-

Very excited to announce here on the blog the launch of a new partnership with tour agency Tibetan Connections, offering photography workshops and tours in western China on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Tibetan Connections, a small grass-roots company, have been based on the plateau for a number of years and are actively involved in encouraging responsible tourism in the region. Their ethos is to work with and hire local Tibetan people and visit communities to help support the people of the region through ethical tourism. They will be our logistical partners on the trip, looking after travel, guides and accommodation for us.

Our first collaboration begins in June with a 5-day tour from June 10-14, around the Eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, focusing on the monastic lifestyle and rituals in this region. I visited this region in November of last year and it really is a stunning part of the country, relatively unexplored compared to many other regions in China.

Below is an outline of the June tour. Be sure to check out the Tibetan Connections website for more information and to confirm your place on this trip.

Workshop Aims:

Monastic Life

The aim of this tour is to introduce you to the people and cultures of this unique part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. We will focus on learning how to photograph in areas where religion is very evident, demanding a respectful and sensitive approach to your photography. We will guide you through the different approaches to adopt in these situations and offer help and guidance along the way.

At the same time, we will aim to build up a portfolio of work from each participant that represents your vision of the underlying themes of Tibetan buddhism, monastic life and spectacular scenery that we will have the opportunity to document throughout our trip. No matter what your level of photography, Sean will help establish individual goals for each participant in order to improve your level by the end of the trip.

Day 1 Meet in morning for a portfolio review. In the afternoon take a trip to Kumbum monastery.

Day 2 Depart Xining and drive to Rebgong (Tongren). Stop in Jenzha for lunch and continue through great landscapes arriving in Rebgong in early afternoon. Once in Rebgong visit the thangka artists village and Upper Wutan Monastery.

Nomad Woman | Qinghai-Tibet

Day 3 Visit Rongwu Monastery after breakfast. Depart Rebgong and drive to Labrang (Xiahe) traveling through the Ganjia grassland stopping to visit local Tibetan Nomads.

Day 4 Spend the whole day in Labrang catching the morning and evening light. Labrang is a very famous monastic center in Amdo Tibet.

Day 5 drive back to Xining with great views of the Yellow River. That evening enjoy a party and slideshow of the trips photos.

<<Return to the Learning Zone Last weekend, I was invited by Beijing based eco-group Greening the Beige to give a workshop at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art. We had a great turnout, with many students and photography enthusiasts all keen to see images from my environmental work in China over the past few years and learn about some of the thought processes that go into tackling these realtively large issues. We had such a great discussion, so I thought I would post my presentation here on my blog and highlight/elaborate on a couple of the key talking points. I hope this might prove useful for anyone who wasn’t able to make the event.

The aim of the workshop was to help people understand how I approach taking on large scale subjects, aiming this message at many of the students, from both the fields of photography and journalism, who were in attendance. The first question we tackled was: How do you find story ideas?

Take a look at slide 6 and then come back. It says it all really. I remember asking the question above to one of the senior members of staff when I was interning at Magnum Photos during 2004-2005, and the word on that slide was the answer they gave to me. I follow it religiously now.

Courtesy of (c) Lap Li

I like being informed. I think most photographers/journalists do. They are naturally inquisitve people. An important note though, which I emphasised to the workshop participants, was that it is so important to read not just a diverse mix of western press but also be familiar what the press is saying in the country you are reporting on, in our case China. It’s no secret that the media stance between the west and from within China can be very different sometimes. Whichever side you lean towards, you still have to very aware what the other side is saying. Only then can you take a step back from everything and start to try and filter what is truth, what is not, what is skewed, what isn’t etc. etc.

For those who were thinking of taking on environmental issues, I also emphasized the importance of being familiar with the scientific literature on the subject. I am lucky in that I come from a science background, so am comfortable reading scientific papers which can be daunting to those not familiar with them. Magazines such as Nature and Science are aimed at the educated layman and are very accessible. It’s absolutely key to get to grips with what the scientists are saying about your issue.

Simplify the Issue (Slide 7)

When I take on large-scale subjects such as desertification or wetland disappearance, simplifying the issue is crucial. I can’t visit every single desert or wetland in China. I could, but it would be pointless when instead I can try to isolate key areas that represent the core issues. I normally break the issue down into its most important isuues and then try to find the best places to go to to (visually) illustrate those points.

Put a face to the issue. Tell stories through the individuals, families and communities being affected. (Slide 8/9)

This is one of the key points, especially with environmental issues. Sometimes, these issues can be complex, diverse and hard to visualise. By finding people who are being affected by the issue, you can put a human face to the issue and as a result help your audience/viewers better connect with the subject matter at hand. Your audience will have a much better connection towards your subject if you are able to show the way in which other human beings are being affected.

What would be the aims of your project? Why are you really interested in it? Do you REALLY care? (Slide 20)

By presenting these questions to the participants, I wanted to emphasise the importance of finding an issue that you are genuinely passionate about and determined to cover. I warned of the dangers of choosing a subject, motivated by the reasoning that others in (and maybe outside of) your profession would take you seriously as a photographer/reporter just because you chose that particular subject matter. That’s a dangerous path to follow. Finding a subject that you have a connection to, a subject you are passionate about, a subject that only you would spent long periods of time on when others may give up, is key.

Courtesy of (c) Lap Li

How do you fund your story? (Slide 21)

The two major options I gave were either getting a grant or my pairing up with an NGO. There are of course other ways, from personal savings, private investments and commissions from news outlets however for me personally, grants and partnerships with NGOs have been my most successful. They have also allowed be to spent long periods of time on these issues. If it’s a complex issue, you will need time to work on it and do it justice. Grants and working with NGOs allow you to do this.

How do you distribute your story? (Slide 29)

I believe we are in a really exciting time at the moment in terms of the new ways in which we can distribute our work. Yes, old outlets have shrunk drastically but there are many new ways to get our stories out to new audiences. There are more opportunities now than ever before.

Embracing social media is one way of reaching new audiences, as is producing work that is deliverable in a variety of mediums i.e. having the ability to produce still images, video, multimedia, audio and writing. Each has its place and possible outlets. Most can be combined. If you have the ability to do a number of these, then to possibilities for distribution are wide. You can still try traditional distribution such as magazine publication, print exhibitions, maybe a book but you can also embrace online videos and multimedia, viral marketing of those pieces through a unique website and blog, online photo galleries, multimedia installations. A combination of some, or all of the above!

At the end of the workshop, we had an open Q&A session. One of the questions was; “Why do you do what you do i.e. covering these issues? What are you aims and how do you hope your images affect people?” It’s a question I have been asked by others, and asked of myself, a number of times. I thought would be useful to try to answer it here too.

I am a photographer and videographer. My skill (and that of other visual professionals) lies in my ability to visualise the world in a way most people do not normally do. My educational background focused on the sciences, especially in the biological sciences, so I have a natural interest in these issues. Many of these issues, I know, are difficult for many people to understand and visualise. I really hope that my photographic and video work can act as a bridge between some of the complex issues surrounding the environment and global climate change to help people understand them better. I hope the images can inspire contemplation, deeper understanding and maybe action depending on the social group and age of the people that sees them. I am just one photographer trying to raise visual awareness of these issues. Change will not just come from me. It will come from the worlds of science, government, business, media and everyday people acting together. If my images can help people visualise the seriousness of the environmental issues we currently face and I am able to help them contextualize them too, through various visual media and educational speaking engagements, then I am playing my small part in trying to effect positive change in society.

———————————————

That’s a quick summary of the major talking points of the presentation. I really hope that it was useful to the participants who were able to make it on the day. I also hope that it has been useful to you as you read this now, wherever in the world you may be. As ever, if you have any thoughts or feedback on the above points please feel free to post them below.

<<Return to the Learning Zone

Event Poster

For anybody who is in Beijing this coming weekend, I will be giving a workshop at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art on Saturday 20th November from 4:30 to 5:30. I’ll be talking about ways to photograph large-scale environmental issues and trying to give participants help in helping form and shape their own ideas for approaching these issues.

Here’s the general outline:

“UCCA welcomes two-time Pulitzer Center Grant recipient Sean Gallagher, who has spent the past two years traveling across China documenting the country’s fight against desertification and disappearing wetlands.

Having the ability to visually communicate overarching themes, theories and ideas is essential to helping the public understand sometimes complex and seemingly disjointed issues.

Gallagher’s workshop will focus on the art and science of effectively photographing large-scale environmental issues and conveying eco-stories through imagery. He will also provide participants with useful advice about identifying themes and stories, and offer tips about the process of eco-filmmaking, from shooting to distribution.”

If you think this might be of interest please come along. Entry is free and there are many other events on throughout the day, all along ‘green’ lines. Hope to see you there.

On Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June, we headed out on our first “Desert Workshop”, focusing on introducing our students to Tianmo desert which is located just 80km north-west of Beijing. We spent two days exploring the local dune systems and experiencing local life amongst the people of the area. You may think that I might be a little tired of deserts by now, but it really was a lot of fun to introduce people to this little visited area, so close to Beijing.

We had a jam packed 2-days full of shooting in the desert, visiting people’s homes, lots of editing sessions and trying traditional food from the area. Highlights including getting up for the sunrise over the desert and having a run-in with the local army plus multiple wedding parties! An odd mix but a lot of fun and it provided plenty of photo opportunities for everyone!

Please take a moment to play the slideshow and see some of the images from our trip. We hope to run this workshop again sometime soon, so please stay tuned and sign-up for our newsletter to be the first to know about new classes and trips!

Standing room only at one of our talks

This weekend I travelled to the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, a city of some 7 million people lying next to the Yellow River in central Henan province. I was in the city to give a series of talks at Universities in the city, presenting some of my work in China over the past 4 years and also introducing our workshops to the students of the city.

Showing work on desertification in northern China.

My presentation began with an introduction about myself, reasons for coming to China and a general overview of the types of subjects that I cover. I then introduced the main part of my presentation, about my work on desertification over the past three years. I structured the talk about desertification to take the audience across China, starting in Beijing in the east and then finishing in Xinjiang province in the west. Many of the students seemed surprised about the scale of desertification throughout the north of China.

Presenting an image of snooker star, Ding Junhui.

After presenting my work about desertification, I introduced images of a number of images of Chinese celebrities that I have had the opportunity to photograph during my time in China. The highlight was definitely showing my photos of Ding Junhui, a snooker player of national fame here.

Introducing our Workshops

Towards the end of the talks we introduced our workshops in Beijing and announced the beginning of these workshops in Zhengzhou which will hopefully start during this summer/autumn.

Students asking questions at the end of our talks.

At the end of the talks we opening up the floor to questions and I was surprised how many students were keen to ask questions. The questions were varied and included inquiries mainly about desertification and other environmental issues in China. Many students were also keen to ask questions about the aesthetics of photography and were looking for advice on how to get started in photography.

Poster advertising talks at one of the Universities in Zhengzhou

Our talks started on Friday evening and by Sunday evening we had completed 4 talks and spoken to over 1000 students. Not bad for a weekend’s work! Hope you enjoy the photos. Scroll down for a few more….

We were lucky enough to have full rooms in most of our talks.

-

View of presentation from the rear of a classroom.

Tianmo Desert Workshop

We are delighted to announce our upcoming workshops for May 2010! We have two workshops planned, “Shoot-Edit-Photoshop” and “Beijing Desert Workshop”. We hope each one will cater to whatever you current goals in photography may be. Please find the initial outlines below. For more details and detailed itineraries, please head to our Workshop page (via the tab at the top-right of the blog) .  We look forward to seeing you on one of our upcoming classes!

This new workshop titled ‘Shoot-Edit-Photoshop’ is aimed at beginner/intermediate photographers who are looking to improve their digital workflow from the shooting stage, through to editing and finishing images in Photoshop. We all know how it is easy to lose control of all those images you take, so you will learn effective ways in which to edit and categorize your images to improve you skills at managing your photos straight after a shoot. After categorizing our images, we will take them into Photoshop to learn how to get the best out of them through simple alterations such as cropping, changing colour balance, levels, contrast and saturation. Photoshop can be very daunting but we will break it down and show you the few essential functions you can use to get the very best out of your images.

Editing Session: Weekend Workshops

“Beijing Desert Workshop” - Dates: Saturday 5th June and Sunday 6th June 2010 (Please note these dates have changed)

During this workshop you will explore and photograph the little-visited desert of Tianmo. Located just 80km from central Beijing, next to the Longbao Mountain Range, it is the closest desert to the capital and offers visitors a glimpse at the spectacular desert regions that now dominate 20% of northern China. Sean Gallagher, whose images of China’s deserts have appeared in National Geographic China, will guide you during this workshop helping you capture this unique environment. You will have a chance to shoot side-by-side with Sean and learn how to capture landscapes, natural scenery and photograph daily life in this dry but fascinating area.

Earth Hour | Beijing | China

Last week I posted the first competition for my blog, based on the recent video that I shot to coincide with Earth Hour here in Beijing. If you missed the video, you can watch it here on Vimeo or YouTube.

The challenge was to find me within the video, walking in front of the camera. Sounds easy huh? Yes, except for the fact the that the video is time-lapse and condenses the whole earth hour into one minute, hence making my two appearances very very brief.

Earth Hour | Beijing | China

I worried that I had made the challenge too difficult, until someone came in with nearly spot-on the correct guess. That person was ‘Charles’, who posted a guess of 0:26 and 1:04. The official count was 0:26 and 1:05, based on the two screen grabs you can see here in this post, but Charles’s answer was good enough for me. Very well done, Charles. I’m impressed!

Charles, are you in Beijing? If yes, please send me an email via the email address in the contact section to the right and let’s organise your free workshop. I look forward to hearing from you!

Earlier this week I released a video titled ‘Earth Hour: In One Minute’, a time-lapse video that captured last month’s Earth Hour at the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing. I thought it would be fun to use this video as the basis for the first competition that I have run through the blog. Up for grabs is a half-day (3hours) one-on-one workshop with me here in Beijing. Maybe you’d like to brush up on your editing, your night photography, your photoshop skills, your street photography? No problem. We’ll have 3 hours to target anything you want, FREE.

Okay, so how to win? In my time-lapse video I actually appear twice within the video by walking into the foreground. (I was waiting alone in the cold for an hour doing the video, so I had to entertain myself somehow!) The challenge is to tell me the correct second count at which I appear, both times. To clarify, it’s the second count on the YouTube/Vimeo counter NOT the clock in the bottom-right of the screen you see counting down the Earth Hour. You can watch the clip on either YouTube or Vimeo. They are exactly the same.

The first eagle-eyed person to post the correct answers (or closest to them) here on this post on my blog will win the free workshop. Easy as that!

(*Hints* You may have to pause/start the video quickly to see frames individually around the points you think you spotted me. Those who know me and/or have met me on a workshop before, may have an advantage to knowing what I look like…obviously!)

I’ll reveal who is the winner at the beginning of next week, that’s assuming somebody gets it over the weekend! If no-one gets it, I’ll leave the competition open until someone does! Good luck!

Chinese New Year Workshop | White Cloud Temple

February welcomed a very unique time of the Chinese calendar; Chinese New Year. To mark the most important holiday of the year, we decided to run a special workshop to coincide with the celebrations in Beijing.

Claire | White Cloud Temple Fair

On 16th February we headed to the White Cloud Temple in XiCheng District. This spectacular Taoist temple is over 1000 years old and is one of the city’s hidden cultural gems. It served as the perfect backdrop for us to explore and photograph traditional celebrations in the capital.

Marina | White Cloud Temple Fair

This post features a selection of photos taken on the day. Thanks to Marina and Claire for making it a fun afternoon!

Marina (left), Sean (center) and Claire (right) | White Cloud Temple

Claire photographing a temple visitor | White Cloud Temple

Tibet (c) Charlotte Duch Lynggaard

As many of you know, I began running workshops in Beijing in late 2009 as a response to what I perceived to be the demand for a setting where photographers could get together, share ideas, enjoy photography and explore China in a guided and relaxed setting. So far, we have had many students attend, all bringing their own approaches to photography. Not every student has the same aim. Some are aspiring professionals, some keen amateurs with advanced kit and some who just want to take better holiday pictures to act as memories for their time in China. Everyone is welcome and our primary aim is to try and pass on some of the passion we have for photography and China to our students.

Tibet (c) Charlotte Duch Lynggaard

This week, I’d like to introduce you to one of our former students, Charlotte Duch Lynggaard. Charlotte attended one of our first group classes in the hutongs in November and has since taken a number of private one-on-one classes with me. During these classes we have approached a number of topics including street photography, basic photoshop skills and ways to approach effective editing.

Tibet (c) Charlotte Duch Lynggaard

By day, Charlotte is a doctor. However as can be seen from these photographs in this post, she has a great visual sense to go along with her obvious analytical and technical skills used in her day job. Charlotte does not aspire to be a professional photographer however photography is a creative release for her, that gives her an escape and a level of balance in life.

Tibet (c) Charlotte Duch Lynggaard

Charlotte wanted to focus on an intensive one-on-one course to try and improve her level quickly, under the guidance of someone who could give her give her immediate and direct feedback. By talking to Charlotte about her background, personality and aims in photography we were able to tailor a course that suited her schedule and her overall goals in photography.

Tibet (c) Charlotte Duch Lynggaard

Mid-way through our classes together, Charlotte went to Tibet to try out some of the new techniques and skills that we had been working on during her classes. All of the pictures in this post were taken by Charlotte during her journey in one of China’s most visually spectacular regions. By sitting down and working together, we edited and discussed which pictures were strongest and conveyed Charlotte’s vision. I’m really happy with how fast Charlotte has progressed, just from the few sessions we have had together. To see and help her use photography as a creative release and discover her way or seeing the world, is a real honour and pleasure.