A few more from the trip. Sometimes it was so foggy that I could barely see anything. When the rain stopped, the lighting and the mist were changing by the seconds. For this whole trip I estimated I had less than 2 hours of ideal shooting condition. This was my second time to this national park, I am still in awe of the rock formations. There are over 2000 of those quarts-sandstone pillars, some of which are over 1000 meters tall. The park itself covers about 12K acres, no private vehicles without special permits are allowed, once passing the gate, you can take shuttle buses, gondolas to get to different parts of the park. It's confusing even for native speakers. There is no lodging inside the park. The worst part (for photographers) is the official park opening hour is like 7:00 or 7:30, You can forget about shooting sunrise by the time the park opens and the shuttle bus gets you to your destination. However, There are ways around it if you really try.. I stayed at a hostel outside near one of the gates, the owner is a mid level managerial person for the park. I told him I wanted to shoot sunrise, so for two days he got me through the gate around 5:00, had a shuttle bus waiting just for me to take me to one of the mountain top locations for sunrise. All it took was $$. Too bad both mornings was too foggy for sunrise. The roads inside the park are very well paved and the trails to viewing locations are well-paved too. I am not sure if there are trails for real hikers. From the pictures I have seen, the park is the best when covered with light snow.
ILCE-7RM5FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II lens28mmf/13.01/60s100 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-7CRZEISS Batis 2.8/135 lens135mmf/6.71/15s400 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-7RM5FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II lens24mmf/13.01/40s100 ISO0.0 EV
Looks like a traditional Chinese landscape painting
ILCE-7RM5FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II lens24mmf/13.01/40s100 ISO0.0 EV
Yes, one and three for sure Douglas… Stunning images. I do also love the black-and-whites… What incredibly rugged terrain. Imagine what early travelers must’ve thought when they came on these…… What do we do now? 🤔
Thank you very much, KD!
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Terry D wrote:
Yes, one and three for sure Douglas… Stunning images. I do also love the black-and-whites… What incredibly rugged terrain. Imagine what early travelers must’ve thought when they came on these…… What do we do now? 🤔
Thank you very much, Terry! This place became the first national park in China in 1989. I don't think it was widely visited until 20 years ago. Pictures don't do it justice, it's just out of this world.
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Al Trujillo wrote:
Beautiful!!
Thank you very much, Al!
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ocean2059 wrote:
Beautiful images! Thank you for sharing.
Douglas L wrote:
This was my second visit to Zhangjiajie National Park in NW Hunan Province, where the movie "Avatar" was film. To make a long story short, it was rainy, foggy, hazy most of the time but when the rain stopped, the magic appeared. The B&W shots were actually taken with an infrared camera.
Thanks for looking!
Douglas
Just beautiful Douglas! Your photography is "top shelf" no matter WHAT the subject is!!!
How was it to return to your birthplace? Has China changed much since you left? The people? Is America still the "enemy"?
Maxxus46 wrote:
Douglas, superb photos. Great mood, composition. Wonderful work!
Thank you very much, Nelson!
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Danpbphoto wrote:
Just beautiful Douglas! Your photography is "top shelf" no matter WHAT the subject is!!!
How was it to return to your birthplace? Has China changed much since you left? The people? Is America still the "enemy"?
Again SUPER photography!
Dan
Thank you Dan! I have been back to China many times since I left 35 years ago. It's a totally different country. Parts of it are so modern that they rival any cities in the West. Their subways, high speed trains, roads, airports, bridges, and cell phone signal certainly put anything we have here to shame. But it's still a commie country where the government controls the media, lots of brain washing and propaganda, sadly the US is moving to that direction, IMHO. The CCP has always considered the U.S. its enemy, all U.S. presidents, from Nixon to Obama, had very naive view/dream on China, they thought China would change as it opened up. They raised a tiger cub that can bite. Whenever I turned on their TV, which was very rare, alI you see is how great China is and how bad the U.S. is, yet their rich people and officials are sending their kids to the US to be educated.
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kwilliam8 wrote:
Beautiful images! I especially like the infrared images - great work!
Thank you very much Keith! I like B&W infrared pictures. I am getting a Canon R5 for conversion.
Totally Amazing Sir Douglas...These are all breath taking and beautiful, what amazing formations, similar in a way to the Pinnacles here at Crater Lake but in a whole different world and totally different. Incredible photography but you always come thru and shine so well.
Douglas L wrote:
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Danpbphoto wrote:
Just beautiful Douglas! Your photography is "top shelf" no matter WHAT the subject is!!!
How was it to return to your birthplace? Has China changed much since you left? The people? Is America still the "enemy"?
Again SUPER photography!
Dan
Thank you Dan! I have been back to China many times since I left 35 years ago. It's a totally different country. Parts of it are so modern that they rival any cities in the West. Their subways, high speed trains, roads, airports, bridges, and cell phone signal certainly put anything we have here to shame. But it's still a commie country where the government controls the media, lots of brain washing and propaganda, sadly the US is moving to that direction, IMHO. The CCP has always considered the U.S. its enemy, all U.S. presidents, from Nixon to Obama, had very naive view/dream on China, they thought China would change as it opened up. They raised a tiger cub that can bite. Whenever I turned on their TV, which was very rare, alI you see is how great China is and how bad the U.S. is, yet their rich people and officials are sending their kids to the US to be educated.
Thank you Dan! I have been back to China many times since I left 35 years ago. It's a totally different country. Parts of it are so modern that they rival any cities in the West. Their subways, high speed trains, roads, airports, bridges, and cell phone signal certainly put anything we have here to shame. But it's still a commie country where the government controls the media, lots of brain washing and propaganda, sadly the US is moving to that direction, IMHO. The CCP has always considered the U.S. its enemy, all U.S. presidents, from Nixon to Obama, had very naive view/dream on China, they thought China would change as it opened up. They raised a tiger cub that can bite. Whenever I turned on their TV, which was very rare, alI you see is how great China is and how bad the U.S. is, yet their rich people and officials are sending their kids to the US to be educated.
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Thank you very much Keith! I like B&W infrared pictures. I am getting a Canon R5 for conversion. ...Show more →
It is sad Douglas. I have met and known MANY Chinese citizens and they had nothing but respect for Americans. Yes the CCP is totally different.
I ran into that mentality in Vietnam many times and on my job as a "fed".
Glad you made it here!! Yes this Country is undergoing a very lengthy and radical "revision" until it is stopped!!
Great shots of a very unusual geological formation, Douglas. I believe the fog actually enhanced the impression of of the rock formations.
I once did some hiking and cave exploration in a central region of Laos. The rock formation were also quartzite towers but much smaller than these. After climbing and doing the caving my shoes pants and hands were al cut to pieces. Sharp like glass shards.
jowul wrote:
Great shots of a very unusual geological formation, Douglas. I believe the fog actually enhanced the impression of of the rock formations.
I once did some hiking and cave exploration in a central region of Laos. The rock formation were also quartzite towers but much smaller than these. After climbing and doing the caving my shoes pants and hands were al cut to pieces. Sharp like glass shards.
Thank you very much, Joachim! A lot of Chinese photographers want that look of clouds/mist in mountains in traditional Chinese painting. Surprisingly, in the two time I went there, I didn't see any climbers. I am not sure if it's allowed at all.
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Dr.EVIL wrote:
beautiful set, i visited china first time in 2004 and until recently, spent 13 years living there, but never made it to zhangjiajie
little nitpicking, avatar wasnt filmed in china, but zhangjiajie gave the inspiration for the world in avatar
Thank you Dr. EVIL! I know people who live in Hunan Province but have never been to Zhangjiajie. I don't recall I ever heard of the place before I left China in 1990. The Yellow Mountain (Huangshan) was and still is much better known.
Interesting comment on the Avatar location. The park made a big deal that the movie was filmed there (as least part of movie). At one location they actually have a sign stating such. I have no idea.
. I stayed at a hostel outside near one of the gates, the owner is a mid level managerial person for the park. I told him I wanted to shoot sunrise, so for two days he got me through the gate around 5:00, had a shuttle bus waiting just for me to take me to one of the mountain top locations for sunrise. All it took was $$
