Tours Abroad

Lydia Goetze and George DeWolfe lead the workshop to Zhangjiajie. An interview with Lydia can be seen here, and with George, here.

The Chinese have known about the mystical landscapes of Zhangjiajie for centuries. Sandstone and limestone towers, jagged, fragmented, and often shrouded in low-hanging clouds and mist, are magical indeed. Still, until recent times this area received few visitors because of its remoteness in northwestern Hunan province. Today it is very popular with domestic Chinese tour groups, though still relatively unknown outside of China.

The Wulingyuan Scenic Reserve and National Forest is quite large – 370 square kilometers – but most visitors restrict themselves to a relatively small part of the reserve. One of our goals will be to see more of the reserve, and to get away from some of the crowds that gather in the most visited areas.

Endemic to the reserve are some 550 tree species (twice Europe’s total), birds and wildlife (civets, giant salamanders, monkeys, clouded leopards, pangolins, and gamebirds), and the Tujia ethnic minority. The humid climate has encouraged plant growth, and the spires and towers throughout the reserve are covered with a mantle of green vegetation.

We will also visit several minority villages to the west of the park, to see how the locals have adapted their lifestyle to this varied landscape.

Teaching Style

Teaching Contemplative Photography combines the essential skills of awareness with the basic elements of human vision. We teach the following:

Skills for the basic elements of vision:  Space, Change and Light

Skills for awareness:  Mindfulness and Visual Koans

We try to spend a day on each one of these, but more if necessary. Each person is encouraged to try each during the normal days of photographing. A pdf explaining more about Contemplative Photography can be obtained by emailing either Lydia or George.

(lbgoetze@roadrunner.com or georgedewolfe@roadrunner.com).

The overall structure of the workshop attempts to show the connection between landscape, culture and spirituality. Specifically, we explain the structure of Chinese landscape painting and Taoist and Buddhist (Chan) influence upon it in the culture of ancient China. We then show how it is possible, in conjunction with the contemplative photography skills, to apply the basic structure of ancient Chinese landscape painting, Taoism and Buddhism to represent and express contemplative landscape photography.

We have not chosen Zangjiajie at random. We feel that the relationship between the ancient Chinese approach to landscape and modern contemplative photography can be seen more poignantly here because of its confluence of beautiful mountains and characteristic villages.

This workshop is like no other landscape photography you will attend. You will leave with specific knowledge, skills, and images that reflect something totally different than the typical western landscape image.

Lydia Goetze and George DeWolfe

A full schedule of activities for companions will be available shortly.