I was driving down a road in northern Sweden when I came upon a herd of reindeer. I took out my camera to get some pictures when two males began to lock horns. The rest of the herd ran off, which gave me a clear view of the two bucks. I don’t specialize in wildlife photography, but I wanted to do some for this article. I was so fortunate to come upon this scene. It was a special experience.
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Dealing with the Russian bureaucracy was frustrating. I went to four different places in the country over a six-week period. At Komi we sat in an office for three days to get permission to go into Yugyd Va National Park. We ended up having to give a bribe to the director.
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Bathing in the remote parts of Russia was somewhat unusual, particularly in the winter. We stayed in these wooden cabins similar to ranger huts. At the end of the day we went into a separate wooden structure called a banya, something like a sauna that is heated with firewood. It was rather relaxing. Afterward, one of the Russians in our group poured cold water over me. Our guide went outside and rolled in the snow, but I didn’t do that. The cold water was shocking enough.
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