My name is Bilguun Narmandakh, but within my community, I am better known as Hiroshi. I am a 26-year old full-time photographer based in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Shortly after I was born, my parents temporarily moved to Russia to pursue higher education, and as a result, I was left with my grandparents in Gobi Altai, a province of Mongolia. As a child, I grew up in the country, surrounded by nature. My grandpa had a career advancement opportunity in the Arkhangai province, so we relocated there not long afterwards, and that is where I spent most of my childhood.
Ever since I was a kid, I always envisioned myself being involved with the arts in one way or another. It almost felt like there was nothing else I could or would rather do. Visual mediums attracted me greatly, and when I got my first DSLR in 2009, it sparked my interest in photography. That is also when I moved to Singapore to earn my Bachelor of Science in business. Upon my arrival there, I had this natural urge to document my new surroundings. However, as far as education goes, I did not take photography seriously until I discovered the photography hosting website, Flickr.
Thinking back to this time when I was completely getting absorbed into the medium, there was a big wave of conceptual photographers on Flickr. So many were playing around with colors in post-production to create that “vintage” film mood. Rather than the technicality of the camera or equipment, I was more interested in the feel and mood of photography. “Why does this tone make me feel this way? How can I make the emotions stronger?” The technical aspect is more important when you already have a set of ideas for a project and are trying to figure out the best way to execute them. That is when the project forces you to learn new techniques to implement your ideas the best. However, I did not follow any rules or guidelines. All I cared about was the mood; how the photograph feels. This is how I picked up my style and put feelings as my top priority.
Regardless of the style a photographer identifies with, I believe creativity should be placed on the forefront of any artistic project. As a photographer, we sometimes might doubt ourselves. As human beings, we constantly doubt ourselves. This quality of ours can pile up worries in our heads and starts to create trouble. Being creative helps us free our minds. When we are creating, and letting our minds roam free, we finally move away from all worries and troubling thoughts.
Everyone is unique. Everyone has a dream. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to chase after their dream and turn it into a reality. I think the most important thing is to believe in yourself. You must convince yourself that you are unique and nobody else can do this except you. Once you embrace that, no challenges will seem greater than you are. – GM
Photographer Hiroshi as photographed by his wife, Anoudari Ganzorig.
Hiroshi’s work has been published in Vogue Magazine and he is a photographer for Mongolian fashion house, House of Od.
For more about Hiroshi, visit his instagram @blguneehiroshi
@ Bilguun Narmandakh (Hiroshi).
@ Bilguun Narmandakh (Hiroshi).
@ Bilguun Narmandakh (Hiroshi).