A few days ago Matt Brandon, Jamin York and myself got together on Skype to discuss our 2012 Lhasa, Everest, Nepal Overland Workshop.  We covered almost every aspect of the workshop.  I mentioned quickly that one of the best parts of the trip for me was our day in Bhaktapur, Nepal.  Bhaktapur is a small community outside of Kathmandu city still located in the Kathmandu Valley.  The amazing think about Bhaktapur is that the local community has made an amazing effort to preserve their culture and way off life.  It truly is a city trapped in time.  Ancient city walls, buildings, shops, and architecture all filled with people doing life much the same way that have for thousands of years.

In this year’s tour we will be spending a few days in Bhaktapur. I couldn’t be more excited about our time there.

If you are interested to know more about the entire tour, I strongly suggest you take a listen to our short interview below.  We cover quite a bit of ground in this interview.

The two trips are are offering in 2012 are below:

View the links for more information:

• Lhasa, Everest, Nepal Overland Workshop
• Storytellers Workshop

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
It gives me great pleasure to announce Plateau Photo Tours annual Lhasa, Everest, Nepal Overland Tour and workshop.  Last years tour was a ton of fun. We continue to call this trip a ‘bucket-list’ trip because, well, you’re going to see some amazing things!  If you are interested in what all the tour entails, please visit our Plateau Photo Tours website.

The overland route connecting Lhasa, Tibet with Kathmandu, Nepal is one of the most beautiful and and sought-out land routes in all of Asia. Covering a distance of 600 miles, this workshop will take us from the ancient Tibetan capital of Lhasa to pristine high altitude lakes, winding ancient rivers, beautiful farming valleys, Everest Base Camp and over the Himalaya Mountain passes to the ancient Nepali city of Bhaktapur. We will be visiting the most famous monasteries and temples in all of Tibet while spending 13 days immersed in the unique Himalayan culture. Join us on the Roof of the World to get up close and personal with Himalayan culture and the adventure of a lifetime!

We like to consider this workshop as a ‘photo tour with a strong teaching element‘.  Most of the teaching will be done on the field in an organic fashion – we will have some specific teaching areas we will cover as well.  Also, we will have reviews and teachings most evenings to cover events from the day and to prepare for the next.  However, we understand that you will want to get lost in the endless alleyways of Lhasa and wander around monasteries to find your own adventures.  Their will be no ‘flag-totting tour guide following‘ whatsoever.  We’ve built time in for everyone and those who want one-on-one time with the instructors will get it.  Those who want to simply shoot will get it.  We’ve built the tour around flexibility, community, discussion, freedom and your ability to learn what you want from our instructors while also having the opportunity to shoot what you want.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:
Cultural and travel photography involves much more than catching a flight to a faraway destination and simply taking the camera out of the bag. Instead, it begs us to immerse ourselves in and tell the story of a place, a people, and a way of life with those tools we bring to the table. Story is what the entire world revolves around, it is the substance upon which societies are built, and it is the gateway to exploring and consciously learning about others.

During this culturally compelling photography tour, we’ll have the opportunity to establish a storytelling foundation and build upon our abilities as photographers to create meaning-filled images that truly speak about and to others. Throughout the tour, we’ll touch on photographic issues such as compelling composition, image dynamics, constructing and shooting along visual themes, and the role light plays in conveying emotions and visual subtleties to the viewer, as well as cultural entrée and engagement topics that will help facilitate photographing in a new place and among new people. All of this will be developed from a storytelling perspective, as opposed to a simply snapshot position. We’ll also develop storytelling technical workflows and use them to create visual narratives of one of the most beautiful and culturally rich areas of the world.

The tour will be both intensely photographic and educational, the field will serve as our learning environment, and organic discussions and critique sessions will be held as a coming-together of visual minds most evenings. The goal of the tour (and the tour hosts) is to provide each participant as much freedom as possible in their photography while also offering professional and constructive guidance from a travel and cultural photography perspective.

(Hours before midnight on Chinese New Years.  Click image for Pano)

Happy Year of the Water Dragon, everyone!

I love this time of year.  Who wouldn’t? Two million non-professional Chinese citizens legally setting off category 4 professional fireworks at the same time.

Dangerous?  Undoubtedly so.  Amazing?  Truly.

This year I was invited to a few friends party on top of a 19 story high rise apartment in our city.  In years past I’ve hiked up a local mountain and videoed a birds-eye-view of the city from a safe distance.  This year the thought of fireworks exploding at eye level all around me was to much to pass up.  The 2012 New Years celebration was great.  Check out some of the videos, audio, and images from this years celebration.

About a two minute stereo audio of the fireworks recorded on the Zoom H1

2012 New Years Video

Finally, I wanted to share a look at the last few years of Chinese New Years celebrations. Enjoy!

2010 New Year’s Fireworks

2011 New Year’s Fireworks

2011 New Year’s Fireworks from our apartment

2011 New Year’s Fireworks: Not the smartest thing I’ve ever seen

I’ve gotten so many emails in the last few months asking if Plateau Photo Tours has on tap.  I’m excited to reveal another one of our headline tours for 2012 – our 2012 Storytellers workshop

Jerod Foster and myself couldn’t be more excited to announce our first Storytellers workshop.  Jerod and I have been able to develop a close friendship over the last few years, so we were excited when the opportunity to co-lead a workshop presented itself — especially over a topic that we are both passionate about — Storytelling. This workshop coincides with the release of Jerod’s new and amazing book – Storytellers.

Per usually with Plateau Photo Tours, we are excited to bring along some really great sponsors.  For the 2012 Storytellers workshop, we are happy to have Peach Pit Press, Black Rapid Straps, and 3 Legged Thing tripods along for the ride.  This means our tour will come with some great products from all of these sponsors.  You’ll either walk home with some free swag or get the opportunity to use some of their revolutionary products for free while on the tour.

A bit more about the tour:

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ABOUT THE LOCATIONS:

Covering an area the size of the state of Montana, the Amdo region of the Tibetan Plateau has everything a photographer could dream of: Beautiful, high altitude grasslands filled with grazing yaks, alpine forests and rivers, ancient Buddhist monasteries, rugged mountains and one of the world’s most fascinating cultures. Tibet is one of the few remaining places on earth that is relatively untouched by the modern world. Many nomads still live in yak wool tents like they did 1000 years ago. Amazing, once-in-a-lifetime photography opportunities will surround you each day as we explore the monastery towns of Rebkong, Labrang and Lhamo. (Click to expand...)

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:

Cultural and travel photography involves much more than catching a flight to a faraway destination and simply taking the camera out of the bag. Instead, it begs us to immerse ourselves in and tell the story of a place, a people, and a way of life with those tools we bring to the table. Story is what the entire world revolves around, it is the substance upon which societies are built, and it is the gateway to exploring and consciously learning about others. (Click to expand...)

IMAGES FROM THE AREA:

In the gallery below are images and scenes from the areas we will be visiting on the 2012 Storyteller Workshop:

Matt Brandon and myself are excited for our next workshop.  We announced Plateau Photo Tours annual Lhasa, Everest, Nepal Overland Tour and workshop a while back.  2012’s tour is rapidly filling up with only a few spots left! Last years tour was a ton of fun. We continue to call this trip a ‘bucket-list’ trip because, well, you’re going to see some amazing things!  If you are interested in what all the tour entails, please visit our Plateau Photo Tours website.

We will continue to post about the tour as it gets closer to the workshop date.  Nonetheless, I thought it would be interesting to post a few thoughts today from previous workshop participants.  I asked them to shoot from the hip and answer a few questions for us and tell about their experience on last years tour.

I was surprised by some of their responses!  Check it out our good friends Jere and Simon’s responses.

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What was your favorite part of the workshop?

Simon : “With such a rich trip it’s hard to whittle this down to one favourite thing. Driving up and over the the Pang La pass was definitely mind blowing. When the five highest peaks on earth suddenly come into view on a distant horizon, blue sky as the back drop, is probably the most awe inducing sight I’ve ever seen.  I have never been more moved by a view in my life. had to sneak off and hide my emotions!”

Jere : “Everest for the first time will be remembered forever. I really did want to cry!”

What’s your favorite memory?

Simon : “Waking every morning somewhere new and exciting and being truly excited for what that day was holding –knowing that day’s new experiences were going to be like nothing I’d ever experienced before in my life!“

Jere : “Too many to name one!  Here are a few:  Yak Burgers, Thamel, Standing at Everest Base Camp, staring at the North Face of Everest, Incredible Staff and teachers, The dedication of the pilgrims, the barren beauty of the Tibetan landscape, So many steps, So little air…“

What were your impressions on the culture?

Simon : ”I love the simplicity and passion of the Tibetan people. Colorful, full of humour, hospitality and inquisitiveness. The way the traditional culture is alive amongst the new influences is fascinating and admirable.“

Jere : ”The dedication of the pilgrims impacted me– what makes them tick?!“

How were the staff and instructors?

Simon : ”I learned more in my time with these boys , than my years fiddling with photography. they have a top repor with each other. Informal, yet very professional. which made me relax and enjoy all moments from the mechanical, practical side of photography to the interaction with the local people and culture. with the added bonus of always walking away laughing my head off !“

Jere : ”You guys put together an incredible staff and teachers. I can’t imagine a more knowledgeable and caring group for a trip like this. It all seemed seamless though I know it wasn’t. Because of the staff we were able to move beyond the tourist thing to really get involved with the people and culture. I really appreciated the commitment to using Tibetan businesses whenever possible.“

Photographically, what was the most helpful part of the trip?  What did you learn?

Simon : ”Again there is so much to say here. The most important thing for me was to understand and learn how to approach local people, so as to capture natural and beautiful portraits. My own approach didn’t work and I got frustrated.  The boys from Plateau Photo Tours showed me how to go about this with simple techniques and respect. I now have such rich images that I never imagined I would ever capture.”

Jere : ”I learned that my vision is mine. Initially it was “boy I wish I’d shot that.” In the end it was ” Hoow could I have made my picture better?” Not trying to ‘be’ someone else.

I was clearly out of my element in photographing a foreign culture. I also knew that in order to take better pictures I’d have to be more involved with the culture, the land, and the people.  This trip allowed me to develop as a photographer in that regard. If I were to lay out images on a timeline you’d see the improvement over the length of the trip. It’s difficult to connect to your subjects when you have no common language. This trip taught me how to functions as a photographer who is a stranger in a strange land.“

Would you recommend this trip to others?

Simon : ”Yes and yes again. This workshop works.  I keep saying to others that you will walk away from this trip fully satisfied, unbounded new knowledge and with memories that will not fade. You will be challenged to find another outfit that will take you and get you into places that these lot know and have access to. An absolutely fantastic unique experience. Thank you Plateau Photo Tours!!  You aint seen the last of me !!“

Jere : ”I couldn’t have imagined a better trip before I started. It was more than than I could ever ave hoped for.  It’s the trip of a lifetime. This s a trip everyone should take.“

Needless to say, we all had a great time.  We at Plateau Photo Tours love providing opportunities like this.  You can see some of the work from Jere and Simon during last years workshop at the following links:

• Jere’s Tibet portfolio
• Simon’s Tibet portfolio