1/500 sec, f/4.0, Sigma 10-20mm at 10mm, no flash, ISO 800

Nearly three hundred peaks and thousands of limestone upthrusts cut into the sky at Wulingyuan Scenic Zone in the area known collectively as Zhangjiajie. The scenery here, one of the world's most impressive examples of karst topography - landscapes formed by the dissolution of layers of soluble bedrock - is otherworldly, even grotesque. The very same forces that carved out the Grand Canyon have given Zhangjiajie its strange, imposing skyline.

1/1000 sec, f/5.6, Sigma 10-20mm at 20mm, no flash, ISO 800

We flew into Zhangjiajie City from Shanghai and, after a high-speed, vertigo-inducing, hour-long ride during which our hired van careened perilously alongside cliffs conspicuously devoid of guardrails, we arrived into the village around midnight. After finding a hostel that would take foreigners, we packed it in for the night. The next morning, waking early to scout the area, I was stunned to discover that we were completely surrounded by towering red columns of limestone, so high that they disappeared into the cloudy mist shrouding the sky from sight. Arriving in the pitch black of the night before, we had no idea what surrounded us.

After breakfast that morning we paid the exorbitant (for China) entrance fee to the Scenic Zone and took a cable car up to the top of a major peak, where I took the first photograph above, as well as caught this tree holding on for dear life at the edge of a sharp precipice.

1/1250 sec, f/5.6, Canon 70-200mm at 70mm, no flash, ISO 400

While we would soon get lost on a descending trail and miss out on many of the major sights, the peace and quiet of the track we discovered, far from the masses of tourists up above, was worth it. There's tons of green everywhere you look, and lots of chances to see unique wildlife, like the black Birdwing butterfly below, a totally protected species.

2 sec, f/22, Sigma 10-20mm at 10mm, no flash, ISO 100

1/320 sec, f/5.0, Canon 70-200mm at 180mm, no flash, ISO 400

We would soon, however, hike up another six-thousands steps in the other direction, and ran into this guy and several of his friends, hanging out about ten feet off the trail (no bars, cages, or fences). I was taken aback by the intelligence and depth of emotion in their eyes, and really wish my photographs had done it justice. They seemed to regard us with curiosity and slight indifference at once, and their glances were so human I was a little unsettled by them. This is as good a shot as I was able to get before they wandered off.

1/125 sec, f/4.0, Canon 70-200mm at 200mm, no flash, ISO 800

Once at the bottom, these streams offered the chance to try some slower shutter speeds, resulting in this shot.

2 sec, f/22, Sigma 10-20mm at 11mm, no flash, ISO 100

The following day was marred by an unrelenting rainstorm, and we decided to return to the city after failing to brave the weather and enter the park once more. I snapped about two-hundred shots of passerbys while waiting for Stephanie and our new Chinese friends to negotiate a rate at a discount hotel, since the only bus to Fenghuang left the next day. This was my favorite.

1/400 sec, f/2.2, Canon 50mm, no flash, ISO 400

Zhangjiajie Photography Tips:

- Stay in Zhangjiagjie Village, as opposed to Zhangjiajie City, for the most access to Wulingyuan. Post-arrival at the airport can be very confusing, especially if you come in late. Shuttle buses will take you to hotels in the city in the hopes that you'll book a room - take the bus but don't get trapped. Contact the local CITS (www.zjjtrip.net), a reputable country-wide agency who will help you organize a ride to the village and find you a hostel or hotel room. (Note: many hostels won't or can't accept foreigners, expect to visit a few places before you're able to secure a room).
- The level of humidity in most of Hunan, especially in the summer months, means that you have to be very careful bringing your camera out from an air-conditioned hotel room - I spent probably a good hour over the course of two days wrestling with condensation on my lenses, filters, and even the mirror and sensor, and viewfinder inside my camera. Try to bring them into the heat gradually, or have plenty of time for your equipment to warm up and match the ambient temperature before you try taking any pictures.
- Climbing some of the trails in Wulingyuan can be fairly exhausting - some of the shortest trails are an hour long and can be very steep. A good telephoto and a good wide-angle lens should be all you need - don't weigh yourself down (unless it's with bottles of water). I wish I had had an ND Grad with me - the days can be very misty and bright, so without one you'll kiss any detail in the sky goodbye if you're exposing for the landscape.

Chris