8-DAYS FUJIAN PHOTO TOUR

August 3rd to 10th, 2024

– group size: 4 people –

This tour is an opportunity to discover the beautiful coastal province of Fujian. Xiapu, our first stop, is often referred to by the photography community as “China’s most stunning flat tide” or “the most beautiful coastline in China.” Visitors to Xiapu are captivated by its beauty, whether it’s during the day, night, the tidal change or through the rich fishing culture. Quanzhou is home to the Hui’an women, located on the seaside of Huidong Peninsula, who are renowned both locally and internationally for their distinctive attire and strong work ethic. The round earth buildings called “tulou” are a UNESCO World Heritage. Their architecture is unique and they are home to the Hakka people. We will also visit one of the main centers for incense production in China, as well as Xiamen City and Gulangyu Island, both praised for the beauty of their architecture and their relaxed lifestyle.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sunrise over the ocean
• Traditional noodles drying in the sun
• Golden hour shooting on the low tide beach with fishermen working
• Big floating fishing nets over the river
• Colorful round fishing nets shooting
• Huian maidens private shooting
• Xunpu maidens village street photography
• Street photography at the famous tulou, these round buildings made of earth
• Street photography in Xiamen City and Gulangyu Island, both praised in China for their welcoming and relaxing atmosphere

DETAILED ITINERARY

This trip starts from Fuzhou and ends in Xiamen.

DAY 1 / AUGUST 3RD, 2024: FUZHOU AIRPORT – XIAPU

Upon your arrival at Fuzhou Airport, we will pick you up and drive to Xiapu (around 2 hours drive). At the end of the day, we will go to take photos of typical landscapes of Xiapu, with the nice light of dusk on the ocean and the fishing nets. Xiapu offers very unique views, thanks to the largely developed fishing industry.

DAY 2 / AUGUST 4TH, 2024: XIAPU

Today we will go to take photos of a noodle making place, where noodles are put to hang outside on wood poles to dry. A good chance to capture people at work and beautiful portraits. In case of bad weather, we will adjust our plans and take other photos. We will then head to take photos of fishermen working on the beach near the sea during golden hour, offering mesmerizing shades of gold and blue.

DAY 3 / AUGUST 5TH, 2024: XIAPU

Today, we will shoot iconic scenes of Xiapu. In the morning, we will go to photograph human made mudflats that let some interesting shapes appear at low tide. We will also go to take photos of colorful nets that used to be used for fish breeding in the past. We will then head to take picture of beautiful floating nets that used to be used for catching baby fishes in order to breed fishes. There, an old man on a boat goes through the nets, making the scene very picturesque and photogenic. If time allows, we will end the day with sunset photos.

DAY 4 / AUGUST 6TH, 2024: QUANZHOU

Today, we will go to take photos of a community of women that is specific to Fujian province: the Hui’an maidens. It is a sub-community within the Han Chinese ethnic group. They live out of fishing, and women handle most of the house work while their husbands are at sea. They have unique customs, and unique costumes. Although these traditions are gradually fading, the Hui’an maidens, will give us a demonstration of their traditional work.

DAY 5 / AUGUST 7TH, 2024: QUANZHOU

Today, we will go back to the Huian Village to take photos of Huian ladies casting nets in the smooth light of sunrise. We will then head to the village of another very unique women’s community called Xunpu. In the Xunpu tradition, women also handle most of the work while men are at sea. The Xunpu women wear beautiful flower garlands in in their hair, which have become much appreciated by tourist to take photos. They have unique houses made of oysters. We will walk through the village to do some street photography. We will then head to our last stop in Quanzhou: the incense city. There, several incense factories are next to each other, and the distinct fragrance of incense floats all around in the air. We will visit one of the factory and take photos of the incense making process and the workers.

DAY 6 / AUGUST 8TH, 2024: TULOU AREA

We will hit the road towards the famous “tulou”, these famous round buildings of the Hakka people living in Fujian. These round building made of earth are UNESCO World Heritage since 2008. Today is a free photography day. You can walk around and take photos as you wish, and we will always be around to guide you as you need.

DAY 7 / AUGUST 9TH 2024: XIAMEN

Today we will do to Xiamen, a city especially appreciated in China for its coastal laid back atmosphere. Xiamen offers a mix of old and new buildings and we will take photos of the city’s architecture. We will then head to Gulangyu for street photography. Gulangyu Island is one of Fujian’s most scenic places, praised for its beauty all over China. It offers a mix of natural beauty and colonial architecture. We will then take the ferry to go back to Xiamen.

DAY 8 / AUGUST 10TH, 2024: XIAMEN – XIAMEN AIRPORT

In the morning, you can enjoy some free time or we can have a look at our photos together for some advice on selection and editing. We will then head to airport for your flight back.

IMPORTANT NOTES

• The schedule may be re-arranged according to the weather and tide
• Several of the shootings are set up, which is a good opportunity to fine tune your skills and capture some scenes that are now fading in China, such as the traditional life of Huian ladies.

GROUP SIZE

4 people

PRICE

2800 €

Single room supplement: 240 €

INCLUDING

• Professional photographer guidance (English/French/Chinese speaking)
• Local professional photography guide, member of China Photographers Association (Chinese speaking)
• All entrance fees
• All hotels in 4* category (based on double occupancy)
• All meals with water and/or tea (Chinese meals)
• Private transportation from your pickup at Fuzhou airport to your drop-off at Xiamen airport
• Water bottles throughout the days

EXCLUDING

• Flights to Fuzhou and from Xiamen
• Other drinks
• Travel insurance and cancellation insurance
• Tips & gratuities for staff
• Visa fees if any

RECOMMENDED GEARS

• Camera that can be used in manual mode (it can be convenient to bring two if you have, to avoid changing lens too often, but not necessary).
• Lenses, ideally 24-70 and 70-200 (full frame). Magnifying ring or 400 lens can be very useful. Also, it is helpful to have at least one lens with wide aperture (2.8 or less) to capture low light scenery.
• Tripod. If you can’t bring tripod, we will bring two spare ones, but you can bring ball head.
• Mini tripod can be useful for time-lapses
• Drone can be used in Xiapu so you can bring one as well if you want.

Q&A

• WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REGULAR TOUR AND A PHOTO TOUR?

Photo tours are especially designed for photo taking. It means that what you will see can be quite different from what people who visit the same place with a regular travel itinerary will see. We will go to places that are particularly photogenic, or meet local people who will introduce us to their culture or to some of their tradition to facilitate the shooting. It also means that we will often wake up earlier than most travelers, in orders to capture the best light and bring the best photos, so our schedule could be a bit different. For instance, we can get up very early to catch the sunrise, then come back to the hotel for breakfast, or take a break during midday when the sun is too strong and then go out later again to capture the golden hour and sunset, or some night views. It all depends on the itinerary of the tour.

• DO I HAVE TO BE A PHOTOGRAPHER TO PARTICIPATE?

You don’t have to be a photographer, amateur or professional, to participate to our photo tours. As long as you enjoy photography in general and the idea of capturing the best moments, you should enjoy traveling with us! Photographers of any level can enjoy our tours, from beginners to advanced, even smartphone photographers! The idea is also to learn from each other and to enjoy! We recommend however that you to let us know a bit more about your level and material beforehand so we can adjust the tour accordingly so you can make the most of it.

Please note that for photographers with specific requirements, it is also possible to organize customized tours. Please contact us for more information.

• WHAT GEAR DO I NEED?

You can choose the gears you want, and we can also give you some recommendations if you need. But a camera that offers manual settings option is necessary if you want to make the most of your travel.

A basic kit for travel photography would be a camera body that offers manual settings and or or two versatile lenses, such as 24-70mm and 70-200mm. For some trips, some specific lens could be recommended such as bigger zoom . We would also usually advice to bring a tripod for low light photography (we usually bring one spare tripod with us as well in case you don’t have one, but it is better to let us know in advance in that case). We will let you know for each trip what gear we suggest.

• WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE SOME GEARS? CAN I RENT THEM?

In China, it is possible to rent cameras and lenses. I have a partner in Beijing with whom I can arrange this. However, please let me know several weeks ahead to have enough time to arrange. This service is not included in the price of tour. We would give you a quotation beforehand, and a deposit would be needed additionally to the daily fee. Please not that it is not possible to rent drones in China.

• CAN I USE DRONES?

It depends on the destination. In China, drones have become increasingly popular over the last years, and regulations are adjusting fast. So far, drones are allowed in most our shooting locations in China, but forbidden in big cities for instance.

• HOW ABOUT SETUPS AND “STAGED” PHOTOGRAPHY?

We will arrange setups for you to shoot picture of people during the tours. Some of you could have the idea that it lacks authenticity, but there are reasons why we work like this. First it is a way to make sure you will end up with good photos, as it is very helpful to create a beautiful shot, because you will have more time to find the right angle, ask for a specific posture, or see how to capture the best light. The people we will photograph are not models, they are local people willing to showcase their traditions and culture for us, and give us a chance to witness what most visitors will have a hard time witnessing. Besides this, there can be some specific reason to go with setups. For instance, in China, the society is evolving very fast and traditions are quickly fading. To be able to capture them, we will go to the people who are really familiar with those traditions for they have lived with them for most of their life, and therefore are the best at showing us what those traditions are.

• HOW ABOUT STREET PHOTOGRAPHY?

Street photography is also part of our tours. We do our best to bring you a good balance between landscape photography, arranged setups for portrait photography, and street photography. However, when doing street photography, we ask you to always behave respectfully wherever we go, to respect the local people and culture, and to ask for permission when taking photos of people.

• DO YOU WORK ALONE OR WITH A TEAM?

I do the scouting and choose the itineraries by myself, but I have local partners with whom I collaborate, like local drivers, guides and travel agencies. Tours are all organized in partnership with local travel agencies with proper licenses and authorizations. We want you to be able to join our tours stress-free!

• HOW ABOUT VISAS?

Citizens from France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland and Malaysia can stay in China without visa for a duration of up to 14 days according the new visa rules issued on December 1st, 2024. For the countries that require visas, we can assist you by providing invitation letters, detailed itineraries, or helping you with flights booking. Please contact me directly for more information.

For more information and for registration, please contact me at: hello@cecilezehnacker.com .