Alexey Trofimov
Alexey Trofimov was born in 1970 in Siberia, in the city of Bratsk. Located on the banks of the Angara River, the city lies 500 kilometres (311 mi) north of its source in Lake Baikal.
Although he has worked in a shipyard and car repair plant; played in a rock band; taught at university, and run his own business, his love of travel and freedom turned out to be stronger.
In 2009 he became seriously interested in landscape photography, and since 2013 it has become his profession. As well as collaborating with different publishing houses and agencies, he organizes and conducts photo tours and expeditions around Lake Baikal and Mongolia.
Over the years, Alexey’s work has been published around the world, and has received awards in photo competitions.
“Of primary importance is the knowledge of oneself and the world around us through the prism of photography, the search and disclosure of thin threads that connect us with the world in which we live”, he believes.
Baikal seal
Baikal is not only beautiful landscapes of wild nature, unique and magical Baikal ice, the famous Shamanka rock on Olkhon island, pompous Listvyanka, seals, omul, bears and vodka. The Baikal region also includes layers of ancient culture and the history of its peoples, past and present. Shamanism is the traditional religion of the Buryats and other Baikal peoples and is an important link between nature and culture that determines many aspects of their lives.
Despite former prohibitions and persecutions it was preserved, primarily among ethnic Buryats, Mongols and Evenks. At the end of the last century, shamanism, as a system of life values, began to revive widely. Shamanism provides a clear framework of spiritual values, focused on harmonious coexistence with the surrounding world. Loving the earth, and nature as a part of it, will provide people with everything they need to live on the planet.
The Buryat People of Lake Baikal
The main difficulties people face are caused by mankind believing in the idea of superiority. This separates them from the rest of the living world; from nature, from ancestors, from the past, from Mother Earth and Father Heaven.
The homeland of shamanism is considered to be Central and Northern Asia, and the sacred centre of the northern world is Olkhon Island on Lake Baikal. Due to its isolation, Olkhon Island became the last stronghold of North Asian shamans.
Shamanists are characterized by belief in many gods and spirits and interaction between the spirits of Heaven, Earth, elements, mountains, water, and ancestors. The Eternal Blue Sky – Huhe Munhe Tengri – is the supreme deity. The earth is the middle world, spiritualized in all manifestations of nature and life and inhabited by various spirits invisible to most people.
The Shamans at Lake Baikal
Every natural phenomenon, geographical object, craft, clan, family, disease and so on, has a spirit which can be influenced through sacrifices and by following certain rules and traditions. A person who makes a connection between the world of people and spirits becomes a shaman. When a shaman enters an altered state of consciousness, he can travel into the world of spirits and find there the cause of the disease, cast out evil spirits and prophesy. Modern researchers of transpersonal states believe that in the supersensible perception practised by shamans, one can obtain information not only from different points in space, but also from different points in time.
For many years I have been working on a photo project about the Baikal shamans.
Buryat People of Lake Baikal
At first, I was attracted by a desire to shoot something beautiful and unusual, but over time, I realized that the subject was much more complex. This photo project has greatly changed my life by significantly influencing my worldview and perception. Instead of just taking a set of interesting photos, I became immersed in the history, culture and life of the indigenous peoples of the Baikal region.
Baikal seals
☛ Read more about Lake Baikal:
10 Great Experiences Around Lake Baikal
How to Visit Siberia’s Frozen Lake Baikal in Winter
PHOTO ESSAY: Lake Baikal – Siberia, Russia
Finding Olkhon Island, Siberia’s Largest Freshwater Island
What to See and Do in Irkutsk, Siberia, Russia
Blog post and photos by Peter who has been travelling almost full-time since 2005 and has been to over 122 countries. He visited several countries, such as Japan, more than 20 times. Peter is Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of GlobeRovers Magazine, an independent travel magazine focused on intrepid destinations.