SEPTEMBER 21 -27, 2026
I'm excited to announce this street photography workshop in the beautiful cities of Chengdu and Chongqing.
This one is special for me, as it marks my return to China after several years. I lived in Chengdu for two years (2017–2019), founded the city's first international photography club there — connecting thousands of photographers from China and abroad — and I know the city inside out.
Chengdu is one of the most photogenic and culturally rich cities in China, filled with local life, timeless tea houses, traditional opera palaces, wet markets and hidden alleyways full of visual stories waiting to be told.
Two visually rich yet completely different cities: Chengdu's slow teahouse tradition and Chongqing's vertical, neon-lit madness
This intimate 5-participant street and documentary photography workshop will focus on exploring traditional and modern Chinese lifestyle and culture.
Our journey will start in Chengdu and continue to Chongqing. We'll spend 3 full days in each city, with a half-day travel in between; We'll take the high-speed train to get from one city to the other. The rest of the time we will be exploring, shooting, reviewing our work, and discussing visual storytelling and documentary approaches.
✔ 5 participants, 2 spots left
✔ 7 full days of shooting and teaching
✔ Daily image reviews and evening critique
✔ Personal 1-on-1 sequencing session
✔Pre-trip support: visas, flights, gear
✔Every location scouted by me personally
Not sure yet? That's what questions are for.
Drop me a message or WhatsApp me at +972-51-5099149 — I reply quickly.
Day 0 - September 20
Day 1 - September 21
Morning: Visit People’s Park, one of Chengdu’s most iconic spots for candid storytelling — ear cleaners, tea drinkers, and old friends playing cards
Afternoon Street photography walk through Jinli Ancient Street and Wenshu Temple area – perfect for capturing Chengdu’s traditional architecture and rhythm of local life
Evening review and critique session
Day 2 - September 22
Morning: Shoot at an old teahouse, capturing the authentic social atmosphere — old men playing mahjong, neighbors gossiping, steam rising from teacups.
Evening: Night street photography at Kuanzhai Alley, and for those who wish, we'll finish the day at the Sichuan Opera (optional, tickets at extra cost).
Day 3 - September 23
Morning: Explore Chengdu's local markets and the back alleys near the old industrial zones — raw, real, and full of character.
Afternoon: Street photography at Kuanzhai Alley.
Late evening: For those who wish, we'll finish the day at the Sichuan Opera (optional, tickets at extra cost).
Night: Visit a local wet market and practice capturing its spirit; Artificial light, motion, and all the challenges of a low-light session.
CHENGDU
Not sure yet? That's what questions are for.
Drop me a message or WhatsApp me at +972-51-5099149 — I reply quickly.
Day 4 - September 24
Morning: High-speed train to Chongqing (about 3 hours). The ride itself is part of the experience, watching Sichuan's countryside give way to the mountains and megacity skyline of Chongqing.
Afternoon: Orientation walk around Jiefangbei, Chongqing's buzzing commercial heart, and the surrounding streets. This is our introduction to the city's famous verticality
Evening: Night shoot at Hongya Cave (Hongyadong), the iconic stilt-house complex glowing gold above the Jialing River. We'll photograph both the postcard view and, more interestingly, the life around it: street food vendors, crowds, reflections, and the neon-soaked lanes nearby.
Day 5 - September 25
Morning: Documentary walk around Chaotianmen Dock, where the Yangtze and Jialing rivers meet. This is working Chongqing: porters, dock workers, ferry commuters, and fishermen against a backdrop of megacity skyline. We'll practice telling a story of a place through the people who keep it running.
Afternoon: Visit Huangjueping Graffiti Street, one of the largest urban art areas in China, where entire apartment blocks are painted top to bottom. Along the way we'll step into a local teahouse, the kind that hasn't changed in decades: bamboo chairs, mahjong tiles, regulars who have been coming for thirty years.
Great for atmosphere, portraits, and practicing how to work a small interior scene with natural light.
Evening: Review session and composition discussion. We'll go through the day's photographs together and talk about what worked, what didn't, and why
Day 6 - September 26
Morning: Visit a local market, the best place to feel the everyday rhythm of Chongqing. Vendors, produce, bargaining, and the small human moments that make market photography so rewarding.
Afternoon: Visit Liziba Monorail, the iconic train that passes straight through a residential building. Great practice for timing, dynamic shots, and layered compositions. From there we'll continue to Shibati (Eighteen Stairs), the old stairway quarter, where Chongqing's famous vertical streets come alive.
Evening: Photograph review session. We'll look at the day's work together and discuss composition, timing, and storytelling.
Day 7 - September 27
Morning: We return to the old teahouse near the graffiti street, this time with a different mission. On our first visit we photographed the atmosphere; now, familiar faces will give us the chance to work on environmental portraits, slower and closer. The best photographs often come the second time, when the place already knows you.
Afternoon: Individual 1-on-1 sessions. Each participant sits with me to review what they've achieved during the workshop and to sequence their strongest images into a coherent body of work. While waiting for your session, the time is yours to explore and shoot freely.
Evening: Final group critique and farewell dinner. Everyone presents their best work from the week, and we close the workshop the way it should end: good photographs, good food, and plans for the next journey.
My workshops run differently from typical photo tours. Here's what to expect: how we shoot, how we travel, and how to know if this adventure is for you.
In this workshop, the main focus is documentary and street photography. There are no pre-set shoots and no models. We photograph reality as it is. We are there to witness and tell visual stories of the places we visit and the people we meet.
We will usually have two sessions a day, morning and afternoon. We start early, and at some point we break for food, critique, and theory. For some this can be an intense schedule, but don't worry: the moment you feel tired, you can hop in a taxi back to the hotel and rest. No one is pushed to photograph beyond their limits.
I believe theory needs to be paired with practical experience, so hours are set aside during the workshop for photography study. We will go through many slides built with one purpose: to make you a better photographer.
Every day, participants split into small teams of 2-3 and work in a specific area within the same location. I spend time with each of you individually and mix the teams regularly, so everyone gets a fair share of my attention. At the end of the day, we sit together to review and discuss the photographs taken.
There is no limitation on gear, but I encourage short focal lengths, somewhere between 24 and 70mm. Even better, get used to working with primes: a 28mm, 35mm, or 50mm in full-frame terms (roughly 18mm, 23mm, and 35mm on APS-C). Working this way has many benefits, but above all it makes you feel like a participant in the story rather than an observer, and it teaches you to get close to your subjects.
This is an independent-photographer style workshop. You are encouraged to make your own decisions and be self-reliant. Beyond photography, you will learn how to plan a trip to places like these by yourself.
The workshop officially starts early in the morning of day 1 and ends in the evening of the last day. You are welcome to arrive earlier, and I will be around.
Before the trip, we create a shared WhatsApp group to discuss all travel and photography arrangements: visas, flights, gear, what to bring, and more. You will already know each other by the time we meet.
We choose our own accommodation based on the shooting plan. We might stay in different hotels to suit different comfort levels and budgets, but they should be within a short walk of each other so we waste no time getting out to shoot.
We plan our transportation together and navigate like locals: public transport, taxis, rickshaws, whatever works best in the moment. The itinerary can change along the way, but only if the change suits everyone in the group.
First of all, this is not an organized tour. It is an adventure, and it is for people who enjoy stepping a little out of their comfort zone to experience something new.
It is best suited for people with a passion for travel and candid street and documentary photography. "Passion" is the key word, because the workshop is intense. We will shoot and walk a lot. You may need a week of rest afterward, but you will be happy, because you will have taken some of the most memorable photographs of your life.
Most participants come with some experience, but beginners are welcome too. In an environment like this, you can progress very fast.
You should be in good physical health and able to handle long days outside with limited comfort. You can always take a few hours off, but that time comes at the expense of shooting or classes.
CHONGQING
VISA
To enter China, most foreign nationals require a visa, although certain countries are exempt for short-term stays .Visa applications are managed online through the China Online Visa Application (COVA) system and then submitted in person at a Chinese embassy, consulate, or Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) You can apply for visa here: https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/
MONEY
The currency in China is the Chinese yuan (also called renminbi) Visa and Mastercard are accepted in China, but it’s best to link them to local payment apps like Alipay or WeChat Pay for wider use, as direct card payments are still uncommon outside of major hotels and tourist areas. For transactions within these apps, Visa and Mastercard are accepted, and many ATMs in China can also be used to withdraw cash with these cards.
INTERNET
If you can, get an eSIM.
You need VPN only if you plan to use your computer. If I will update about which VPN to use.
A lot of them are unreliable and complicated.
BOOKING
Use Trip.com for accommodation, trains, flights.
Tuition: my full experience and knowledge at your disposal throughout the journey. Daily teaching, image reviews, personal guidance, and a 1-on-1 sequencing session.
Trip curation: I select the right hotels, plan transportation and build the shooting itinerary. You book, I guide.
Support before the trip: help with visas, flights, gear choices and any questions, starting from the moment you sign up.
NOT included: flights, travel insurance, visas, lodging, meals, local transport, and personal expenses. I keep tuition separate so you control your own comfort level and budget.
Reserve your spot with a $300 deposit through the booking form. The balance is due about 2 months before the workshop starts.
A minimum of 3 participants is required for the workshop to run.
After you sign up, I'll personally confirm your registration and tell you when to start booking travel arrangements. Don't book flights before my confirmation.
You can cancel anytime. Your payment is refunded (minus transaction fees) if another participant takes your place. I'll do my best to fill the spot, but if nobody does, the deposit is non-refundable.
If I have to cancel the trip, you'll be notified promptly and receive a full refund of everything you paid me. I can't cover costs beyond the workshop fee, such as flights, accommodation or insurance, which is why travel insurance is required.
I'll always do my best to help you in any difficulty, but I'm not responsible for personal loss, accidents, or health-related issues. Travel insurance is mandatory for all participants.
I'm Gil Kreslavsky, a street and travel photographer and educator. For more than a decade I've traveled full time through Asia and Africa documenting human stories, with work featured by National Geographic, Lonely Planet, UNESCO, Britannica and others.
Kathmandu is a city I keep returning to. I've photographed it across many visits and seasons, during festivals and on ordinary days, and I know its streets, temples, and rhythms firsthand. Every location in this workshop is a place I've scouted and photographed myself. I never lead a workshop in a place I don't know deeply.
Today I teach through my workshops, online classes, and my YouTube channel.
If you've ever joined a group of 10+ photographers, you know how frustrating it is: everyone hunting the same shot, nobody getting real attention.
I check in with every participant consistently, so you get all the personal guidance you need.
We go where locals go and meet real people. I only lead workshops in places I've explored in depth myself, so you get authentic immersion in the culture and a deeper understanding of how to photograph it
Only 5 participants per workshop. (2 Available) Once the spots are gone, they're gone.
A $300 deposit reserves your place, with the balance due 2 months before we start.
Prefer to talk before booking? Email info@kreslavsky.com
I encourage participants to work with short focal lengths and get close and personal with their subjects.
You'll capture more intimate, expressive photographs, and convey a real sense of your subject's surroundings and context.
The style we practice is reportage. No staged shots, no fishermen throwing nets for the camera. We find our subjects ourselves and photograph life as it actually happens.
Telling a visual story means approaching a subject from many angles. By exploring different perspectives and vantage points, you'll learn to capture the essence of a scene and convey its message in the most powerful way.
The internet is full of graphically pleasing street photos, but few of them tell a real story. Our focus is telling stories with the camera, not just making a pretty frame.
There is no such thing as bad light, only different ways to use it to your advantage. You'll learn to solve complex lighting problems on the street and make strong images in any conditions.
Color combinations carry real emotional weight in a photograph. We'll learn to see and understand them, and to use color contrast and harmony deliberately to make images that resonate.
Each evening we sit together and examine the day's photographs from a compositional perspective: framing, balance, negative space, and what makes a composition hold.
By the end of the workshop, you'll have developed a sharper compositional eye.
We'll also work on editing: color correction and fine-tuning exposure, contrast, color, and sharpness, so your final images match your vision.
