#ningde

The Net Lady - Xiapu, China by Alex Berger Via Flickr: ** A note about this photo ** While photos like this are often passed off as organic and natural. The reality is that these, including this particular series, are a staged/commissioned portrait session. It takes place in a real fishing village, but is a carefully constructed scene in an old warehouse with wonderful natural light. It's also why the net is so clean, and perfectly laid out like a sea of water. I personally don't think it detracts from the photo. But do find it distasteful when many photographers try and pass these artificial moments off as authentic. For those interested, I also suggest looking up PicsofAsia's Library of Fake Travel Photos in Asia for better understanding of which shots are organic and which shots are beautiful but staged. *** The photos in this album are from my third and most extensive visit to China. China's natural wonders, delicious food, and rich cultural heritage make it a fascinating place to explore. The rise of translation apps, booking services, and other tools also make it vastly more easy and less daunting to explore than - perhaps - it was a dozen years or so ago for those who don't speak Chinese. For many, I think they've built up visiting China into something far more difficult than it is. The bigger challenge is actually navigating the crowds. Especially in the country's spectacular national parks. Which is why I've aimed my trips for the depths of off season. Many of these parks are designed to handle tens of thousands of visitors per day - on Mount Huangshan, I heard there were around 1,300 of us in the park compared to 35,000 at peak season. The result was a near complete absence of western tourists, and the opportunity to explore the parks without crowds and with very few other people. The trip involved around two weeks in China with stops in Shanghai, Huangshan National Park, Xiapu, Tianmen Mountain, and Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Please reach out directly for licensing, media or usage requests.