They say we’ve succeeded if, those, who come after us, have gone farther than we ever could… If I could leave behind a legacy it would be something larger that myself, longer than my lifetime and louder than my voice. We wonder whether we will be remembered, missed or thought of. The irony of this very human thinking process is that the only way we can ever do that is by touching the lives of others. And the most inspiring things happen when we strike friendships, loving relationships or even momentary acquaintances that leave behind a thought, a memory, a lasting emotion. And in that moment we’re leaving something behind. We’re passing on something that can live beyond that moment, beyond me.

This is a story about a tradition as old as Mongolia itself – eagle hunting. A generous heritage passed from father to son, generation after generation by the beautiful people of the Altai mountains and Mongolian hills. This is also a story about Konki, an eagle hunter who lives near Deluun Village in the Altai Mountains of Western Mongolia, who decided to pursue the craft after his father’s passing 2 years ago. In spite of being a herder for the entirety of his life, he is now accompanied by his cousin, Onei, and his friends on the tireless mission to carry forward the tradition he inherited from his father.

My good friend Cale Glendening, the producer behind this amazing story, and I traveled to Mongolia to meet Konki and document his journey.
We spent a week living with Onei’s family learning and documenting incredible life of eagle hunters.

Special thanks to my good friend Hajik who helped me with writing this narrative, Cory Tran who traveled with us and helped me a lot during the shoots, and amazing retoucher Pratik.

Gear:
Main bag: ThinkTank Airport Security 2.0
Shoulder bag: ThinkTank Retrospective 30
Camera: Canon 5D Mark III
Lens: Canon 24-70 II
Main Light: 35″ Octabox with AlienBees B800
Triggers: PocketWizard Plus III
Battery pack: Vagabond Mini 120VAC

Instagram: Sasha

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Gear:

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March 3, 2016
great story, beautifully captured.
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Andrey
March 3, 2016
Stunning record of a beautiful legacy. Great work!
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March 3, 2016
Absolutely refreshing to see these images. They truly live a life full of adventures.
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March 4, 2016
Thank you Sasha, So many beautiful images, especially man holding an eagle on horse (12) looks like a fine painting. All the Best!
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March 6, 2016
amazing story and great photos
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March 8, 2016
Wow!! These photos are stunning... I want to visit Mongolia so badly, you only make me want it more! I'm really curious about how you travel with all this gear (The ABees and the octabox mainly)... do you work with assistants over there? It looks phenomenal, keep them coming!
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March 9, 2016
this is special. this is the kind of photographs you have no idea how much is helping the world's culture. great sasha!
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March 22, 2016
Amazing! If you need gear, hit us up and we'd love to collaborate with you.
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March 22, 2016
Congratulations! You captured a beautiful series
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March 30, 2016
Great work Sasha. I really liked the history and the photos. Cheers from Brazil.
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Josh
April 4, 2016
Wow! Great story and beautiful pictures. Well done!
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April 4, 2016
Amazing is and understatement. Did you use a smoke grenade for the last 3 images?
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April 5, 2016
This made my jaw drop. Absolutely breathtaking images, perfectly captured, and incredible subjects.
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Davor Matosevic
April 5, 2016
I hope you are bringing these photos everywhere, I think everybody should enjoy it. You should send it to NG, if you didn't do it yet. :) Thank you, Saša!
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Stunning images! Really impressive work, congratulations!!
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Chris
April 21, 2016
Absolutely stunning! Is any of your photography available for purchase?
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Rosalind
April 24, 2016
So beautiful and evocative. I believe the last one is my favorite.
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July 6, 2016
Great job Alex :)
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March 8, 2022
Great job boss! You have captured the best moment with the best location, your photos are so good, I also would love to visit here.
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