Carrying photography gear and backpacks, they venture into jungles and riverbanks, trekking through mountains and rivers. Whether lying on the ground to focus on the crimson tongue of a red-striped snake, or raising a telephoto lens overhead to capture an eagle soaring through the sky...
This is Liu Siyang’s greatest passion—wildlife photography. What may seem mysterious or even dangerous to outsiders is, for him, simply a way to show reverence for nature.
Putting a camouflage cover on the lens
Liu Siyang is a young man from Hanzhong, Shaanxi, and is currently a freshman at Nanjing Institute of Technology. His uncle-in-law is a researcher at the Qinling Panda Reserve. Perhaps influenced by his surroundings, Liu has loved playing with insects since childhood—watching ants move, listening to bees buzz, and hoping for the successful metamorphosis of little bugs. As he grew older, he became fascinated with photographing animals. In 2009, at the age of 16, Liu officially picked up a professional camera and began venturing into the wild to shoot insects and amphibians.
The Qinling Mountains are truly a paradise for wildlife. And Liu Siyang’s home is located at the southern foothills of the Qinling Mountains, which provides him with a unique advantage for getting close to nature.
When talking about interesting encounters in the wild, photographing golden monkeys left a deep impression on him. “Once when I was photographing golden monkeys, one actually reached out and touched my lens with its hand.”
Regarding whether photography affects wildlife, he said: “I put a camouflage cover on the lens and wear as much camouflage clothing as possible in the wild, so the animals are less likely to notice me.”
Capturing the first photo of the Qinling tree frog
Through four years of wildlife photography, Liu Siyang has become somewhat well-known. Magazines such as Chinese National Geography have conducted exclusive interviews with him. When talking about his proudest achievement, it’s capturing the very first photo of the Qinling tree frog.
“This animal had only been seen in field specimen photos over 20 years ago. I discovered them and captured the first-ever image of them. After four years of shooting, I’ve basically documented much of their life history and have a good understanding of their behavior.”
That was in August two years ago, when Liu Siyang, then still in high school, went to Hanpangou for a trip and took the photo along with some photography friends.
After Liu Siyang submitted the photos to amphibian and reptile experts for identification, he learned that it was the rare Qinling tree frog. The Qinling tree frog is an amphibian and a species unique to China. Since specimens were found or collected in Zhouzhi and Yangxian in Shaanxi, as well as in Sichuan, Hubei, and Gansu during the 1960s to 1980s, there had been no sightings or photos of live specimens for many years. Liu Siyang’s unexpected discovery gave his field photography more substantial meaning and value.
Living in a cowshed for photography
Wild photography may seem like a glamorous job to outsiders, but the actual shooting is incredibly tough. In photos taken by his friends, Liu Siyang is often seen lying flat on the sand, holding a camera in one hand and a flash in the other while concentrating on shooting, or carrying heavy tripods and macro telephoto lenses to climb rocky cliffs. Sometimes he has to stay in the wild for a month or so, and he has lived in local wooden cabins or even farmers’ cowsheds.
Liu Siyang wrote in his photography journal: “I don’t have extensive knowledge of nature, nor do I have top-tier photography equipment. All I have is a heart full of awe for nature and unwavering determination...”