Magic mountain: photographer Alexander Kuzmichev searches for peak perfection

St Petersburg-based photographer Alexander Kuzmichev specialises in extreme winter sports and motor racing imagery. For the Mountains series published here, however, he went in search of something more contemplative than his usual action shoots. Across a two-year period, the photographer journeyed among Russia's high peaks — a quest that took him from the Khibiny mountains in the Murmansk region, to the north west of the Greater Caucasus range and to the rocky landscapes of Karelia. "I was inspired by the cleanliness and masculinity of the mountains," says Kuzmichev. "While 2,000 metres above sea level I had a feeling of deep respect for nature and I was also thinking about my limitless love for the people I’m close to."