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Author Topic: Mongolia...  (Read 8113 times)

Jacques Pochoy

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Mongolia...
« on: July 05, 2015, 17:43:38 »
Some time ago, I herded the usual flock of students in Architecture for a dozen days in Mongolia. The main purpose was to build up an academic exchange between their school and ours through a sort of "summer" workshop !
After a few days in Ulaan Baator discovering that urban sprawl is a common disease, we went north to a small village with Mongolian students and French ones to map the village to allow it's community to build new houses and public spaces with a scheme and projects in time.
The small village was not very far of the Russian border, the train was the only mean of transportation for us, and like in the old Far-West movies, the train stations are the meeting places for most !

First thing we saw at our arrival at night was the "Gers", those felted dome shaped tents, as our guest house for student had several on the roof of their building. Sort of getting acquainted with the traditional way of living in the middle of a modern city (or almost)...


Ger at night... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.

The view we had from our Gers...


UlaanBaatar, la nuit... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 35mm F/2D and D700.

At daytime we could feel the haze, mostly created by stoves used for heating and food preparations...


U.B.... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.

Time for a walk in U.B. (short for Ulaan Baator), the street at night felt bumpy, looking at our hotel we understand that in this district, the streets are just earth with no special preparations...


Les gers sur le toit... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.

But Mongolia is a horse country and culture, so urban children have bronze sculpture to ride...


Free ride... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.
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“A photograph is a moral decision taken in one eighth of a second. ” ― Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

Gary

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2015, 18:15:59 »
You're wetting my appetite for more.
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"Everywhere you look there are photographs, it is the call of photographers to see and capture them."- Gary Ayala
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Jakov Minić

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2015, 22:52:50 »
Dear Jacques, I can hardly wait to see and read more :)
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elsa hoffmann

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2015, 23:57:04 »
The second image is gorgeous. Thanks for posting.
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Jacques Pochoy

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2015, 00:42:46 »
Walking through "main street" in a more modern district, full of shops (even french ones...Gee!), but old habits die hard, and the Gers (also called yurts elsewhere) are used as quick and cheap shops or show-rooms and use most of the pavement !


Occupons l'espace... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.

There are three era type of buildings. The old Tzarist era buildings, sort of Sanct-Petersburg imitation for Siberia with is the core of the oldest parts of U.B.


Urban building... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.

Then the more Soviet style social housing...


Le Quartier... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.

And the new "Asian brothers" buildings...


Treshold... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.

With the classical touch of public buildings, as city hall, museum, opera, etc. and the offices buildings...


La pub... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.


The "monolith"... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.


Theater with skaters... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.


Work in progress... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.

But the poorest parts are still built in wood, behind fences with small courtyards in which they build the Ger for the winter as the family sleeping room when it gets really cold. One central district is around the Bhouddist temple, the original part of U.B., the rest is urban sprawl in the surrounding valleys...


La ger dans la cour... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 35mm f/2D and D700.


North valley sprawl... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.
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“A photograph is a moral decision taken in one eighth of a second. ” ― Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

Gary

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2015, 01:21:27 »
I see a lack of planning. Glad you are there. You have a big task ahead of you.  ;)
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"Everywhere you look there are photographs, it is the call of photographers to see and capture them."- Gary Ayala
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Jacques Pochoy

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2015, 08:20:41 »
People are kind and welcome the strangers we were, even if beforehand we heard the worst ! As a new country, you can find some technology leap...


Hi-tech police force... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.

But, as everywhere else, you'll find romance or the bunch of elderly people on a bench...


Romance... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.


Three men... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr -50MM f/1.8D and D700.

In some districts we were a surprising sight...


Surprise... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.
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“A photograph is a moral decision taken in one eighth of a second. ” ― Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

Erik Lund

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2015, 10:20:29 »
Very interesting travel series, with some really good images! Clean, bright and crisp colors.

Your framing is very deliberate and firm... you could loosen up and 'get closer' if you feel like it :)
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Jacques Pochoy

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #8 on: July 06, 2015, 15:58:27 »
Quote from: Erik Lund on July 06, 2015, 10:20:29
Very interesting travel series, with some really good images! Clean, bright and crisp colors.

Your framing is very deliberate and firm... you could loosen up and 'get closer' if you feel like it :)

Thanks, I agree ! But you must put in the equation the thirtiyish students  had to keep an eye on and to entertain them with architectural comparisons... Always hard to take decent pictures when in such conditions  :-\
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“A photograph is a moral decision taken in one eighth of a second. ” ― Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

Jacques Pochoy

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #9 on: July 06, 2015, 17:30:31 »
The nearby mountain top is sort of special (while Bhuddist, the belief is rooted in old shamanism ) so the Russians built a monument up there that's the best place for marriage photography !


The monumental monument... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.


Cosmonaute... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.

With a view on U.B.


High rise UB... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.

It's time to take the bus to the train station for the lower branch of the Transsiberian, the Transmongolian !
At the bus stop some elderly favor the traditional tunic.


Generations... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.

And women sell coal on the street (not many trees left) for the daily heating and food.


Coal seller... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.

And to the station at last...


The train, so important...! by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 35mm f/2D and D700.

Kids can have great suits... :-)


Business suit ? by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.

While the train wagon is an Austrian refurb, very comfortable and efficient for long trips...


Train... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.
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“A photograph is a moral decision taken in one eighth of a second. ” ― Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

Jacques Pochoy

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2015, 18:46:57 »
Quote from: Gary on July 06, 2015, 01:21:27
I see a lack of planning. Glad you are there. You have a big task ahead of you.  ;)

Alas, my motto is not to intervene if not asked ! Keeping me out of the usual neo-colonization most NGO do ! A reminder of the old' 68 era maybe :-)
Still, the oldest Mongolian architect came from the Gobi desert, by car, up to our northern village, just to have a chat with us, all night, in a kindergarten school (sitting on small chairs), about minus 6 ° Celsius inside, but with packs of two liters Mongolian vodka (don't ask !). Nice memories :-)
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“A photograph is a moral decision taken in one eighth of a second. ” ― Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

Jacques Pochoy

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2015, 19:12:16 »
The train is a great way to discover the countryside with "hard" houses (vs the Ger) isolated in the middle of nowhere...


House in infinity... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.

And the charming station chief... Sad to say, but most of the public jobs are held by women as the men are usually drunk in these times of crisis for Mongolia.


Chef de gare... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.


L'autre chef de gare... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.

Of course there are other means of transportation, slower surely...


Local transportation... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.

All along the scenery is fantastic...


Centre aéré... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr  - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.


The lone Ger... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.


Wind powered ger... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.

At our destination, the wagon lady is ready to blow her horn for a quick departure...


The Wagon Lady... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 85mm f/1.8D and D700.

And we discover the village of cow herders and lumberjacks and sawmills (with special permits from the government).


La place du village... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.
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“A photograph is a moral decision taken in one eighth of a second. ” ― Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

Jacques Pochoy

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2015, 23:19:53 »
First thing was to find a family for each student (Mongolian as French) and that was a task for the village council, sort of villagers choosing students on sight...


Conseil municipal... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.

The next step was to climb a nearby hill to have a full view of the village while listening to a brief history (in english).


Le village... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.

With the night setting in...


Dusk in the valley... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.


La vallée... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.


Village at night... by ArchiVue, sur Flickr - 50mm f/1.8D and D700.
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“A photograph is a moral decision taken in one eighth of a second. ” ― Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

Jakov Minić

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #13 on: July 06, 2015, 23:35:03 »
Breathtaking images, Jacques.
I kept scrolling up and down, enjoying them all, trying to pick out my favorite, but there are so many good ones!
My bucket list of countries/cities to visit is growing more and more thanks to the images that are shared on NikonGear Revival :)
Utah, Cape town, Japan, Mongolia... who knows what will add up in the future...
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Free your mind and your ass will follow. - George Clinton
Before I jump like monkey give me banana. - Fela Kuti
Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem. - Woody Allen

Erik Lund

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Re: Mongolia...
« Reply #14 on: July 07, 2015, 00:25:53 »
I continue to enjoy the pastel like colors!
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