Millions of stars over Altai

Says Anton Petrus: "Millions, billions of little white lights in the inky sky. Sometimes it seems that these are the eyes of unknown creatures that look down on us and evaluate our actions. On such a starry night, you realize that all the mysticism, myths and legends of our ancestors were born at such moments. It's as if you are throwing off the burden of civilization, and the heart is overwhelmed by a primal feeling — admiration, fear, surprise.

In Altai, the starry sky seems to be getting closer. It seems that you can touch it with your hands, and shooting stars can significantly hit your head. Night shooting is a time of fantasies and experiments. Probably my most favorite scenes were shot well after midnight."

All photos in the post were taken on Canon 5D Mark II, Tokina 16-28, f2.8, ISO 3200-4000.

This is the Katun River, a landmark for Altai. The village of Tyungur. We arrived in the village late at night, terribly sleepy. But when I saw the sky above my head, I forgot about everything.

The same Katun, but an hour after the start of shooting. The moon has not yet risen, but its light has already scattered across the sky, illuminating the clouds.

The first night we went down to the shore of Akkema, a couple of kilometers through cold dew — and we are at a fast stream. Even at night you can see what white water this river has.

Waist-deep in dew, we made our way along the riverbank until we found a beautiful place with a bridge. It was terribly cold, only a flask of cognac saved.

The next night is on the way to Belukha. In fact, it is already visible: follow the river with your eyes, small white rocks on the horizon — this is exactly the highest point of Altai — Belukha.

Akkem River again, surrounded by dark slopes.

Lonely larches.

In Altai, the stars are so clearly visible that their light is enough to calmly walk along the trail. In the photo, Lake Akkem, a piece of ice in the center — the famous Beluga.

The Valley of Seven Lakes is one of the most beautiful places in the area of Mount Belukha. In the photo, the mountain with the Ak-Oyuk glacier of the same name.

This photo was shot very fun. I put a tripod in the bushes to capture as much of the sky as possible. In the photo, a campfire burning down after dinner in our parking lot. I started shooting — and the fire was very overexposed and glittered. I had to wait for some time for him to calm down. But it turned out that it was almost extinguished and no longer gave such light to the larches. My partner had to run and fan the fire.

The most starry nights are in Altai! A huge dome dotted with billions of stars, galaxies, quasars, dust clouds. It's an amazing sight! But it becomes a hundred times stronger when you try to imagine what is hidden behind a small glowing dot in the sky. Maybe it's a red giant, thousands of times bigger than our Sun. Or maybe there is a planet spinning near this star, on which life may have originated.

That's it, we say goodbye to the Beluga and move on. A fun overnight on A stone hut. An evening dedicated to collecting snow for tea. Well, the fruitless search for firewood in the alpine meadows area. One of the coolest places on the whole track.

And here is the stone hut itself, which gave the name to the parking lot. Presumably — an old shepherds' camp, built of stones.

This parking lot is known and attractive for its sharp rocky outcrops. It seems that just one look at them and you'll cut yourself.

The most beautiful night of the hike on the bank of the wildly beautiful Kucherla river. Turquoise water, golden trees. And at night everything is transformed. My favorite tree is the crooked cedar. At some point, the flashlight illuminated two eyes on the other bank. Wolverine was identified by the silhouette.

And this is the symbol of Lake Teletskoye — the Poklonnaya pine. For me, it is the most picturesque part of the coast. Many people know it under the name Drunken Pine, but to me it seems terribly disrespectful to a tree that has been fighting for life for many years, clinging to the shore with its roots.

Many meanings can be found in this tree. Either it is rooted in the shore, but it is tearing into the water, or it is holding on with the last of its strength. You can draw many parallels with any person. He, like this pine tree, is struggling with his roots for his life, conventions, duties. But he is eager to dream.

Night. A strange time filled with rustling leaves, howling wind in the branches or, conversely, wild, ringing silence. The time when the world loses its colors, sharp corners are smoothed out, all the details disappear, only the most important remains. I feel terribly sorry for people who don't get out of their concrete boxes and don't see the Stars.