Biography:
Nick St.Oegger is a documentary photographer and National Geographic Explorer based between Belfast, Northern Ireland and Tirana, Albania. His photography explores the close relationship between people and the environment. Working throughout...
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I'm really excited that my project The Lament of the Mountains has been shortlisted for the Belfast Photo Festival 2023! This project follows the Malësorë highlanders in the far north of Albania, some of Europe's pastoralist shepherds, who migrate with their herds between high alpine pastures in the summer and low valleys in the winter months. This practice, known as transhumance, is a highly sustainable and adaptable form of farming that has been practiced for centuries, but is quickly dying out as depopulation, climate change, and construction of hydropower dams alter the dynamics and environment of the remote Kelmend Valley. This was a very personal project for me, where I completely immersed myself in the lives of these shepherds and their families, and I'm honoured to have this work highlighted on an international level.