Yueyang, Hunan, April 25

Being a freelance photo-person certainly has its ups and downs. The income is probably the main one. One month could be steak and champagne, the next its cup noodles and water. Feast or famine. Time and effort can also be unmeasurably variable. Sometimes you feel like you do very little, but the rewards come in, monetarily or otherwise, and sometimes you feel like you are busting your arse for pennies. I think this lifestyle is difficult for some other people to fathom. To some people I know, perhaps it looks like I have all the time in the world, and all I do is walk around occasionally with a camera and somehow money miraculously falls from the heavens. To others, those that know me better, they see me fighting a losing battle, and one I’ll surely never win. And they are far closer to the truth than even I would like to admit. But, we choose our path, and the sweet and sour that goes with it. I have to admit, 2025 has really been a difficult one for me. If I was a boxer I’d take the right hook, lay on that canvas, and wait for the count to end. But, in between the doubts, the worries, the second-guessing, the insecurities, the endless let-downs and last-minute cancellations, just every now and then, the stars align, you catch the shine of a moonbeam, and good things happen. And at the end of April, 2025, something good happened.

Over the years, just from word of mouth and people knowing people, I get invited to take part in certain photography events or happenings. I was a judge for a big photo competition. I’ve done some small exhibitions, talks and workshops, speeches for photo event openings, that kinda stuff. But one of the things I enjoy most is the photo trips organized by the media groups. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to some incredible places around China, taking photos in small groups, and having access to places that many people will never get to see. Last year the highlight was Qinghai, the majestic Tibetan autonomous region (I’ll do a blog thing about that trip soon.) In April this year, the trip was to Hunan, starting with a quick overnighter at Changsha (to buy some chili sauce) then on to Yeuyang, a place I’d never heard of before. Often these media photo trips are small numbered groups, but this time there was to be two groups, each with 4 foreign photographers and other lovely people, to be visiting different places and attractions, taking in the sights, and to give our feelings and perspective on what we saw. Our group was made up of two lovely ladies who both made videos and lifestyle content, Olya and Laura, a Greek gentleman photographer called George who I’d been friends with for some time and done previous photo trips with, myself, two local gentleman photographers who were super cool, and finally 3 fantastic ladies from the media group, to keep an eye on us, point us in the right direction, and keep us fed and watered, safe and happy. We were to have 6 days in total, with several attractions and places of interest per day. Before I was even told the schedule details, I knew this was going to be an amazing trip. And it was.

*This elegant performer prepares before the opera, and they were gracious enough to let us take some photos as they got ready.*

The basic idea of these trips is mostly along the lines of; We go to a place, take some photos, perhaps do an interview, then go to another place and take photos. And the media people take photos and videos of you, taking photos and videos. I always feel really quite honored to be brought along to these trips. It’s not like China doesn’t have amazing local photographers, because the standard of photographers here is on par with the rest of the world, for sure. But I think, up to a point, the interest lays in curiosity; How do foreign guests in China, see China? When you live in a place, day in day out, things can get pretty mundane. I’m from London, but I never saw London like a visitor would see it. The weird, the wonderful, the good, the bad, the ugly. Even if I visit a city or town that local people would say is pretty dull, I will find it fascinating. The markets, the old signs, the tired streets, the tired people. I’ve only ever lived in big, modern cities. London, Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Playing tourist to pretty much anywhere else really fills me with wonder. Lots of questions, but very few answers. This trip to Yueyang was full of all that, and a lot more. I won’t bore anyone with a hour-by-hour account of all we saw, the places we visited, but each and every place was interesting, insightful, calming and exciting, in their own wonderful way. We saw huge Dragonboats being made in a factory workshop, with almost every step of the process done by artisanal hand. We saw a guy walking 6-metre stilts. We watched a booze master make rice wine from scratch. We saw beautiful and intricate architecture and ancient buildings, we talked to school kids who crowded around us and gave us high-fives and took selfies. One little boy even gave me a carved wooden gift. We saw the making of delicate pottery, a chili plantation, a captivating Chinese opera, a private shadow-puppet show. All of these and more made those 6 days something special, something unforgettable, something I will look back on with fond memories as long as my mind serves me. But there was something else far more meaningful on this trip, something unexpected, but truly joyous.

There’s one thing about living as a foreign guest in another country, is that things can feel pretty transient. In Shenzhen, things come and go, real fast. Opportunities, people, friendships, relationships. It can be hard to make lasting connections here. People have their own busy lives, their families, kids, jobs, responsibilities and priorities. I may know a lot of people here, but how many of those are anything more than just WeChat contacts? People you stop and say hi to if you pass on the street, but very few deeper than that. The reason this trip to Yueyang was so incredibly special, was the personal connections we all made. The other foreign photographers on the trip were fun, interested, curious, open minded and open hearted, happy to be taking it all in and grateful for the chance to be there. The two gentleman photographers joining us were warm, welcoming, inspiring and knowledgeable. And the three amazing media ladies were just the best. Kind, sweet, helpful, thoughtful, happy to answer all my stupid questions, and even though they worked incredibly long hours, they always had a smile for us. As we napped or stared out of the window during the hours of driving aboard the bus, they were on their laptops writing, editing video, sending emails and constantly working. They were young, but intelligent beyond their years. In their own way, they were also a real inspiration to me. These three, I will remember with the most fondness.

*The booze master making rice wine, it was absolutely mesmorizing to watch.*

Our days there came and went. After two or three days there, I did something I never found myself doing before; I was counting down the days until it all had to end. Because, honestly, I didn’t want it to end. But, end it did. The final day we had a big meeting, heard some people give their opinions and reflections and musings of the trip. Hands were shook, hugs were given tightly, and even some tears were shed. Promises of “We’ll keep in touch,” that hopefully do just that. And before we knew it, we were at the train station, all heading in different directions home across China. The journey back felt twice as long as the journey there. New friends had been made in those days, and I think we all felt something special in those bonds formed. I know I certainly did.

*This talented gentleman gave us a spellbinding shadow-puppet show.*

The Summer is now here, and the cool, clear days of Yueyang feel longer ago than they actually were. We’ve all gone back to our separate lives, doing what we always do, having the same conversations with the same people that we always did. I’m sure there will be other trips in the future, perhaps with some of the same people, perhaps not. But we have our photos, and we have our memories. I’m not sure which might fade first. In time, things fragment into tiny pieces, the vivid memories grow colorless, we recall less and less. But, there are some parts of that trip that will stay with me forever.

I’d just like end this thing with some gratitude and words of thanks, for making this trip above and beyond my expectations; To the organizers and China News, Miss Maple, Mr. Bai, my fellow photographers, and most importantly to Yiyi, Romantic, and Evelina. Please accept my heartfelt thanks and appreciation. You gave me an incredible 6 days.

*Our happy little gang of photo-snappers, from left to right; Frankie, George, Andika, Vlao, Me, Aline, Laura. By this time Olya had already buggered off.*

*Everyone else manages to look at the camera, whilst I am doing a little dance.*

*Frankie explains something I don’t understand. This is our relationship.*

*Me and Olya wowing the others with our Dragon-dance skillz*

Photography Blabber; Part of the deal with most of these trips is that you’re expected to provide the organizers with a set of photos after the trip. Because of the varying light conditions, locations, weather and so on, I find it best to play it safe and cover all bases. On this trip I took my Canon 5D4, with a 5D3 kept in the hotel as back up. My main lens was my beaten-up 24-105 f4 workhorse beast, backed up by my Sigma 50 f1.4 Art, and a 105 f2.8 macro, which was never actually used for macro, but I did get a few gorgeous portraits from it. I resisted taking a film camera this time, as I was simultaneously also filming a promo video for a tripod company, meaning that I also had to carry two full-size tripods (one obviously needed to film the other.) On the most part, I avoid tripods unless absolutely necessary, but on this trip, needs must.

On reflection, I think the photos on this trip were mostly pleasant but quite generic. Travel snaps with purpose. I like that on these trips I can kind of tell myself that I’m on an assignment, that whatever happens or whatever the situation, I must provide some decent photos at the end of it all. I like that. I like having to take photos. It forces me to stop being the lazy sod I can be, and makes me look twice, look closer, look harder, at whatever might be in front of me. I think this can be a very positive exercise for photographers to do; To tell yourself “This is an assignment, today I must be able to end up with 10, 20, decent and usable quality images.” Giving yourself a kick in the arse from time to time is not a bad thing.

After the trip, our photos were put into a rather impressive exhibition, along the lines of Yueyang Through Foreign Lenses. This was a realty nice outro to the trip, as it’s not everyday your photos are printed up nice and big and displayed for to others to see. This is a very rewarding feeling in itself. What’s the point in taking photos if they are just going to sit on a hard drive forever? The exhibition is still on, I believe, and a return trip to see it is definitely in my near-future travel plans. Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to catch up with a familiar face or two from the trip. I do hope so.

Hanoi, Vietnam, Oct. 24

Inner Reflection Foto