May 18, 2021

Baikal by Birds Eye


Baikal by Birds Eye
Seeing a frozen Lake Baikal is on almost every Russophile's travel list— and now with this video's help, you almost can.  Photo by Ekaterina Sazonova via unsplash.com

While manufacturers generally don't recommend you fly your drone at temperatures below freezing, that didn't stop videographer Vadim Sherbakov from shooting this amazing film depicting a frozen Lake Baikal. 

 

 

The short film is titled The Noor, which means "lake" in Buryat (the language of the native people who inhabit the region around Lake Baikal).

Every picture of Lake Baikal ever taken is breathtakingly gorgeous; it comes with the territory of the location. What makes this film unique is the high altitude camera angles and Sherbakov's expert command of the drone.

Another interesting quality of the film is the somber tone Sherbakov captured in his video editing. As he writes in the YouTube caption for the movie, he wanted to create a different experience in this video, specifically one that counters the cheerful, touristy vibe of most Baikal vacation videos. He wanted to help the viewer imagine what it might be like to be a lone traveler, or a person who has survived in the terrain for years. 

It wasn't only the well-below freezing temperatures that gave Sherbakov trouble during filming, but also the heavy winds (the drone he is flying should not be flown in winds over 10 mph). Occasionally, he admitted, he would set the drone down on the ice, walk away, only to find that it had started to blow away before it could take off.

But the beauty of the project is so worth the troubles. Sherbakov's other works, including one featuring Moscow are also well worth a watch. 

You Might Also Like

Saving Baikal
  • September 01, 2004

Saving Baikal

You would think it would be easy being the deepest, cleanest, most ecologically diverse lake in the world. But Baikal has had a rough go of it this past century. We report on how a handful of non-profits is working to reverse civilization's assault.
The Blue Pearl of Siberia
  • May 01, 1997

The Blue Pearl of Siberia

There is no place on earth to compare with Lake Baikal. Explore its shores in this, the third installment in the Westcott's saga about their drive across Russia.
Baikal and Irkutsk a Century Ago
  • January 01, 2011

Baikal and Irkutsk a Century Ago

An excerpt from George Kennan's famous diary of his travels across Siberia, Tent Life in Siberia, in which he finds out he is not so fluent in Russian as he thought he was.
Descendants of the Swan
  • November 01, 2003

Descendants of the Swan

In the remote, open landd southeast of Lake Baikal, beyond typical tourist itineraries, where Genghis Khan once roamed, live most of Russia's 370,000 Buryats. We decided to pay them a visit.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955