Altai: Hunters and Herders of Mongolia

Claire Thomas is an award-winning Welsh photojournalist, fine art photographer, and writer whose work focuses on political and military conflicts, social justice, and cultural heritage: work that has taken her to some of the most remote and resilient communities on Earth. Her photojournalism documents armed conflict, displacement, human rights, and environmental injustice; her stories appear in a wide array of internationally acclaimed publications; and her fine art prints are held in private and institutional collections worldwide. An avid motorcyclist, explorer, and horse rider herself, Thomas lives in Cairo, Egypt.

"The deeper Thomas became embedded within these communities [in Mongolia], the more photography itself seemed to become secondary. Relationships came first. Trust first. Tea first. […] That trust is visible in the images. There is an intimacy to them that would be impossible otherwise. Women laughing over photographs from previous visits. Children showing off for the camera. Elders sitting proudly in richly coloured dels. Nobody appears reduced into an exotic caricature for foreign audiences." —Jenny Tough, Sidetracked "In the seven years since her first visit, Thomas has returned to Mongolia’s Altai Mountains countless times, deepening her connections with its dramatic landscape and the groups that populate it. […] The volume gathers photographs of hunters with eagles perched on their arms; herders tending to camels, cows, sheep, and horses; scenes of domestic life amid stunning mountain backdrops; and moments of resilience as seasons slowly shift." —Eva Baron, My Modern Met"Over several years, photographer Claire Thomas spent time with this community and documented the eagle hunters in these beautiful photos […] In a time when the heritage of communities like these is threatened by climate change and urbanization, Thomas wanted to capture a reminder of the 'spirit, beauty, and wisdom that comes from living in close connection with the natural world.'" —Imagine5"For Welsh photojournalist Claire Thomas, this northern region’s unique nomadic culture proved to be a veritable wellspring of astonishing encounters as she observed its 21st-century adaptations. Forthcoming from Hemeria, Altai: Hunters and Herders of Mongolia is a trove of intimate photographs chronicling Thomas’ immersion in this part of the world. She captures indelible features of the Kazakhs’ nomadic lifeway, experiencing everyday life in yurt-like homes called gers and participating in pastoral practices amid a vast grassland steppe, framed by rugged peaks." —Kate Mothes, Colossal"Claire Thomas has photographed some of the most important stories of our times, from the refugee crisis in Europe to the battle against ISIS in Iraq, contributing her images to leading publications such as the New York Times, the Sunday Times and National Geographic. Her deep interest in humanity, and in particular people’s relationship with the natural word, has taken her time and again to western Mongolia, where she has built a body of work documenting the lives of Kazakh herders and eagle hunters." —Outdoor Photography"Claire Thomas has photographed the world […] In the Altai mountains of Mongolia, she has marched with tribes people and learned about Kazakh eagle hunters. Her photography has helped put on record such ancient traditions threatened by urban growth and climate change - all a long way from her home village of Idole, a few miles outside Carmarthen. But she said: 'I think we always hope that our work makes a difference. And I think collectively it does. If there were no photographers, if there were no storytellers, the stories wouldn't be heard.'" —BBC

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