Documentary Galleries: Mongolia

I traveled to Mongolia to photograph the Kazakhs with their mighty hunting eagles. It was here in this remote western region of the Altai mountains that they gather to show them off every year in October.

In between events I was crossing the vast empty field when I heard a noise. Before I could fully turn around I was pummeled by a runaway horse that had thrown his rider. I had three heavy cameras slung on my shoulder that came up and slammed into my face. My cheek split open and was bleeding profusely, there wasn’t even any water available to clean the wound. It was an hour before I could even move. By then the light was exquisite. I put a bandana over my eye and kept shooting until I passed out. I realized then that I also had a concussion. The hospital was so bad I had to supply the doctor with supplies from my own medical kit to fix my face. It was three days before I could get back to a hospital in San Francisco where they found I had also fractured a rib. But at least I got the photos. If you look closely you can see the word Nikon etched into my cheekbone.