Photography Tutorial · 2018-01-03
AdventureX's Zhou You's 2017 Year-End Review! Landscape Big Adventures and Honest Words!
Joyous Zhouyou (Joyous周游)
2017 Photography Review
I'm the photographer on the Tuchong app login screen
Time flies — I've been on Tuchong (图虫) for four years now. You could say Tuchong has witnessed my growth, and I've witnessed Tuchong's growth. Every year-end I write a year-in-review, not only to spur myself to keep shooting new work and not waste any year, but also because it's become a habit and a ritual — just as northern Chinese eat dumplings for the New Year. 2017 was extremely busy, and the most important thing was becoming a new dad. First, I want to thank my wife and family for their support, which gave me the time to keep pursuing my landscape photography during this period.
Year
2014
https://joyou.tuchong.com/7021530/
End
2015
https://joyou.tuchong.com/12809747/
Summary
2016
https://joyou.tuchong.com/13915624/
Conclusion
2017
...(10,000 words omitted here)
Looking back at these years' reviews, I find I've been improving little by little.
In 2017, I and five other friends who love the outdoors and photography (Thomas, Shi Fei, Yao Minglai, Pan Weihao, and Shi Yanbing) founded the ultimate outdoor landscape photography team, AdventureX (极影). "The world's most majestic, marvelous and extraordinary sights often lie in perilous and distant places rarely reached by man." The original intent behind founding AdventureX AX arose precisely from the convergence of our understanding of landscape photography and the members' outdoor experiences. We believe that the true gestation of every work isn't the few seconds or fractions of a second needed for the exposure, but the long experience we undergo on a journey that consumes both physical strength and intellect, before arriving at the shooting location and opening the shutter.
There is great beauty between heaven and earth — every mountain and river is a world of its own. In photography, even the most perfect technique is merely a means to achieve a goal. The joy of photography lies more in the process of trekking, shooting, and sharing. Therefore, the "Three Extremes" philosophy — Push the Limits, Ultimate Imagery, and Geek Sharing — has always been the persistence and pursuit of our AdventureX AX, and I've used this "Three Extremes" philosophy to summarize my 2017.
Landscape Big Adventures
1
Push the Limits
"Qiankun Taiji" — heaven is Qian, earth is Kun, water is Taiji; Qiankun Taiji! — Taiji Bay!
In early March 2017, right after a snowfall, I wanted to shoot the Qiankun Taiji scene from the top of a mountain (at least, I'd never seen anyone shoot the Taiji Bay Milky Way arch). For better image quality, I planned to use a star tracker. I brought an RRS TV33 tripod with a BH-55 PRO ball head plus my usual Gitzo 1542 Mountaineer series, and carried a Sony A7S astro-modified body with a Sigma 20mm f/1.4, plus a Nikon D810 with a 14-24mm. I started climbing at 11 p.m. The snow was so heavy that my car got stuck halfway, leaving 3 km to the foot of the mountain. Normally the hike up takes 40 minutes, but the snow depth exceeded my expectations — about half a meter, up to the knees. Hiking in such deep snow was extremely exhausting, each step sinking into the snow.
Shot my own trail trodden up the mountain at midnight, on the way down at dawn
The lithium flashlight rapidly lost its charge in the cold, and I had to climb in the dark alone. The Milky Way was due to rise at 3 a.m., and I was racing against time to shoot. Carrying all that gear, I was gasping for breath and physically drained by the halfway point. At that point I had to abandon some unnecessary equipment and travel light, so I tossed the big tripod and star tracker into the snow to retrieve on the way down (they wouldn't be stolen in the middle of nowhere at night anyway). After nearly 3 hours of hiking, I reached the summit right on time before the Milky Way rose.
"The Persistence of Annapurna" (《安娜普尔娜的坚持》)
I originally planned a relaxing ABC trek to Annapurna. But carrying a 25 kg pack on wet, slippery rainy ground, I slipped backward and dislocated my arm. Fortunately, in the team that caught up behind was a doctor with scholarly bearing (whom I affectionately call "Uncle Qian"), who reset my arm and fixed it with a towel and tent rope. At that moment, I felt as if there were a belief inside me, a voice calling — the call of the distant mountains. I held firm to my goal, and accompanied by my mountain brothers, I insisted on trekking with the injury and the load all the way to Annapurna Base Camp. It was as if heaven had seen my effort and persistence: after days of overcast and rain, the morning suddenly cleared. Surrounded by the Annapurna snow mountains, I gazed at Machhapuchhre (Fishtail Peak) in the distance, watching rosy clouds drift past and seas of clouds churn.
2
Ultimate Imagery
NO.1 "Holy Elephant Gate" (《圣象天门》)
I'm passionate about the outdoors. I used to think that extreme outdoor challenges — reaching altitudes and places others can't, photographing little-known secret realms — were what constituted ultimate imagery. As I've gone deeper into photography, I've realized that ultimate imagery is shooting at a little-known place where all natural conditions align in an ideal state. This year, regardless of cost, I went six times to the uninhabited island among the Haiwang Nine Islands to shoot. Why did I visit the same island six times — and shoot only one photo?
Shooting Experience
This is something many people don't understand. It's mainly because seascape photography has even stricter natural constraints. Besides weather, there's the tide level: if the tide is too high, there are no exposed rocks to set up a tripod; if too low, there's no water and the bare rocks don't look good. Even on the best-tide days, you have to wade through chest-deep water to climb onto the rocks. As everyone knows, tides relate to lunar phases — a 15-day cycle, and only one day within those 15 days has a suitable tide. That means about 24 opportunities a year for the right tide, but catching perfect weather on a suitable tide is even harder — getting one a year is already a luxury. And the natural constraints aren't the only issue; most importantly, the Haiwang Nine Islands has no tide station, so there's no accurate tide data — only rough estimates.
A vast expanse of ocean, without even a rock to set up a tripod
Under such harsh natural constraints, succeeding in just six visits to the Haiwang Nine Islands is quite fortunate. Each trip from Shenyang to shoot at the Haiwang Nine Islands costs 1,500 yuan — and calculating carefully, the cost behind a single photo has approached nearly 10,000 yuan. Each time, I took a big ferry from Zhuanghe Port, then hired a fisherman's small boat to reach this uninhabited island to wait for the most beautiful sunset — and the sun had to pass exactly through the stone arch, which relates to the sun's declination (the season). This uninhabited island actually has no place suitable for living — only a small 20-square-meter patch of beach formed by oyster shells, which sits above sea level at high tide and can be camped on. Drinking water had to be stocked in advance from the main island and brought over. Living conditions were extremely harsh — when wind and rain came, I'd shelter in a small cave of about 6 square meters on the island. Under these arduous and demanding conditions, I shot this "Holy Elephant Gate" (《圣象天门》).
NO.2 "A Thousand Silks Like Water" (《千丝若水》)
NO.3 "The Eye of Hell" (《地狱之曈》)
NO.4 "The Roof" (《屋顶》)
NO.5 "The Eye of the Eagle" (《鹰之眼》)
NO.6 "A Hidden Paradise" (《别有洞天》)
NO.7 "Burning Banner Clouds" (《火烧旗云》)
NO.8 "Colorful Autumn" (《多彩之秋》)
NO.9 "Space-Time Explosion" (《时空炸裂》)
NO.10 "Lost in the Frozen Sea" (《冰海迷航》)
NO.11 "Blood-Red Lava" (《血色熔岩》)
NO.12 "Radiant Light" (《万丈光芒》)
NO.13 "The Wizard of Oz" (《绿野仙踪》)
NO.14 "A Single 'Tree' in the Vast Sea" (《沧海一“树"》)
NO.15 "The Ivory Tower" (《象牙塔》)
NO.16 "The Crab General Goes to Sea" (《蟹将出海》)
3
Geek Sharing
Upholding the geek-sharing spirit of AdventureX AX — sharing pure substance without dilution — I've also written my landscape shooting techniques and insights into tutorials:
1. "Five Ways to Express Slow-Shutter Seascapes"
https://joyou.tuchong.com/t/14199390/
2. "Teaching You to Paint Van Gogh's Starry Night"
https://joyou.tuchong.com/t/14317690/
3. "Taking You to Shoot the Milky Way at 30,000 Feet (Part 1)"
https://joyou.tuchong.com/t/14290231/
4. "Teaching You to Shoot the Milky Way at 30,000 Feet (Part 2)"
https://joyou.tuchong.com/t/14494615/
5. "Nipping Noise in the Bud"
https://joyou.tuchong.com/t/14443597/
6. "Lightweight Filter System Solutions and Review for Bulb Lenses"
https://joyou.tuchong.com/t/14646169/
7. "Advanced Starry Sky Noise Reduction — Average Stacking Based on Smart Objects"
https://joyou.tuchong.com/t/14861598/
8. "The Ultimate Guide to Starry Sky Noise Reduction — Stacking Based on RegiStar"
https://joyou.tuchong.com/t/14892617/
9. "Review of the Domestic 'Eye of the Night' Shenyang Zhongyi 50mm f/0.95"
https://joyou.tuchong.com/t/14989755/
10. "Four Years to Sharpen One Sword: Presenting Dalian's Stunning Coastline to You at Absolutely 'No Cost'! (Part 1)"
https://joyou.tuchong.com/t/14928264/
11. "Four Years to Sharpen One Sword: Presenting Dalian's Stunning Coastline to You at Absolutely 'No Cost'! (Part 2)"
12. "Bioluminescent Sea: A Complete Guide to 'Shooting & Post-Processing & Creativity'"
https://joyou.tuchong.com/t/15160468/
13. "Milky Way Arch Panorama Stitching and NIK Plugin Milky Way Grading"
https://joyou.tuchong.com/t/15034168/
14. "All the Methods for Creating Three-Dimensionality in Photos Are Right Here"
https://joyou.tuchong.com/t/15854059/
15. "How to Balance Photography Gear and Backpack Weight in Outdoor Photography"
For the articles, please check the AdventureX (极影) official account
Honest Words
1. What are the income sources for professional landscape photographers?
I've summarized the main economic sources for professional landscape photographers into four: 1. leading photography field-trip groups, 2. education and training (online/offline courses or video tutorials), 3. selling photos to stock libraries, and 4. manufacturer contracts (including commercial events organized by clients).
2. Are the books and posts that teach photographers how to make money from photos or operations useful?
They have some use, but not much. Many posts and books online teaching people how to make money from photography and photos are very popular. Yet only a few photographers in the "circle" actually make real money; most are still just making ends meet. The popularity of such posts and books also shows how much everyone craves "monetization" (no normal person would refuse money). But the reality is like this: if I possessed the "gold-touch skill," I'd just quietly make money for myself. Would I take a stone and "turn it to gold," then share the gold-touch technique with others? Would I write a book about the "gold-touch skill" to make money? The answer is obvious.
3. Why don't I publish a book?
Actually, publishers have contacted me about publishing a book, but I feel that publishing a book requires serious responsibility. I sense my accumulation isn't enough yet, and I hope to build up and then release. Also, I don't think it's yet the time for me to summarize my artistic life.
I've printed a self-published photo album of my five years of work as a gift to myself — a phased summary of my journey. I'll stay true to my original aspiration on this photography path and keep moving forward, hoping my album will be even more wonderful in my next five years.
4. Why haven't I taken the path of a professional landscape photographer?
As early as the year before last, Duoye @Diligent Xiaodu (勤奋的刘小朵) said: "With work like yours, you should go out and do something." Watching photographers who debuted alongside me all become famous and popular, I still haven't gone professional. Why? First, to be sure, full-time photography would pay more than my current salary, but professional landscape photographers are extremely busy and away from home all year. Since my child is still young and I have a strong sense of responsibility, I don't want to be away from home year-round — I'd rather spend more time with my child and family. Second, although the income is higher than a regular job, it's not high enough to make you quit. Since photography is an outdoor profession, compare it to engineers building hydropower stations in Pakistan on aid projects — the incomes are similar, and both are away from home all year. Third, professional landscape photographers who lead groups don't produce their own shots. Many people think, "How nice to be out all year, traveling around" — but leading groups truly doesn't yield your own photos. Since you're leading a group, you must serve the members well; even if you don't shoot yourself, you make sure the members get their shots. Actually, leading groups is a service industry. Also, the places you take groups to are relatively well-established spots that won't produce particularly special masterpieces. Even professional photographers who want their own images schedule time outside work each year for personal creation. I'm someone who knows exactly what I want. Since my original intent in shooting wasn't to make money but to produce more and better work, professionalization wouldn't give me what I want, so I continue on my current path.
5. How do you balance photography income and photography creation?
Creating landscape photography has costs. For example, my creative trips to the uninhabited island cost 1,500 each time (food, lodging, transport), and six trips came to nearly 10,000 yuan. To feed back into my photography, I do take some jobs to cover travel expenses. But I usually only take jobs that are convenient along the way — like phone photography or filters. When I'm shooting with my DSLR, I also shoot with my phone on the side; since I use filters anyway, I shoot comparison shots along the way. In 2017, I turned down more jobs than I took. Some really consume a lot of energy, and I'd rather decline them and put more energy into my family and photography creation itself.
6. How many people are in AdventureX AX?
AdventureX officially has six members: Yao Minglai, Shi Fei, Shi Yanbing, Pan Weihao, Thomas, and Zhou You. Hans (汗斯) serves as the outdoor technical advisor for the AdventureX team. Currently it's a "6+1" combination.
7. How can one become a new member of the AdventureX AX team?
Many people have asked this year whether the AdventureX AX team is recruiting new members. Here's a definite answer: AdventureX AX is an open team, but member selection certainly has conditions — both photographic achievement and outdoor capability must be of a very high standard, and most importantly, one's "worldview must be right." Here I'll offer an unofficial reference method for selecting AdventureX AX members (it hasn't yet gone through the AdventureX AX general assembly): new members are nominated by veteran members and must pass a vote by all (with a one-veto system); a veteran member can only nominate once every two years, and no more than one new member is added per year. If no one suitable is found, no new member is recruited — after all, quality matters more than quantity.
8. Why doesn't AdventureX AX have a fan WeChat group?
Running a WeChat group requires time and manpower, consuming a lot of energy. AdventureX AX members are all very busy, and if not managed well, the group can easily degenerate into a "beg for critiques" group or a "like-begging" group. I personally have my reservations about "begging for critiques" and "begging for likes." I think these are means of destroying the "fairness" of a community. Every community should, like real society, balance efficiency and fairness.
When photographing this tree, I thought of this passage: "If there is an afterlife, I want to be a tree, standing for eternity, without a posture of joy or sorrow. Half of me rests peacefully in the dust, half soars in the wind. Half sprinkles shade, half basks in sunshine. Very silent and very proud, never relying on anything, never seeking anything." — Sanmao. For a hundred years, this lone tree has stood in the waters of Lake Wanaka beneath the snow mountains, every leaf shimmering in the setting sun, standing quietly and proudly, watching the sun set early and the weary birds return late to the forest. I admire this tree for its proud posture and its attitude of never relying and never seeking. Photography is not about networking in cliques!
9. Since photography isn't about networking in cliques, how should photographers properly manage themselves?
When it comes to self-management, you have to talk about product. If you have excellent products but no market, your management is inadequate. If you have no product and just keep "managing," I think that's no different from a pyramid scheme — pure empty talk. For photographers, the best product is your own solid body of work. And photo communities are often the best place for photographers to build popularity — so the hottest community is bound to be a photographer's vanity fair, and also a "hotbed of gossip." For a photographer, it's simply about first shooting good work and then consistently producing good work. Every photography community is a two-way selection between quality content and quality community resources. As long as you have good work, the community will definitely recommend you through official channels, not through other irregular means (like bought likes, bought followers, or fawning).
10. Why are you against self-promotion methods like begging for critiques and likes?
Methods like begging for critiques and likes are self-promotion tactics that emerged with the popularity of WeChat groups. On the surface, one person's begging for critiques or likes doesn't seem to cause much harm — but in fact it does. The beneficiaries of such behavior are members of a small WeChat circle: this kind of promotion favors connections over quality, recommending the work of whoever you know and have good relations with. For example, a photography newcomer who wants to stand out discovers that they can't gain more attention just by shooting better photos through their own effort — because for a newcomer, even a good photo gets buried by the heat of a "mediocre photo" posted by someone already "inside the circle." So the newcomer feels indignant and finds a "shortcut": network in circles and groups, then beg for critiques and likes. In this way, the photography ecosystem deteriorates generation after generation — no one truly focuses on shooting; instead they compete through connections and circles, with few real photos and plenty of posturing (how rhyming!). After all, the beneficiaries of begging for critiques and likes are the few inside the circle, while the broad base of photography enthusiasts are mostly victims as the ecosystem worsens. This is also why I said earlier that an excellent photography community "balances efficiency and fairness." A photography community should also have the right value orientation and shouldn't openly or tacitly support begging for critiques and likes. As for photographers, they should be strict with themselves, focus on shooting, and work together to foster a healthy photography ecosystem.
11. Landscape post-processing techniques are so transparent — why are still only a few people shooting well?
Tutorials on landscape pre- and post-processing techniques are all over the internet now — technically they're extremely transparent, yet most people still can't shoot well, or more precisely, their shots lack distinctiveness. It's like practicing a legendary martial art: you train the moves but not the inner cultivation. Landscape photography also has an inner cultivation.
In 2014, to photograph the vast forested snowfields, I walked alone with a tent into the depths of that rarely visited wilderness. There were no people, and certainly no accommodations. The snow was a full meter deep, and the temperature was minus 40 degrees. Surviving under such harsh conditions was difficult enough, and shooting was even harder. The north wind howled across the snowfield, leaving traces of wind on the surface. I had to dig a snow pit two meters long and two meters wide with my tools, burying half the tent in the pit to shelter from the wind. Fortunately, I'd brought a sleeping bag rated for minus 40 degrees. But at night the wind was so strong it seemed the tent would fall apart at any moment. I was freezing to death and had to find a way not to freeze to death there. Luckily, I'd brought a gas canister, an outdoor stove, and a pot to boil water. I planned to melt snow, boil hot water, pour it into a thermos, drink some warm water, and put the rest in the cup as a hot water bottle inside my sleeping bag to warm up. But the temperature was so low that the gas couldn't vaporize and the canister wouldn't light at all. I rubbed and shook the canister for 10 minutes until it finally ignited, and successfully boiled some melted snow water to keep warm. That's how I managed to camp out in the forested snowfield for a night. Heaven rewards the diligent — the next morning brought a fantastic burning-cloud sky, and I climbed the fire lookout tower with my bare hands to capture this photo of a snowy forest wonderland.
Actually, I've already touched on the inner cultivation of landscape photography earlier in this article — for example, the persistence shown in the stories behind "Qiankun Taiji" and "The Persistence of Annapurna" in the "Push the Limits" section of this year-end review. It can be summarized in four words: "the landscape obsession." As long as you have this landscape obsession, treat landscape photography as a faith, and hold reverence for nature in your heart...
This landscape obsession isn't just persistence toward a destination, but also persistence over time. Many people know that the General Rock at Xihu Zui was made famous by Bandao Xueren (Peninsula Snowman). One day, Xueren and I arranged to shoot at Xihu Zui. When we reached the spot, I asked him: "You've already made the General Rock famous at Xihu Zui, and no one can surpass you now. Why do you still come every time the weather and tide are good?" Xueren said: "I feel that the definitive masterpiece of General Rock hasn't been captured yet, so I still have to come." Therefore, the obsession in landscape photography isn't persistence toward a particular "destination," but long-term persistence over time — as the saying goes, "Knowing is easy, doing is hard; doing is easy, persisting is hard; persist long enough and you will surely reach your goal." And more often than not, what we need to do is deny and break through ourselves.
Work by Bandao Xueren (半岛雪人)
Work by Bandao Xueren (半岛雪人)
Work by Bandao Xueren (半岛雪人)
12. How can landscape photography achieve a "zen" (Buddha-like) mindset?
A hot term recently is "zen photography" — a photographic attitude of not being elated by external gains or saddened by personal losses. But does the "go with the flow" of zen photography mean having no standards for your work? I don't think zen photography means having no standards for the work itself — just as Tang Seng went to fetch the scriptures, there are standards for the outcome of obtaining the scriptures and ultimately becoming a Buddha. However, regarding the process of seeking the Buddha and cultivating oneself, one is neither elated nor saddened. In 2015, I once passed through Nanjing and was warmly hosted by two local benefactors, "Jiu Ye" and "Yongjing Ruoxin." The two benefactors even brought out a collector's edition Maotai from 1979 (older than I am). After several rounds of drinks and a fine meal, the two benefactors mentioned a New Year's gathering: three days of shooting in Anhui, then celebrating the New Year together, split by AA. Anhui's "three prodigies" would also attend — lao.pao, Fang Tuomasi, and Haozi — all long-established big names on Tuchong. Having drunk their Maotai, I had to show face, so I readily agreed. On New Year's Day, my wife and I attended this gathering together. During the three-day shooting itinerary, I came to understand that "Huizhou-style" photography is a landscape system different from the "North American style" I currently shoot. I was very clear about what I wanted to shoot, but over the three days there was basically none of the landscape I wanted. Many times I held the camera without shooting, or at some documentary spots — like photographing umbrella-making workers — I shot but never published the results.
The documentary photos from the Anhui trip were never published on Tuchong; they were published on the international site 1X.
The zen landscape photography I understand is going with the flow — no forcing shots deliberately, no forcing a masterpiece look out of a bad day. Everything follows fate. It's like Tang Seng fetching scriptures: enduring hardships, yet seeking the true scriptures. Many people feel that since they spent so much money to come out, they must produce a few shots. Zen photography should be about capturing the photos you truly want in your heart; regarding gains and losses, go with the flow. Maybe you don't get it this time — come again next time. Don't feel sad or disappointed for not getting it this time; stay firm in your goal. Similarly, recognition of your own work's results isn't through social platform heat or a 99.9 rating — as long as you've captured the work you wanted, don't care about its score in the public's eyes.
This "Autumn Abstract Painting" — I knew clearly that small-scene landscapes struggle to gain heat, but I don't shoot for heat.
In the end, I produced not a single photo from the Anhui trip, and published nothing. I estimate my shooting attitude made the gathering's organizer feel "the year-end gathering was a failure," and they never invited me again. (Haha)
Speaking of "zen" photography, I must mention the most powerful zen martial art move in the film "Kung Fu Hustle" — the "Buddha's Palm"! At the end of the film, what truly made the Fire Cloud Evil God submit wasn't the "Buddha's Palm," but the line: "Want to learn? I'll teach you!" In the martial arts world, martial arts were treated as top secrets for self-defense — sometimes even masters kept a few moves back and wouldn't teach their disciples. But the protagonist was willing to teach everything, showing that he learned martial arts not to kill. Having grasped the supreme skill — the "Buddha's Palm" — he instead achieved the cessation of killing. One can only bow before such a realm.
Therefore, the highest realm of photography isn't photography itself, but this attitude of sharing. Thinking back to five years ago when I was still a photography newbie, the master Bandao Xueren also taught everything he knew without reservation. This realm is also why I've always looked up to Bandao Xueren. That's why AdventureX AX has made "Geek Sharing" one of the team's core philosophies — sharing the knowledge and essentials of landscape photography without holding anything back. At the same time, I hope the "landscape obsession" mentioned in this article will be passed down like a torch, spreading the positive energy of landscape photography.
❂ Finally
2017 was truly busy, but busy and happy. As AdventureX's little editor, I successfully planned activities like "AdventureX Photo Reviews," "AdventureX Paid Submissions," and the "AdventureX Outdoor Landscape Photography Contest." This year was fruitful. The AdventureX official account, founded on February 15, 2017, has already gained 30,000 followers in 10 months. Thank you all for your support and attention to AdventureX. In 2018, AdventureX AX will repay fans' support with even better content.
