Chester Clarke, The boy becomes a man, a journey through time in the Mongolian steppe. (Travel 2018)

My portfolio expresses the very essences of freedom and becoming a man in Mongolian culture. Children learn to ride horses at a very young age and continue to do so till the very last days of their lives. Horses and gers/yurts are a staple part of nomadic Mongolian culture & are therefore represented within each image. My images aim to present a story that conveys the life of a nomadic Mongolian. From first learning to ride a horse in the 1st image, to then herding on the steppe as a teenager in the 2nd, to then having a family and ones own yurt in the 3rd image and then to finally grow old in the 4th image, serves as a journey through time in the Mongolian steppe. I lived among many nomadic families during my travels to Mongolia in June and July 2018 and learnt more then I could have ever imagined. I was working on an archaeological expedition at the time and the greatest lesson I learnt, was the value of freedom that I observed by the way in which these incredibly generous and kind people live by. They epitomise the spirit of freedom, following the horizon by each season and live within some of the greatest countryside on Earth. I have tried to replicate the sense of freedom and upbringing from infant to adulthood, within each of my images and aimed to showcase to the world, the awe of Mongolia and the power and positivity of travel.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.