One year after one of his photographs of rice terraces in Yuanyang, Yunnan province, was featured in National Geographic, Thierry Bornier is still seeking out beautiful landscapes in China.

For Bornier, a 42-year-old French financial professional turned photographer, China is the place where he is rediscovering life's options.

In 2008, he traveled to Yuanyang in Yunnan province and was captivated by the beautiful landscapes he encountered, especially the colorful rice terraces.

"That was the moment I decided to be fully devoted to becoming a photographer," he says.

Two photos he took of Yuanyang's rice terraces became popular on China's Twitter-like micro blogs and other social networks. They were purchased by a German company - his first made-in-China fortune.

To be a photographer is quite different from being a financial specialist, says Bornier.

"You really need to be focused on the image you want to get, and pay the cost it requires - time, patience, equipment, everything. Taking pictures of nature is trying your luck and being ready to seize the moment when it appears."

From his base in Kunming, he now travels intensively throughout the country seeking to capture its diverse beauty, and he says he has made many friends on his trips.

"Chinese photographers are very kind, sharing information and traveling tips with great generosity," says Bornier. "We show each other pictures and share the names of interesting places. You can communicate in these ways when you are focused on shared interests."

He says one of the things they share is concern about the too fast pace of tourism development in many areas.

"You don't really like the huge steel hotel logo hanging over a beautiful waterfall. But you cannot Photoshop it and pretend it isn't there," says Bornier, pointing to a picture he took in April.

He says one of the dilemmas for landscape photographers is shooting a place of natural beauty and making it so famous the natural beauty becomes spoiled by too many visitors.

"Beautiful places need to be protected. Development is important, but not at cost of destroying the natural environment," says Bornier.

Besides nature, Bornier is keen to focus his lens on other subjects as well, and his friend Yang Liping, the renowned dancer who directed and choreographed the show Dynamic Yunnan, has been helping him get commissions for fashion shoots and other commercial projects in Shanghai.

Bornier says it requires a change in mindset to switch from landscape photography, which is about being prepared in order to capture a moment, to commercial photography, which is about carefully preparing the moment to be captured.

"Nature is nature and it gives you the lighting, you see it and accept it, but shooting for commercials is another story, because you need to make sure things are perfect," says Bornier.

With more than a thousand expat photographers working in Shanghai, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of photographers working throughout the country, Bornier says he is now looking for an agent to help him get commissions.

"I am a baby in terms of photography," he adds. "I would like to explore lots of different subjects, babies, animals, landscapes, portraits, weddings, events, as long as I feel I can handle the project, I would love to have a try. I just want to take good pictures, learn new techniques and explore more opportunities," says Bornier.

wuyiyao@chiandaily.com.cn

Thierry Bornier says one of his favorite shots is this graphic image of boats and bamboo.

(China Daily 06/29/2014 page5)