MOUNTAIN WOMAN OF SIBERIA & MEET THE HERMIT OF ALASKA

Photographer who gave up work to live in a wooden hut with no heating, running water or toilet in the mountains of Russia showcases her images of the nature that surrounds her home 

•  Svetlana Kazina was 29 when she quit her day job in the city and moved into a mountain hit with two children
•  Twenty years on they have grown up and returned to the city but she is enjoying her 'back to basics' life
•  Ms Kazina has taken stunning photographs of Russia's Altai Krai region, which she sells to fund her lifestyle

A Russian woman who moved to an unheated wooden hut in the mountains 20 years ago to hone her photography skills has finally released the images which are the culmination of her efforts - and they are stunning.

Twenty years ago fearless Svetlana Kazina quit her day job, moved out of the city with her two children and set up home in the mountains to concentrate on her hobby of taking pictures.

They moved to the mountain village of Uznezya in Russia's Altai Krai region, near the border with Kazakhstan, 20 years ago, into a wooden hut that was built almost seven decades ago and had no heating, no toilet or even running water. 

Ms Kazina, now 49, said she wanted to go 'back to basics' to fully embrace the beauty of a natural life. 

Her children have now grown up and returned to live in the city but she said she had no plans to follow them and enjoyed her solitary life with Mother Nature. 

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Svetlana Kazina used a time delay mechanism to take this stunning self-portrait of her gazing at the ice-capped mountains

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This is the tiny wooden hut that Ms Kazina moved to 20 years ago. It is unheated but has become home sweet home for her and she has decorated it with her own peach tree mural

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This extraordinary image would have been almost impossible in the icy, where light pollution has dispelled the darkness and made photographing stars difficult 

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Whereas in the city the seasons often pass you by, in the countryside summer, autumn, winter and spring (pictured) are vividly illustrated by nature's changing patterns 

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There are two and a half million people in the Altai Krai region but most of them live in the city of Barnaul and the countryside is largely empty, of humans that is 

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Ms Kazina (pictured, centre) moved to the countryside with her son (left) and daughter (right) but both have now returned to the city to pursue their careers 

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But Ms Kazina has animals, like this wild horse, to keep her company in the mountains

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There are wolves in the mountains thereabouts but so far they have shown no interest in the eccentric lady with a camera

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This picture shows a traditional yurt. In the past the nomadic peoples of Central Asia all lived in yurts, which can be easily pulled down and moved as they follow herds of animals to new grazing pastures

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The Altai Krai region is thousands of miles east of Moscow but is still not technically Siberia

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Ms Kazina has taken these fabulous images of the beautiful colours of the Russian countryside

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Winter in Russia is proper winter. Lakes and rivers freeze over and snow falls and stays for months

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Ms Kazina moved to the countryside to improve her photography skills and it has certainly paid off

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Russia is an enormous country and its vastness includes areas of great natural beauty, such as the Altai Krai (pictured)

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This image shows a low mist creeping over the hills near her home

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The Altai Krai might look idyllic but life is tough, especially in winter 

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Ms Kazina (pictured, left, with her pet cats) sells nature photographs for a living and also sells handicrafts, such as these 'voodoo dolls' (right) which are designed to help people, not hurt them

Meet the solitary hermit living on a remote Alaskan island surrounded by whales and bears

• Photographer Anze Osterman captured the life of Zach, a 27-year-old who moved to Alaska from Japan

• He lives with the only other inhabits of Marble Island, a family of oyster farmers who grow most of their food

• There are no roads or phone service here, but plenty of circling whales and roaming black bears 

It doesn't get much more off-the-grid than this, but it's exactly why one of its only residents chose to move there.Zach - a 27-year-old man born and raised in Japan - ventured to Marble Island in the far southern wilderness of Alaska six years ago in search of a simpler life, and certainly found it when he was taken in by a family of oyster farmers.Photographer Anze Osterman spent a month documenting Zach's life on an island so remote that he sometimes goes six months without seeing a single human outside of the family.  

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 Zach - a 27-year-old man born and raised in Japan - ventured to Marble Island in the far southern wilderness of Alaska six years ago in search of a simpler life. He is pictured here on a rock as he roams the region 

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Zach, pictured here exploring an abandoned loggers settlement nearby, was taken in by a family of oyster farmers who he lives and works with

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Photographer Anze Osterman spent a month documenting Zach's life on an island, as well as the breathtaking wildlife surrounding it. This sighting of an orca was particularly special for him Marble Island, surrounded by whales and populated with prowling bears, is only reachable by boat or float plane, and has no roads or phone service. The nearest town is Ketchikan, a two-hour flight away.Mr Osterman tells MailOnline Travel: 'Zach was the first person I saw when the float plane landed in a Tokeen cove, which is a part of Marble Island where he and the Wyatt family live.'He and his dog Kahli came to pick me up and take me to the land. We connected instantly. That very first day I knew Zach would be the face of the story I was searching for.'Zach lives in a cabin with a family of fisherman, Eric and his wife Cindy, who all work together on a floating oyster farm.

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Marble Island is so remote that Zach, pictured doing jobs around his cabin, sometimes goes six months without seeing a single human outside of the family

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The island, which is surrounded by whales and populated with prowling bears, is only reachable by boat or float planeEvery couple of months, Eric and Zach venture back to civilisation to stock up on gas for the generators, the only source of power they have, and food they can't grow or hunt.Most of their vegetables, however, grow in their garden and forest, and all their meat - deer, halibut and oysters - they hunt themselves.This water is sourced from a small creek, which they collect in a tank.   

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The island has no roads or phone service, and the nearest town is Ketchikan a two-hour flight away. Pictured is Zach on his boat with his dog Kahli

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He caught this rockfish one afternoon during a boat trip with Mr Osterman, and they later enjoyed it for dinner back at the cabin

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Mr Osterman tells MailOnline Travel: 'Zach was the first person I saw when the float plane landed in a Tokeen cove, which is a part of Marble Island where he and the Wyatt family live.' Pictured, an abandoned loggers camp on the island

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Zach saying goodbye to Cindy as he is dropped off for a long day of solitary work one early foggy morningBefore spending time on Marble Island, Mr Osterman confesses he was confounded as to why anyone would choose to live so far from society.That soon changed, he says.'You get the feeling, existing in a place with such a powerful history and untouched wilderness, that this is real life. Like you are not a fish in a tank anymore, you are free. 'All the anxiety just evaporates.' 

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Rocks like this present a big danger to Zach and his boat due to the fast-changing tides, which rise six feet in the evening

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Zach pictured taking care of the oysters, ensuring they grow correctly from their baby size all the way to selling size

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Every couple of months, Eric and Zach venture back to civilisation to stock up on gas for the generators, the only source of power they have, and for food they can't grow or hunt 

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Most of their vegetables, however, grow in their garden and forest, and all their meat - deer, halibut and oysters - they hunt themselves. Pictured, a roaming black bear

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The floating oyster farm, where Zach spends half of every day as the only worker

The sound of silence: A view over the Alaskan wilderness from a bush plane. Most of these small islands have never been touched by a human hand