China Landscapes and Traditions Photo Workshop

Photograph China’s Mountain Landscapes, Ancient Traditions, and The Great Wall

Join Kevin Pepper as he returns to photograph Cormorant fishermen’s lanterns reflected on the Li River. Pine trees clinging to the granite peaks of Huangshan. The Great Wall winding across mountain ridges as the last light reaches its watchtowers. These are scenes many of us have imagined photographing for years.

This China photography workshop brings them together in a journey through mountain landscapes, traditional villages, coastal communities, and historic cities. We begin at “The Bund” along Shanghai’s waterfront before travelling to Hongcun and the heights of Huangshan. From there, we explore the changing patterns of Xiapu’s tidal flats and the limestone mountains surrounding Yangshuo, before continuing to Xi’an and Beijing.

Several of our locations receive more than a brief visit. Two nights on Huangshan give us repeated opportunities to work with mountain light and changing weather. Three nights in Xiapu allow us to explore different coastal scenes as the tides shift. Around Yangshuo, we photograph from elevated viewpoints and along the rivers, including a private arranged session with a fisherman, cormorants, and a lantern-lit bamboo raft.

Throughout the workshop, we help you make deliberate decisions about light, composition, exposure, and the story you want to tell. Sometimes that means stepping back to show the scale of a landscape. Sometimes it means reaching for a longer lens and finding one simple photograph within a complicated scene.

Join us to photograph the China you have imagined—and discover the photographs you did not know were waiting.

Highlights

• Sunrise and sunset on the Great Wall: Photograph the watchtowers and winding ridgelines of Jinshanling as changing light reveals the scale of this historic landmark.
• Two nights in the Yellow Mountains: Stay among Huangshan’s granite peaks and ancient pines, with time to photograph sunrise, sunset, and the shifting mountain weather.
• Li River landscapes and fisherman portraits: Explore Yangshuo’s limestone peaks and enjoy a private, arranged photography session with a traditional cormorant fisherman, bamboo raft, and lantern.
• Xiapu’s coastal way of life: Photograph tidal flats, fishing scenes, and the patterns, textures, and reflections created by the changing tides.
• China’s history through your lens: From Hongcun’s traditional architecture to the historic sites and city scenes of Shanghai, Xi’an, and Beijing, build a varied photographic story of China.
• Travel with an experienced team: Kevin Pepper and his local guide, Michael, know these locations and have led groups dating back to 2016, bringing years of shared experience to planning, timing, and photography throughout your trip.