We All Want to be Art Wolfe

We All Want to be Art Wolfe
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

Art took us down to the Li River this evening to shoot the cormorant
fishermen. This is not the same place that he shot his iconic photograph
several years ago as that location (formerly an isolated sand bar) is now a
built-up marina used to ferry tourists on river rides. This place is
changing fast. We found a location a few miles away and paid a couple of
fishermen to pose for us. During the 30 minutes or so of good low light, we
managed to get several shots that we are happy with. I did not try to
recreate Art's shot as that would require getting flat on the sand with the
camera at ground level. Water buffalo use that beach to drink. and other
things.

We All Want to be Art Wolfe

We All Want to be Art Wolfe
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

Art took us down to the Li River this evening to shoot the cormorant
fishermen. This is not the same place that he shot his iconic photograph
several years ago as that location (formerly an isolated sand bar) is now a
built-up marina used to ferry tourists on river rides. This place is
changing fast. We found a location a few miles away and paid a couple of
fishermen to pose for us. During the 30 minutes or so of good low light, we
managed to get several shots that we are happy with. I did not try to
recreate Art's shot as that would require getting flat on the sand with the
camera at ground level. Water buffalo use that beach to drink. and other
things.

We All Want to be Art Wolfe

We All Want to be Art Wolfe
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

Art took us down to the Li River this evening to shoot the cormorant
fishermen. This is not the same place that he shot his iconic photograph
several years ago as that location (formerly an isolated sand bar) is now a
built-up marina used to ferry tourists on river rides. This place is
changing fast. We found a location a few miles away and paid a couple of
fishermen to pose for us. During the 30 minutes or so of good low light, we
managed to get several shots that we are happy with. I did not try to
recreate Art's shot as that would require getting flat on the sand with the
camera at ground level. Water buffalo use that beach to drink. and other
things.

We All Want to be Art Wolfe

We All Want to be Art Wolfe
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

Art took us down to the Li River this evening to shoot the cormorant
fishermen. This is not the same place that he shot his iconic photograph
several years ago as that location (formerly an isolated sand bar) is now a
built-up marina used to ferry tourists on river rides. This place is
changing fast. We found a location a few miles away and paid a couple of
fishermen to pose for us. During the 30 minutes or so of good low light, we
managed to get several shots that we are happy with. I did not try to
recreate Art's shot as that would require getting flat on the sand with the
camera at ground level. Water buffalo use that beach to drink. and other
things.

More Yuan Yang Markets

More Yuan Yang Markets
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

It's raining here in Guilin - or more accurately Yang Shuo about 20 miles
down the Li River from Guilin - so today was a bit light on shooting.
Meanwhile, here are some photos taken in the markets of Yuan Yang. The
woman in the green hat is Hani, and the woman at the meat table is Zyi. Now
you know the difference.

Tomorrow, we are going to walk the banks of the Floating Lotus River, and
then photograph the cormorant fishermen at dusk. I think we are all going
to try to recreate Art's famous photograph on that subject. This may be the
last opportunity for us, or anyone to try this as the traditional fisherman
have all but disappeared from the rivers here. The area is rapidly
modernizing and the old ways of fishing no longer make economic sense - even
with the tourist interest.

More Yuan Yang Markets

More Yuan Yang Markets
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

It's raining here in Guilin - or more accurately Yang Shuo about 20 miles
down the Li River from Guilin - so today was a bit light on shooting.
Meanwhile, here are some photos taken in the markets of Yuan Yang. The
woman in the green hat is Hani, and the woman at the meat table is Zyi. Now
you know the difference.

Tomorrow, we are going to walk the banks of the Floating Lotus River, and
then photograph the cormorant fishermen at dusk. I think we are all going
to try to recreate Art's famous photograph on that subject. This may be the
last opportunity for us, or anyone to try this as the traditional fisherman
have all but disappeared from the rivers here. The area is rapidly
modernizing and the old ways of fishing no longer make economic sense - even
with the tourist interest.

More Yuan Yang Markets

More Yuan Yang Markets
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

It's raining here in Guilin - or more accurately Yang Shuo about 20 miles
down the Li River from Guilin - so today was a bit light on shooting.
Meanwhile, here are some photos taken in the markets of Yuan Yang. The
woman in the green hat is Hani, and the woman at the meat table is Zyi. Now
you know the difference.

Tomorrow, we are going to walk the banks of the Floating Lotus River, and
then photograph the cormorant fishermen at dusk. I think we are all going
to try to recreate Art's famous photograph on that subject. This may be the
last opportunity for us, or anyone to try this as the traditional fisherman
have all but disappeared from the rivers here. The area is rapidly
modernizing and the old ways of fishing no longer make economic sense - even
with the tourist interest.

More Yuan Yang Markets

More Yuan Yang Markets
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

It's raining here in Guilin - or more accurately Yang Shuo about 20 miles
down the Li River from Guilin - so today was a bit light on shooting.
Meanwhile, here are some photos taken in the markets of Yuan Yang. The
woman in the green hat is Hani, and the woman at the meat table is Zyi. Now
you know the difference.

Tomorrow, we are going to walk the banks of the Floating Lotus River, and
then photograph the cormorant fishermen at dusk. I think we are all going
to try to recreate Art's famous photograph on that subject. This may be the
last opportunity for us, or anyone to try this as the traditional fisherman
have all but disappeared from the rivers here. The area is rapidly
modernizing and the old ways of fishing no longer make economic sense - even
with the tourist interest.

More Yuan Yang Markets

More Yuan Yang Markets
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

It's raining here in Guilin - or more accurately Yang Shuo about 20 miles
down the Li River from Guilin - so today was a bit light on shooting.
Meanwhile, here are some photos taken in the markets of Yuan Yang. The
woman in the green hat is Hani, and the woman at the meat table is Zyi. Now
you know the difference.

Tomorrow, we are going to walk the banks of the Floating Lotus River, and
then photograph the cormorant fishermen at dusk. I think we are all going
to try to recreate Art's famous photograph on that subject. This may be the
last opportunity for us, or anyone to try this as the traditional fisherman
have all but disappeared from the rivers here. The area is rapidly
modernizing and the old ways of fishing no longer make economic sense - even
with the tourist interest.

The Rice Terraces of Yuan Yang

The Rice Terraces of Yuan Yang
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

Our flight from Kunming to Guilin was delayed six hours. I am finally here,
but it is 3:00 in the morning and we are leaving at nine. Too tired to
post. The short story is that these rice terraces have been continuously
cultivated for 1,300 years by the Hani and Zyi tribes people. More
tomorrow. Look at the pictures.

The Rice Terraces of Yuan Yang

The Rice Terraces of Yuan Yang
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

Our flight from Kunming to Guilin was delayed six hours. I am finally here,
but it is 3:00 in the morning and we are leaving at nine. Too tired to
post. The short story is that these rice terraces have been continuously
cultivated for 1,300 years by the Hani and Zyi tribes people. More
tomorrow. Look at the pictures.

The Rice Terraces of Yuan Yang

The Rice Terraces of Yuan Yang
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

Our flight from Kunming to Guilin was delayed six hours. I am finally here,
but it is 3:00 in the morning and we are leaving at nine. Too tired to
post. The short story is that these rice terraces have been continuously
cultivated for 1,300 years by the Hani and Zyi tribes people. More
tomorrow. Look at the pictures.

The Rice Terraces of Yuan Yang

The Rice Terraces of Yuan Yang
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

Our flight from Kunming to Guilin was delayed six hours. I am finally here,
but it is 3:00 in the morning and we are leaving at nine. Too tired to
post. The short story is that these rice terraces have been continuously
cultivated for 1,300 years by the Hani and Zyi tribes people. More
tomorrow. Look at the pictures.

A Brief Stop in Mongolia

A Brief Stop in Mongolia
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

On Wednesday, we took the six hour drive (it took 10 hours) from the City of
Kunming to the hill tribe area of Yuan Yang in the southern mountains near
the border of Viet Nam. Along the way, we stopped for lunch near a small
Mongolian village called Xing Meng. Why there is a Mongolian village in
southern China is a long story. Sufficed it to say, that they have been
here for 900 years. This provided us with our first opportunity to shoot in
a rural village, so we descended upon it like an invading horde. sorry, I
couldn't help myself. The images here are from that village. I have no
idea what game the men are playing here, but it involved a lot of shouting
and the exchange of money.

Over the next two days we will be shooting the rice terraces and villages of
Yuan Yang.

A Brief Stop in Mongolia

A Brief Stop in Mongolia
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

On Wednesday, we took the six hour drive (it took 10 hours) from the City of
Kunming to the hill tribe area of Yuan Yang in the southern mountains near
the border of Viet Nam. Along the way, we stopped for lunch near a small
Mongolian village called Xing Meng. Why there is a Mongolian village in
southern China is a long story. Sufficed it to say, that they have been
here for 900 years. This provided us with our first opportunity to shoot in
a rural village, so we descended upon it like an invading horde. sorry, I
couldn't help myself. The images here are from that village. I have no
idea what game the men are playing here, but it involved a lot of shouting
and the exchange of money.

Over the next two days we will be shooting the rice terraces and villages of
Yuan Yang.

A Brief Stop in Mongolia

A Brief Stop in Mongolia
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

On Wednesday, we took the six hour drive (it took 10 hours) from the City of
Kunming to the hill tribe area of Yuan Yang in the southern mountains near
the border of Viet Nam. Along the way, we stopped for lunch near a small
Mongolian village called Xing Meng. Why there is a Mongolian village in
southern China is a long story. Sufficed it to say, that they have been
here for 900 years. This provided us with our first opportunity to shoot in
a rural village, so we descended upon it like an invading horde. sorry, I
couldn't help myself. The images here are from that village. I have no
idea what game the men are playing here, but it involved a lot of shouting
and the exchange of money.

Over the next two days we will be shooting the rice terraces and villages of
Yuan Yang.

A Brief Stop in Mongolia

A Brief Stop in Mongolia
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

On Wednesday, we took the six hour drive (it took 10 hours) from the City of
Kunming to the hill tribe area of Yuan Yang in the southern mountains near
the border of Viet Nam. Along the way, we stopped for lunch near a small
Mongolian village called Xing Meng. Why there is a Mongolian village in
southern China is a long story. Sufficed it to say, that they have been
here for 900 years. This provided us with our first opportunity to shoot in
a rural village, so we descended upon it like an invading horde. sorry, I
couldn't help myself. The images here are from that village. I have no
idea what game the men are playing here, but it involved a lot of shouting
and the exchange of money.

Over the next two days we will be shooting the rice terraces and villages of
Yuan Yang.

Cursed with Pleasant Weather

Cursed with Pleasant Weather
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

Huang Shan is famous for its fog and clouds swirling among the granite
spires. It's that feature that draws millions of visitors each year, and
earned it a spot as a UN World Heritage site. What we got when we arrived
was sunny weather. The scenery itself if breathtaking, and well worth the
visit no matter what the weather brings. Unfortunately, cloudless skies are
bad for photography. All of the pictures that I took pretty much suck.

The other remarkable feature of Huang Shan, also known as the Yellow
Mountains, is its stairs. Lots and lots of stairs. Due to the topology of
the area, going up or going down is the only way to go anywhere. Friends
who know me will recognize that I am not a big fan of stairs. I'm more of
an elevator kind of guy. If you look closely at the first photo (or last -
I don't know what order blogger will put these in), you will get an idea of
the kind of terrain that we were travelling on for two days. The next photo
is a close-up from the first.

Even though these mountains are rugged and remote, there is quite a bit of
construction at the top. There are at least six hotels and several
restaurants. The materials for building all of these structures was brought
up from the base of the mountain (4,000 ft below) on the backs of porters.
Basically, one brick at a time. The construction is continuing as there is
a great demand from the ever increasing number of visitors (mostly Chinese).
Huang Shan may even lose its World Heritage designation because of this
build-out.

Today, we flew to Kunming, in Yunnan province. Tomorrow, after breakfast,
we will be on the road all day to the remote border region which is home to
several hill tribes and to the terraced rice paddies. It is very unlikely
that I will have internet access for the next three days, so I will probably
post next from Guilin. I could be wrong about the internet - I had it at
the hotel on top of Huang Shan.

Cursed with Pleasant Weather

Cursed with Pleasant Weather
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

Huang Shan is famous for its fog and clouds swirling among the granite
spires. It's that feature that draws millions of visitors each year, and
earned it a spot as a UN World Heritage site. What we got when we arrived
was sunny weather. The scenery itself if breathtaking, and well worth the
visit no matter what the weather brings. Unfortunately, cloudless skies are
bad for photography. All of the pictures that I took pretty much suck.

The other remarkable feature of Huang Shan, also known as the Yellow
Mountains, is its stairs. Lots and lots of stairs. Due to the topology of
the area, going up or going down is the only way to go anywhere. Friends
who know me will recognize that I am not a big fan of stairs. I'm more of
an elevator kind of guy. If you look closely at the first photo (or last -
I don't know what order blogger will put these in), you will get an idea of
the kind of terrain that we were travelling on for two days. The next photo
is a close-up from the first.

Even though these mountains are rugged and remote, there is quite a bit of
construction at the top. There are at least six hotels and several
restaurants. The materials for building all of these structures was brought
up from the base of the mountain (4,000 ft below) on the backs of porters.
Basically, one brick at a time. The construction is continuing as there is
a great demand from the ever increasing number of visitors (mostly Chinese).
Huang Shan may even lose its World Heritage designation because of this
build-out.

Today, we flew to Kunming, in Yunnan province. Tomorrow, after breakfast,
we will be on the road all day to the remote border region which is home to
several hill tribes and to the terraced rice paddies. It is very unlikely
that I will have internet access for the next three days, so I will probably
post next from Guilin. I could be wrong about the internet - I had it at
the hotel on top of Huang Shan.

Cursed with Pleasant Weather

Cursed with Pleasant Weather
Originally uploaded by weberpoint

Huang Shan is famous for its fog and clouds swirling among the granite
spires. It's that feature that draws millions of visitors each year, and
earned it a spot as a UN World Heritage site. What we got when we arrived
was sunny weather. The scenery itself if breathtaking, and well worth the
visit no matter what the weather brings. Unfortunately, cloudless skies are
bad for photography. All of the pictures that I took pretty much suck.

The other remarkable feature of Huang Shan, also known as the Yellow
Mountains, is its stairs. Lots and lots of stairs. Due to the topology of
the area, going up or going down is the only way to go anywhere. Friends
who know me will recognize that I am not a big fan of stairs. I'm more of
an elevator kind of guy. If you look closely at the first photo (or last -
I don't know what order blogger will put these in), you will get an idea of
the kind of terrain that we were travelling on for two days. The next photo
is a close-up from the first.

Even though these mountains are rugged and remote, there is quite a bit of
construction at the top. There are at least six hotels and several
restaurants. The materials for building all of these structures was brought
up from the base of the mountain (4,000 ft below) on the backs of porters.
Basically, one brick at a time. The construction is continuing as there is
a great demand from the ever increasing number of visitors (mostly Chinese).
Huang Shan may even lose its World Heritage designation because of this
build-out.

Today, we flew to Kunming, in Yunnan province. Tomorrow, after breakfast,
we will be on the road all day to the remote border region which is home to
several hill tribes and to the terraced rice paddies. It is very unlikely
that I will have internet access for the next three days, so I will probably
post next from Guilin. I could be wrong about the internet - I had it at
the hotel on top of Huang Shan.