Photography vacations in China

Anyone who has seen Avatar will recall the film’s stunning, otherworldly landscapes, not least its floating mountains. Of course, in an animation, filmmakers have the freedom to be as creative as they like, creating surreal worlds that unfold on the screen.

However, Pandora’s Hallelujah Mountains were not the result of an artist’s wild fantasy or a particularly fantastic brainstorming session. They were, in fact, inspired by China’s own Hallelujah Mountains, 3,000 rock pinnacles soaring a kilometre into the sky and covered with dense foliage. As the mist swirls around the bases, the pinnacles appear to float. And so, as often happens, reality proves to be stranger than fiction.

These ‘floating’ mountains are just one of the reasons that China is such an extraordinary destination for photographers. In this vast nation, there are plenty of surreal natural settings, from Tiger Leaping Gorge to the huge Yellow Dragon Cave. Away from China’s ever expanding metropolises, rural traditions have been preserved, from farming on iconic rice terraces, to fishing with cormorants. Some areas – such as Yunnan and Tibet – were out of bounds to Westerners for decades, meaning that you’ll feel like a truly pioneering photographer while exploring these regions. And even the most popular spots will lake on an entirely new character when lit by the first rays of dawn, or after a dramatic thunderstorm. On photography vacations in China, a combination of professional photography tutors and expert local guides means you’ll always be in the right spot at the right time. Keep your camera round your neck, ready to capture the magic.

These trips are suitable for photographers of all levels. Beginners will benefit hugely from the tailored advice, while more experienced photographers will appreciate the well planned itinerary, which takes them to out of the way destinations, into local homes and villages, and schedules daily excursions around the ideal light and weather conditions.

Accommodation is in comfortable hotels and guesthouses, and as these trips tend to attract solo travelers, some departures don’t require a single supplement if you’d like your own room; do double check with your operator. You’ll benefit from private transportation, enabling you to get further off the beaten track, and to set off before dawn if necessary.

One of the most quintessential Chinese scenes, most photography vacations in China will include at least one visit to the rice terraces. These green ridges swirl around the hillsides, and seem to shift with the seasons and light, with multicoloured pools reflecting the pink dawn or the blue sky, and dotted with silhouettes of trees. This is a superb spot to play with your camera settings as the light fluctuates.

Originally the name of a fictional utopia, since 2001 Shangri-La has also been the name of a town in the province of Yunnan. This may have been a shrewd marketing tactic on behalf of its tourist board, but visitors to this ancient town would find it hard to argue with its paradisiacal description. Sitting in the Himalaya at an altitude of 3,160m, Shangri-La is picturesque and beautifully Tibetan Chinese, with prayer wheels, monasteries, vivid rice terraces and maze like backstreets. It is also close to Tiger Leaping Gorge and Guilin’s Fairy Mountains, and this region is filled with many ethnic cultures.