China Adventures 11

Photographing The Giant Pandas Of China

By · On November 21, 2019
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As a follow up to my last post, as I promised, I would show what really draws people to this trip—pandas. Although we explore wild panda habitat, the chances of seeing one out there are super slim- as slim as with any animal on earth. Snow leopards are vastly easier to see in the wild than giant pandas and red pandas, but we get so many opportunities to photograph pandas in the breeding centers, which is a photographer’s dream. Here are some highlights and why I like them.

As the panda cub climbed down a tree it cocked its head in that cute, curious way- like a puppy trying to understand what their owner is saying. Notice the panda has some eye reflection- this is key to a good panda pic!

The same themes as the previous pic, but with a beautiful adult female. I turned this one to black and white to accentuate the simplicity of their coloration. Pandas are a perfect balance of two opposing colors, thus the ultimate symbol of yin and yang.

I love the background being just black.

We got to Wolong Panda Base, which was the first panda base in China, built in the 1980s by the World Wildlife Fund and the Chinese Government to save them from extinction in the 1980s. It was rebuilt after being destroyed by the 2008 earthquake. It is the best place to photograph panda cubs because they love to climb trees, and one can have mysterious mountain backdrops, which is, in fact, wild giant panda habitat.

One-year-old cub with fall color and wild panda habitat in the background. One of my rules of photography is to think about what is in the background- to me is just as important as the subject.

Again, when they cock their head, it’s just too much…

Many people wonder why the cubs love to rest in such precarious positions….. It is, in my opinion, an instinctual way to avoid predators.

It is always important to capture them eating bamboo. Their evolution from their carnivorous ancestors to a vegetarian bear is one of the many mysterious, magical aspects of giant pandas.

Kind of makes you cringe, but they never fall out!

A couple of cubs having breakfast on the ground. They must be the cutest animals on earth.

Panda cub, Dujiangyan panda Base. Great eyes….

You cant describe China in words or pictures, its just a euphoric place to explore in so many ways- the people, the scenery, the unique history and culture, the exotic wildlife, the food…But it is the giant panda which lures most of our folks to the trip, and they are incredible….. Stay tuned for the next post! Wild red panda sighting! WOW!


Brad has been a Natural Habitat Expedition Leader since 2005, guiding Alaska grizzly bear tours, Churchill polar bear tours, northern lights expeditions and China panda tours. His specialty is bear biology and ecology of the north country.

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11 Comments

  • Martha Bonner says: November 21, 2019 at 3:26 am

    Thank you for bringing these iconic, unbelievably adorable critters into my life!!! I will never get to China to see them in real, so your photos are it for me!!!! SO indescribably CUTE!!$❤

    Reply
  • Lori says: November 21, 2019 at 4:27 am

    Wonderful images and a great read!

    Reply
  • Laurie Olsen says: November 21, 2019 at 4:29 am

    Beautiful photos! I love the contrasts. The black and white is my favorite!

    Reply
  • Sylvia says: November 21, 2019 at 4:34 am

    Nicely done!

    Reply
  • Meg Sprenkle says: November 21, 2019 at 5:02 am

    When you see several pandas together, you can see the different personalities. The day that we were at Wolong, we saw one that was a bit of a bully, some that appeared social and others content to be off by the,selves.

    Reply
  • Kathy Magnuson says: November 21, 2019 at 6:03 am

    Nicely done Brad. And more great pics …. makes me miss being there.

    Reply
  • Carrie Wilkie says: November 21, 2019 at 7:25 am

    Hard not to come home from this trip with THOUSANDS of great panda photos! You’re right, the other wildlife and scenery is an amazing part of the trip, but the pandas steal the show.

    Reply
  • Dana McDermott says: November 21, 2019 at 12:06 pm

    We hope to take that trip with Nat Hab next fall.

    Reply
  • Marianne Burkhead says: November 21, 2019 at 12:38 pm

    Amazing photos, Brad. So proud of your work!

    Reply
  • Christian says: November 22, 2019 at 4:40 pm

    Really magestic animals. And just curious, how does the cock of the head help them avoid predators?

    Reply
  • Val kelly says: November 26, 2019 at 5:41 pm

    As always Brad your photos never cease to amaze me. Love the one of the cub and spider web.

    Reply

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