Go inside one of Russia's herding farms that is overrun by real-life reindeer

REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

A herder and his reindeer stop for a rest.

When most people think of reindeer, they think of the flying, magical, occasionally red-nosed creatures who pull Santa's mythical sleigh.

But in Russia's remote arctic regions, reindeer are a very real part of day-to-day life. For centuries, Russian reindeer herders have been making a living by raising the animals as a food source.

Photographer Sergei Karpukhin traveled to the country's Nenets Autonomous District to get an up-close look at the herders' lives. Here's what it's like to work in one of the world's most beautiful, remote, and punishingly cold places.