AUTUMN IS A MOST BEAUTIFUL TIME FOR REINDEER
ABBIE TRAYLER SMITH
Reindeer are especially beautiful in autumn. While we most often think about their striking forms and symbolic reference to Christmas in winter, in autumn, they captivate us as they migrate across Northern Norway.
Award-winning photographer Abbie Trayler Smith documents their autumnal journeys and their relationship with the indigenous Sami people, who have herded reindeer four thousands of years.
Smith’s images are stunning, with rich warm sepia hues cooled by steely October skies and frigid waters.
Highly textural, it feels like you can feel the soft antler velvet and the hot steam breath of these gorgeous creatures as they make their way across the Arctic landscape.
During the autumn migration, the Sami must swim their reindeer across a treacherous strait.
While reindeer are no longer hunted, nearly 3,000 Sami people still manage reindeer herds. Traditionally the Sami use reindeer meat, skins, blood, and milk to sustain their lives. Now, reindeer is a foodsource for the sustainable meat industry.
The Sami are nomadic, living alongside their herds. They follow herds as they migrate in autumn and spring so they can continually access the best grazing lands. They can travel over 400km (250 miles) in a single migration, over the course of many weeks.
Beyond the physical beauty, Smith’s photos capture the emotional connection between the Sami and the reindeer. We feel the heart and soul of each.
Smith, born in Wales, now based in London, is a self-taught documentary & portrait photographer.
Smith’s clients include prestigious publications and organizations such as Time, The Sunday Times, Marie-Claire, Tatler, Monocle, Oxfam, Save The Children, IRC, UNICEF, Sony and BBC Worldwide.
Read more about Beautiful Autumn in Celebrating Ideas & Images of Autumn Now, Keep Autumn Migrations Beautiful: Save Monarch Butterflies Now and 10 Most Beautiful Autumn Food Festivals Now.
And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.
IMAGE CREDITS:
All images by Abbie Trayler Smith. “Autumn Migration.” Arctic Norway.
