Reaching Olkhon (2005)
Matthieu Paley
NEARLY SOLD OUT
Riding across Lake Baikal with Olkhon island in the background. Olkhon is an important Shamanist centre and the home of Shamanka, or Shaman’s Rock. Siberia has long been a centre of Shamanism.
Matthieu Paley was born in France, spent three years studying photography in New York and has led a peripatetic life for much of the past twelve years in the highest and remotest regions of Asia. He is regarded as possibly the finest young explorer-photographer working today in Asia, and since 2012 has worked on several major National Geographic assignments
Paley’s photographs are awe-inspiring. His work is not easily acquired and few people ever visit the regions which he has made his second home. Frequently, he visits these beautiful but inhospitable regions in the depths of winter when temperatures drop to -30°c. For Paley this provides the best light and working conditions to shoot his ethereal and awe inspiring photographs.