Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Snowy Owl Photo Workshop in Canada

Introduction of Snowy Owl Photography Workshop




We promise you will be captivated by their mesmerizing yellow eyes and witness the stealth flight and the subsequent attack on the unsuspecting voles and rodents they feed upon. We will get you close enough so that you can shoot with lenses from a 70-200mm to fill the entire frame upon attack of their target, to as long as a 500mm telephoto to capture the acrobatic turns and wing action while in flight. 
This workshop is designed to give you great opportunities to photograph the owls on properties not accessible to the general public. We will take you to the private access locations far away from the local birders and photographers so that we are not disturbed, and we will assist you and your clients with winter exposure, compensation, metering, focus tracking and more.
Snowy owl photography is one of the most challenging conditions you may face, cold winds, blowing snow with a white subject, but we will make sure you are ready. 
Date: Arrive February 18, 2018 – Depart after 5 PM February 23, 2018
Cost of Workshop: $2995USD
Deposit: $1000 with balance due December 15, 2017
Instructors: Kevin Allen Pepper and Jeff Wendorff
Plan your arrival early afternoon on day one and we will meet at a predetermined location. Plan you departure after 5pm on the last day
Included: Shared accommodation for five nights and six days, breakfast at hotels each morning for attendees, Airport drop off via airporter or van.
Not Included: Items of personal nature, international airfare, travelers insurance, anything not listed as included. 

Itinerary

Day One (always a Sunday), If you fly into Toronto airport we will direct you to a shuttle service hat will take you to our hotel. Alternatively, we may pick you up directly.   
Tonight will go through numerous owl photos so that you can identify the photos you want to take.  
We will also discuss possible settings and potential hurdles you will face during our workshop when we are photographing the owls.  
Our goal for that session is to best prepare you for the next week of photography. 
Dinner is included on the first night. 
Day Two We will meet at 7am and head out for a day of shooting Snowy Owls at different farms. Our goal is to introduce you to snowy owls. We will also go and try to find the Barred Owl that we frequently see roaming around the hay barns on these properties. 
We will shoot in the morning, go and grab some lunch and discuss the morning activities.  
We will then prepare you for the afternoon with other birds, and if the morning birds were accommodating, spend more time with them, 
After our afternoon shooting we will head back to the hotel and open up our laptops and go through the images to help you edit and compose the images you took that day. 
Breakfast Included 
Day Three - We will meet at 7am and head out for a day of shooting Snowy Owls at different farms. Our goal is to introduce you to snowy owls. We will also go and try to find the Barred Owl that we frequently see roaming around the hay barns on these properties. 
We will shoot in the morning, go and grab some lunch and discuss the morning activities.  
We will then prepare you for the afternoon with other birds, and if the morning birds were accommodating, spend more time with them 
After our afternoon shooting we will head back to the hotel and open up our laptops and go through the images to help you edit and compose the images you took that day. 
Breakfast Included 
Day Four We will meet at 7am and, if they are in the area, head out for a day of shooting the different owls. 
We will shoot in the morning, go and grab some lunch and discuss the morning activities.  
We will then prepare you for the afternoon with other birds, and if the morning birds were accommodating, spend more time with them 
After our afternoon shooting we will head back to the hotel and open up our laptops and go through the images to help you edit and compose the images you took that day. 
Breakfast Included 
Day Five We will meet at 7am and head out to the location of the owls (if they are in their usual locations... if not, we have other owls we can visit in the area). 
We will shoot in the morning, go and grab some lunch and discuss the morning activities before we depart for our second location in the afternoon. 
Breakfast Included  
Day Six – departures to Toronto Airport will be scheduled and an airporter will come pick you up to take you to the airport in time for your flight home.  
Breakfast Included
If you are ready to come see the silent Ghost of the North? Click on this link to get your questions answered. http://www.kevinpepperphotography.com/new-page-1

Friday, May 26, 2017

A Photo Workshop to see the Quamirjuaq Caribou migration in Canada

Wildlife Photography Workshop in Canada


For months now I have been thinking about, visiting locations and investigating great animal migrations around the world... from butterflies and birds, to whales, to wildebeest in Tanzania to Musk Oxen and Caribou in Canada. 

I've talked to naturalists, looked at photos, discussed ideas with lodges and remote camps and researched different species in their environment... and todays blog is about one Migration in particular that I have been researching for awhile. It is of the largest Caribou migrations in North America, the 250,000 strong Quamirjuaq caribou herd.

For thousands of years this herd has migrated across the Barrens west of Hudson Bay. From late August onwards, throughout the autumn, the caribou are spread out over the tundra of south western Nunavut in one of the most remote places in the world that very few get to visit each year.  


And while I love photographing the Wildebeest Migration in Tanzania and Kenya... Let me paint a picture for you that just might excite you as much as it excited me... 

Take the Wildebeest herds that one would see in Tanzania and substitute them with migrating Caribou that have been following the same migratory path in Northern Canada for thousands of years.

The landscape isn't dry and dusty like it is in Tanzania, instead its autumn colours of the tundra – crimson reds, vibrant yellows and shimmering oranges as a backdrop to caribou with full racks that can, at times, walk within meters of you.

In Tanzania you have Cheetah, Leopards and Lions that prey on the wildebeest. In Canada's north its Arctic wolves, wolverines, foxes and bears that can be present in the tundra. 

Tanzania has its eagles and colourful birds, but in Canada's tundra its arctic swans, snow geese, bald eagles, hawks and falcons, Snowy owls, over twenty-five species of ducks and Rock and Willow Ptarmagen that gather and cackle in the bushes as the turn to winter plumage.


Then at the end of the day, when you're usually relaxing and talking with friends in Tanzania at your lodge or tented camp... well, in Canada we are all gathered around the campfire relaxing on our Muskoka chairs waiting the aurora to dance in the skies above the lake and the tundra. 

Join Marc Muench and Kevin Pepper on a journey to one of Canada's northern territories. Our destination, Nunavut. The first impression many visitors have of Nunavut is that of its vast expanses of pristine wilderness and exotic wildlife. Comprising most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, about one fifth of the total landmass of the nation, Nunavut is the size of Western Europe. It is the largest, yet least populated of all the provinces and territories in Canada, and one of the least densely populated places on the planet.

Together we will witness mothers with young Caribou calves along with males with their fully grown antlers, full of velvet.


This authentically Canadian experience is at the heart of Canada's Remote Wilderness - the Arctic Barrenlands - a three hour private flight charter from Yellowknife and 400km west of Hudson Bay to location that is so remote, the night skies have zero light pollution and the only paths we take are ones the migrating caribou have been following for thousands of years.

Caribou, wolves, grizzly bears, over twenty-five species of ducks and more are just some of the wildlife that call our tour destination home. 

This is an experience you will never forget. From local guides who know the traditional routes of the caribou, knowledgable staff on hand to give presentations on the animals and the flora and fauna, to shimmering northern lights in the evening, to the silence of the tundra broken by the hooves of caribou, this late summer/early autumn Arctic experience will surprise and delight at every step.

This uniquely Canadian adventure is unsurpassed at offering all the beauty and real wildlife Canada has to offer. 

If that wasn't enough, this is your opportunity to attend a workshop with one of the most talented photographers I know, Marc Muench.... well, and me too of course! ;-)

Marc is a internationally renowned landscape photographer with eleven book titles to his name, ESPN outdoor shows and numerous magazine, calendar and poster titles to his credit. Marc is a third generation landscape photographer following in the family tradition started by his grandfather Josef Muench and then his father David Muench.

His most recent exhibition was titled “Explorations” at the Wildling Art Museum in Los Olivos CA.

Marc has completed photography training videos with Creative live and Craftsy, on landscape photography in 2015... And in May of 2016 Marc was designated a Hasselblad Ambassador.
This trip offers the perfect isolated opportunity to learn from the best, at one of the best locations in the world for a photography workshop. 

To see the details, click on the link below. I hope to see you in Canada. 




Bird of Prey Photo Workshop



BALD EAGLE MIGRATION AND OTHER SPECIES OF BIRDS WORKSHOP

This photo workshop is centered on the largest bald eagle migration in North America. Between 2000 to 8000 bald eagles find their way to this area beginning in late October to feed on the spawning salmon. They then stay in the area until later in the winter months to have their young before returning to their summer area in Northern BC and the Yukon.

Your guide for this workshop will guide you to the best locations for photographing the eagles in the Fraser Valley that is surrounded by the Cascade Mountain range. This is the fifth year I have returned to the location to run these workshops.

We will also visit between peak eagle viewing time. We have seen the following species at these locations in previous years: Snowy Owl, Red Tailed Hawk, Pacific Loon, Red Throated loon, Grebe, Golden Eyes, Wood Ducks, Sandhill Cranes, Herons, Pintails, Belted Kingfisher, Short Eared Owls, Bard Owls, Barred Owls, Buffleheads, Mergansers, Egrets, Snow Geese, Mute Swans, Rough Legged Hawk, Canvas Back, Golden Eagles, Peregrine Falcon, Virginia Rail, Common Snipe and Great Horned Owl.

White trumpeter swans and snow geese also converge on the productive Harrison region every winter. These birds migrate to the Harrison Valley during the cold winter months, feeding mostly on corn left over from the fall harvest. Trumpeter swans and snow geese are often spotted swimming in the region’s many sloughs or feeding in the corn fields along the roads we drive on during the workshop.

Dates of Workshop: November 26 to December 1, 2017

The cost for the six day workshop is $2995USD (Until Feb 1, 2017 do not pay single supplement to get your own room)

To reserve a spot, a $500USD deposit per reservation. The final installment to be made 90 days prior to the start of the workshop.

Guides for these workshops: Jeff Wendorff and Kevin Pepper

The Maximum attendees per session are 5, the minimum attendees per session are 3.
The tour cost includes all the following: Shared accommodation at a local hotel along the beach. Personal hides to use during the workshop. A welcome meeting/dinner with your fellow photographers and your guides. All breakfasts, Instruction in the field with your photographer guides with a maximum of 3 photographers per guide, Image critique (optional)

The tour cost does not include: International or domestic airfare. Travel Insurance, Alcohol, Items of personal nature, Anything not outlined as included. We begin the tour with a welcome meeting in the afternoon of day one as we get to know everyone and discuss the plans for the coming days. For the next five days we will make frequent visits to the different viewing grounds. Once on site, your instructors will utilize their knowledge of the area and the eagles; then guide you to that perfect location for obtaining your “once in a lifetime” shot in the picturesque British Columbia scenery.

We can also head out to some of BC's pristine landscape and waterfall photography locations in the lower mainland of British Columbia.

The tour size is limited to six photographers so you can count on minimal interruption throughout your journey in British Columbia.

What you will learn: We will focus on planning for a successful bird of prey shoot... from clothing, to gear, to positioning and planning techniques.

When we are out photographing raptors we will discuss camera settings, holding your camera properly and what settings to consider using to maximize the number of shots that you consider a "keeper". We will also discuss bird habits to watch for to increase your success.

When we return to the hotel we will then open up our laptops and discuss editing techniques to achieve sharper images, composition from cropping and introduce you to some techniques we use to create more appealing images.

Day One Events - Pick Up attendees from the Vancouver airport or local area hotel at noon and taken south of Vancouver to photograph species such as Red Tailed Hawk, Pacific Loon, Red Throated loon, Grebe, Golden Eyes, Wood Ducks, Sandhill Cranes, Herons, Pintails, Belted Kingfisher, Short Eared Owls, Bard Owls, Barred Owls, Buffleheads, Mergansers, Egrets, Snow Geese, Mute Swans, Rough Legged Hawk, Canvas Back, Golden Eagles, Peregrine Falcon, Virginia Rail, Common Snipe and Great Horned Owl.

After our afternoon shooting we will check into our local hotel in Delta, BC and go have a group dinner to go over the rest of the weeks activities.

Day Two Events - Today we will be visiting all our scouted locations to photograph the same species as yesterday from 730am till 330pm.

We will depart this area after our day taking photos and check into our hotel near the bald eagle migration area in Mission, BC.

Night time editing session to look at your photos and help you make adjustments to capture better photos in the coming days

Day Three Events - Today we will be visiting all our scouted locations where the eagles traditionally hunt and rest. Expect to be out photographing eagles from 730am till 330pm.

Night time editing session to look at your photos and help you make adjustments to capture better photos.

Day Four Events - Today we will be visiting all our scouted locations where the eagles traditionally hunt and rest. Expect to be out photographing eagles from 730am till 330pm.

Night time editing session to look at your photos and help you make adjustments to capture better photos.

Day Five Events - Today we will be visiting all our scouted locations where the eagles traditionally hunt and rest. Expect to be out photographing eagles from 730am till 330pm.

Night time editing session to look at your photos and help you make adjustments to capture better photos.

Day Six Events - We will check out of our hotel and head back to an area south of Vancouver to look for owls that call this area home during the fall and winter season. After that we will take you to the airport. Please schedule your departures after 3pm and you will be transported to airport

If you are ready to see the largest Bald Eagle Migration in North America, and many other species of birds, or have some questions, please Click Here to contact me

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Tanzania photo safari

Do you have a passion for wildlife or landscape photography? Would you like to visit a location that has the best of both? Tanzania is that location.

I can personally attest that the animals, while compelling to photograph, are merely just a component to what is arguably one of the most photogenic locations I have ever visited in my guiding career. Nowhere on earth can you find all these apex predators that follow the worlds largest land migration. It has been happening since man has inhabited earth... the Wildebeest Migration. Or time spent together will visit the area where the migration is just after the calving season on the south east corner of the Serengeti. The time a year when all mothers are teaching their young how to survive. Predators teaching young to track prey. Prey teaching youngsters to avoid predators. All amidst stunning landscapes of the famous Ngorongoro and Serengeti.

Prepare to be amazed, prepare to be humbled. This is your chance to witness an area most people will only ever read about and watch on TV wishing they could go.

Dates of the workshop: April 1, 2018 to April 9, 2018
Instructors on the Workshop: Kevin Allen Pepper
Maximum number of attendees: 8 plus one instructor - max 4 people per vehicle (only two spots left now for this amazing experience)
Price of the workshop: $6497USD if paying by check or wire transfer...add 4.0% if paying by credit card or PayPal
Single Supplement Fee: $700 but not applicable at Dunia Camp
Deposit to secure your spot on the workshop: $1500USD and the balance due 90 days prior to your departure date

Not Included: travellers insurance, international airfare, items of personal nature, liquor and beer, visa fees, items not listed as included

Workshop Details:
Before we get into the workshop details... this is the perfect workshop to bring your spouse because I have set up the workshop to accommodate serious photographers and their non photographic spouse or guest.

I have reserved multiple safari vehicles, one for my guests that want to partake in the daily photographic safari, one vehicle for those that want to do mini safaris and spend time back at the resort, relaxing and pampering themselves.

Day One - You arrive in Arusha at Kilimanjaro International Airport and we get picked up by our guides and taken to River Trees Inn where we will spend the night. The inn is a charming country estate that was once an old coffee farm, and still retains the nostalgic air of a well-loved homestead. Sprawling ten acres of fertile greenery, the grounds are a natural extension of Mt Meru's sloping foothills, and offer a sanctuary for the birds and wildlife indigenous to the area.
Elegantly rustic cottages are dotted along the river and in thickets of tall trees, while lush lawns and birdsong make for a peaceful and picturesque setting. Set in the heart of an area rich in nature reserves, montane forests and vibrant village culture, the scope for exploration is endless.
Stay at River Trees Lodge

Day Two - After breakfast our safari journey begins by a trip to Lake Manyara National Park. Lake Manyara is the perfect location as a soft introduction to your safari.  The scenic beauty of this park certainly makes it worth a visit, but its the tree-climbing lions, elephants and thousands of flamingos that will make this quick safari worth the morning safari on our way to Ngorongoro crater.

After our safari we will head towards our accommodation for the next few nights. The Sopa Lodge on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. Facing the always magnificent sunsets to the west, and located at the highest point on Ngorongoro crater's entire rim, Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge stands well over half a kilometre above the crater floor and offers unparalleled views across this enormous caldera.

Themed around traditionally circular African houses with conical roofs, and decorated with examples of Africa's rich tapestry of artistic traditions by way of rich woodcarvings and sculptures, the lodge harmonizes perfectly with its dramatic surroundings. But the drama does not just stop with the great outdoors: it also flows through the split level interiors of the main building which all offer an unsurpassed generosity of space while somehow managing to combine an almost magically welcoming ambience of both warmth and cosiness.

Stay at Sopa Lodge at Ngorongoro Crater

Day Three - This morning you awake, eat a luxurious breakfast and then head down into the crater floor. Had it not become the world's sixth-largest unbroken caldera, then what is now known as the Ngorongoro crater could have been a towering volcanic mountain, as high as Kilimanjaro.

The crater is the flagship tourism feature for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It is a large, unbroken, un-flooded caldera, formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed some three million years ago. The Ngorongoro crater sinks to a depth of 610 metres, with a base area covering 260 square kilometres. The height of the original volcano must have ranged between 4,500 to 5,800 metres high. Apart from the main caldera, Ngorongoro also has two other volcanic craters: Olmoti and Empakai, the former famous for its stunning waterfalls, and the latter holding a deep lake and lush, green walls.

On the leeward of the Ngorongoro highlands protrudes the iconic Oldonyo Lengai, an active volcano and Tanzania's third highest peak after Kilimanjaro and Meru. Known to local people as the Mountain of God, Mount Lengai's last major eruption occurred in 2007. At the mountain's foot is Lake Natron, East Africa's major breeding ground for flamingoes.

Todays safari on the floor will allow you to see over 25,000 large animals including 26 black rhinoceros. There are 7,000 wildebeests, 4,000 zebras, 3,000 eland and 3,000 Grant's and Thomson's gazelles. The crater also has the densest known population of lions, numbering 62. Higher up, in the rainforests of the crater rim, are leopards, about 30 large elephants, mountain reedbuck and more than 4,000 buffalos, spotted hyenas, jackals, rare wild dogs, cheetahs, and other felines.

Stay at Sopa Lodge at Ngorongoro Crater

Day Four - Today we move from Ngorongoro and head towards the Serengeti. Our first visit will be the Olduvai Gorge archaeological site, widely regarded as the cradle of mankind and the most important prehistoric site in the world. It is at Olduvai where remains of Zinjanthropus, the world's first humans, were discovered by Dr Louis and Mary Leakey over 50 years ago. The earliest known specimens of the human genus, Homo-habilis, as well as early hominids such as Paranthropus boisei have also been found there. The Olduvai Gorge is a steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley, stretching along eastern Africa. The windswept Olduvai is about thirty miles long, lying within the rain shadow of the Ngorongoro highlands. The gorge is named after oldupaai, the Maasai word for the wild sisal plant.

Millions of years ago, the site comprised of a large lake, the shores of which were covered with successive deposits of volcanic ash. Some 500,000 years ago seismic forces diverted a nearby stream, which began to cut down into the sediments, revealing the seven main layers in the walls of the gorge. Based on fossil evidence found at the Olduvai Gorge, it is believed that various hominid species have been occupying the crater continuously for the past three million years of Ngorongoro's existence. Native hunter and gatherers who initially lived in the vicinity were replaced by pastoralists a few thousand years ago.

After your visit to the cradle of life, we head on to visit a Massai tribe in their village. The masaii are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known local populations due to their residence near the many game parks of the African Great Lakes, and their distinctive customs and dress. Our visit will allow you to photograph the tribe in their village. My last visit we photographed young adults throwing spears, school kids at school and different people from the tribe going about their daily lives.
We will even let you partake in Adumu, the traditional Masai jumping dance. For the performance of Adumu, Masai men form a circle, one of them enters inside it and they jump. As high as possible, as smooth as possible, as elegant as possible. Their bodies should stay a narrow pose and their feet should not touch the ground. The higher the jump is, stronger the guy is and, by all means, more of respect, admiration and desire he gets from women. So, obviously, Masai jumping dance dance is also a competitive dance. The highest jump can even be 80 centimeters high! Adumu literally means to jump and down in a dance.

From our time with the Masai we head towards the Serengeti. The wildebeest come here during the rains, December through May. They calve on the plains in February, they gallop through the woodlands, they swim across the lake. This is the time of year when the resident animals converge around Ndutu's waterholes and marshes - elephants, giraffes, impalas, every kind of cat, a profusion of birds.. no matter the season, there's always lots to see
For the next two nights we are staying at one of my favourite lodges, Ndutu. Ndutu Safari Lodge is situated in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the southern Serengeti eco-system. The Lodge nestles unobtrusively under a canopy of giant acacias with views towards Lake Ndutu. The lodge offers a superb base in which to explore the range of habitats that lie within easy reach. Swamps, woodland, soda lakes and the world famous Serengeti short grass plains make Ndutu Safari Lodge one of the best places to watch wildlife.

Ndutu Safari Lodge consists of 34 stone cottages that extend from the central, open-sided bar, lounge and dining room. Each room has its own verandah that faces Lake Ndutu. All rooms have en-suite facilities. The cottages are made from local materials and offer comfortable accommodation.

Stay at Ndutu Lodge

Day Five - This is what you're come to Tanzania looking for ... Shaded by majestic acacia trees, the are of Ndutu Safari Lodge offers peace and tranquillity away from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Together we will spend some time together on safari, relax and unwind. Relax to the rhythm of an African day as a myriad of bird calls herald the rising sun. Enjoy our resident wildlife, go for a game drive and explore the range of habitats that lie within easy reach... but it will be the wildebeest that we will be after.

In the evening, sip a cool drink at the bar followed by a four course dinner.
Don't expect five stars at Ndutu; but from the campfire you will see millions.
Stay at Ndutu Lodge

Day Six to Day Eight - Tucked in the Moru Kopjes in the southern Serengeti, this secluded camp offers impressive game viewing and dazzling sunrises

A short drive from the Naabi Hill gate in the southern Serengeti, Dunia Tented Camp is perfectly placed to explore the southern stretches of the National Park. The Ndutu area, Moru Kopjes, southern plains and Central Serengeti valley are all easily reachable, but the secluded setting of the camp means you escape the high season crowds and discover an area of the park that others rarely touch upon. The location is second to none and boasts bush views that stretch out endlessly from your tent door, to reveal some of the Serengeti's most breathtaking vistas.

Pitched on a major wildebeest migration corridor in the Central Serengeti, Dunia Camp offers easy access to the scenic Moru Kopjes and superb sightings of the big cats, leopard and rhino that roam the forests on the fringes of the Seronera River.

Dunia is a tranquil semi-permanent camp with just eight spacious tented suites, each with expansive views of the pristine wilderness and game-filled plains from a large private veranda. Attention to every detail is balanced by a graceful simplicity in harmony with the serene location. Enjoy an exclusive Serengeti safari with superb sightings of resident game and migration viewing twice a year, and round it all off with a sunrise hot-air balloon flight.

Stay at Dunia Camp

Day Nine - All good things must come to an end and today we start our journey home. Today we travel from our lodge to the regional airstrip and take a regional flight back to Kilimanjaro International Airport. For those that need, we rented some day rooms at the KIA lodge right by the airport. You can stop by the lodge, shower and relax inside the Lodge and get taken to the airport when you need to prepare for your flight home... or your personal extension to the beaches of Zanzibar. If that extension is something you would be interested in, please ask and my friend, Mefi, the woman that owns my preferred African tour company would be happy to facilitate for you.

Safari Extension - I also have a safari extension. I will be doing a three extension to Cat Central... For those that stay for the extension we start on day nine after we drop people off at the regional airport. From Dunia we drive to Namiri Plains. An area known as cat central. We remain in the Namiri Plains for nights of the 9th, 10th and 11th. On day 12 we will take a regional flight back to Arusha. If there is a long wait for your flights home, we have day rooms set aside for you at the KIA Lodge by the airport.. (all transfers arranged). B
Contact me if you have any question. Click here http://www.kevinpepperphotography.com/contact-me/

Friday, May 19, 2017

Photography Workshop in China

photo courtesy of Ed Cooley


China Photo Workshop

Join Andy Williams and Kevin Pepper in China for amazing landscapes and cultural photography on this 14 day China photography workshop. We've crafted our itinerary to capture some of the very best of China, and made our group size small and manageable, only eight guests and two pros! From the big city to the small towns, from the Great Wall to the Yellow Mountains, we'll arrange for incredible photographic opportunities each and every day. Accommodations are in 4-star lodgings, and we will have our own private ground transportation while we're on the road. We'll cover a lot of ground over 14 days, from Beijing to Huangshan to Hangzhou to Xian to Guilin and finally ending in Shanghai. Included are four domestic flights to move us around this large country! Everything is all-inclusive—all lodging, meals, transportation, photographic guiding and instruction and our English-speaking tour guide.
Ready for an exclusive and amazing adventure in the Far East, with a very small group of photographers? Read on and then click the Sign Me Up button to join us!
Number of Attendees on this trip: 8 participants
Instructors: Andy Williams and Kevin Pepper

What’s Included

  • All meals and transportation during the workshop
  • Internal flights in China
  • Photographic guiding and instruction from Andy adn Kevin
  • English speaking guide
  • Fun, inspiration and a great time!

What’s Not Included?

International air travel to Beijing and from Shanghai. Travel Medical and Trip Cancellation Insurance. Passport and visa fees, if any. Alcoholic beverages and any items of a personal nature. Anything not specifically listed as included.

Itinerary

(This itinerary is meant as a general guide, and it can change based on weather, local conditions, and decisions made by your leaders).
May 17, 2018:  Arrivals at Beijing Capital Airport. We will transfer you to our Beijing city center hotel, and we will meet in hotel lobby at 5:00 pm for introductions and then we will head out for a group welcome dinner.
May 18, 2018:  In the morning, we visit the Temple of Heaven, an imperial sacrificial altar built during the Ming dynasty. The highlight is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. Built without a single nail, the Hall is where emperors once prayed for a good harvest, making offerings of grain, silk and animals. 
In the afternoon, we photograph around Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world and the symbolic center for all of China. At the south end of the Square is the late Chairman Mao's mausoleum, on the east side is the Museum of Chinese Revolution and History, and to the west is the Great Hall of the People. We will then visit and photograph the magnificent Forbidden City, directly north of the Square. Forbidden City was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties for five hundreds years, twenty-four emperors have lived here. We will have an opportunity for a city-wide panorama photo from Jingshan Park.
May 19, 2018: We visit the Summer Palace, a summer retreat built by the Qing emperors. The Empress Dowager Cixi rebuilt the park in 1873. Amongst the additions is the infamous marble boat, permanently located on the bank of Kunming Lake. Other attractions of note include the Hall of Jade Ripples, where Cixi confined the legal heir to the throne during her reign; the Long Corridor, a 700m long corridor lined by individually painted red columns; and the Pavilion of the Fragrance of Buddha, from where there are sweeping views of the Palace, the Lake and beyond. Afterwards, we will have lunch at a photogenic imperial style restaurant with Qing Dynasty Traditional Costume by the Summer Palace.

After lunch, we will drive to a part of The Great Wall at Jinshanling. More than 2,500 years old, the Chinese built this impressive fortification to protect their civilization from the unruly northern tribes. We will have a sunset and a sunrise photo shoot here at the Great Wall.
May 20, 2018: After sunrise photo shoot at The Great Wall, we drive Beijing Capital Airport to fly to Huangshan in the late afternoon.
Huangshan, which means Yellow Mountain, has been a well-known destination for scholars, poets and the occasional recluse, all seeking personal inspiration and enlightenment – when you visit you will easily appreciate why. Situated in the southern portion of the agriculturally rich Anhui Province and bordering Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces, the picturesque Yellow Mountains have long been described as “awesome,” “a wonderland” and “Heaven on Earth.” The formation of the remarkable peaks and breathtakingly sharp precipices has been attributed to the many thousands of years of geological activity on the imposing granite mountains, creating the astounding natural wonder visible today. 
May 21, 2018:  After breakfast, we'll drive to Hongcun, a UNESCO World Heritage Site housing typical South Anhui architecture (one of the most photogenic villages in China). The town is built along the banks of Nan Lake -- a fine place for photographs of its traditional architecture. After lunch, we then drive to reach the foothills of Huangshan. We photograph the tea plantation en route. We will ascend the eastern side of Huangshan by cable car, and then walk on well-paved stairs and photograph Beginning-to-Believe Peak en route to our hotel and check in. We will stay at the hotel on top of the Yellow Mountains.
May 22-23, 2018:  Early morning, we walk 20 minutes on well-paved stairs to Stone Monkey Watching Over the Sea for sunrise. Afterwards, we walk 25 minutes on well-paved stairs to Beginning-to-Believe Peak for morning side light shooting. We then have breakfast and some downtime. In the afternoon, we walk 30 minutes on well-paved stairs to Cloud Disappearing Pavilion for sunset.
May 24, 2018: After morning photo shoot and breakfast, we descend the mountain by cable car, and drive to Hangzhou, and fly from Hangzhou to Xi’an. Xi’an, has over 3,000 years of recorded history and was the capital of 12 dynasties, though it has been known as various names, most notably as Chang’an. It was also the starting point of the Silk Road, where camels were loaded for their long and perilous journey to Central Asia. Xi’an has recently become an important center for the central government’s drive to develop western China. 
May 25, 2018: In the morning, we visit and photograph the Terracotta Army, created to guard the tomb of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor to unite China. One of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries of all times, the Terracotta Army is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will have plenty of time to photograph and admire this vast array of soldiers.  
After lunch at a local Muslim restaurant, we enter the Great Mosque before the local Muslim praying time. We then walk around the Muslim quarter, where we find a way of life that derives as much from the ancient cultures of Central Asia as it does from China. For over 1,300 years, Muslims have been an integral part of the colorful daily life of Xi'an. Afterwards, we drive back to our hotel to walk around and photograph the art gallery area nearby.
May 26, 2018:  Today, we fly to Guilin. One of the photographic highlights will be a panoramic view of the Karst Mountains. 
May 27, 2018: This morning, we will take a private boat ride down the Li River, which is considered by many as one of the most beautiful rivers in China. Cruising along the river, you may feel as though you are idling along a corridor of landscape paintings of limestone pinnacles set against terraced rice fields and picturesque villages. 
We start today early, before dawn, we get to the spot to photograph a beautiful sunrise. Here we will have an opportunity to photograph the famous cormorant fisherman, in traditional dress, with gas lamp and bamboo raft.
After sunrise shooting, we visit Xingping, an ancient town near Yangshuo. As we sit on the deck of the boat, it will seem as if we are viewing one scroll painting after another. This is territory that has inspired Chinese artists of all sorts for thousands of years. We will have our prepared breakfast at a little restaurant and walk around Xingping Town. Over thousands of years, Xingping remains its Ming (1368-1644 AD) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) style old architectures and the original town layout. At the dock, you can get a picture for the immortal scenery that can be seen on the back of the Chinese RMB 20 notes. 
As we drive from Xingping to Yangshuo, we will stop at Fuli Fishing Town for the photogenic local market. On this road, we can see all kinds of orchards and fields: sugarcane, rice, mandarin orange, grapefruit, orange, mango, etc. And you can photograph en route. In the late afternoon, we photograph the sunset at Putao, one of the best remaining spots for a nice picture of water and the Karst Mountains.
May 28, 2018: At sunrise, we have another photo session with the cormorant fishermen. We photograph sunset on top of another mountain (20-30 minutes walk up) for panoramic pictures over the Karst Mountain.
May 29, 2018: We photograph sunrise at a bridge near Yangshuo. After breakfast, we fly back to Shanghai. We will photograph a Shanghai landmark – the Bund, at twilight and evening. We’ll have a final dinner and celebration of an amazing two week photographic journey in China.
May 30, 2018: Flights home or elsewhere any time this day.
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