was around the time they would come back from grazing & drinking. Sometimes it would be in the middle of dinner and I wouldn't have the hands to take the shot. Other times they would come at the wrong angle for the sun to hit them just the way I wanted it to. Or they'd be too far away. So the last few days I went to dinner late so that I could stay in my spot. It didn't work a few nights but I knew that I wanted to keep trying to get some shots. I finally did some shots on our second to last evening. Better late than never!
Lastly, the mornings of quiet became a joy for me. There's something to say about the quiet before the storm. The storm being everyone at the camp grounds waking up and yelling about things. I started to force myself to get up as soon as I woke up because I knew I'd get about an hour of peace before the day started. It makes me a bit envious of wildlife or nature photographers. I know its not always peace and quiet, but catching a glimpse of it was wonderful for me.
If you would like to support my photography, you can do so in a few ways. Share this post on social media, email me a review of my work, order a print off of my store, or support me on Patreon. Thank you so much for any support you decide to give!