Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Photo Tour – June 2011
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:
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.
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.