In the Currents of the Steppes - Nuomin He, the Flying Mongolian Photographer Countries -People –Adventures

A film by Frank Sieren
45 minute documentary
First broadcast: 19.02.2012 on SWR
The fuselage of his aircraft reminds you of a bathtub and the wings are covered with canvas. His pilot’s helmet is decorated with a red star. Nuomin He is a flying landscape photographer. He steers the ultra-light aircraft with the left, and with his other hand he operates his Hasselblad camera. For many years he was a successful businessman, until one day he asked himself “What do I really want?” The answer was: flying and taking pictures. He started to live his dream.
Meanwhile, throughout the world he is the only professional aerial photographer who always sits behind the joystick himself in order to take his pictures. Every summer he flies over the never-ending expanses of Inner Mongolia in northern China. His impressive photos feature meandering rivers, as well as rolling and green shimmering grasslands. The landscape of Inner Mongolia is filled with natural wonders, but it is changing dramatically. During his stopovers Nuomin He learns about the hardships and the hopes of his fellow countrymen. The economic boom has left drag marks in the previously untouched landscape. Every day they experience the contradiction between Mongolian traditions and the Chinese economic miracle.