somewhere in china

went to a national geographic talk today
it's kind of like a preview of the upcoming show
but it is great to be able to ask the photographer (Jeff Hutchens) and film maker (Peter Hutchens) directly

what lens he usually brings along as a professional photographer ? (I asked)
> 24-70, 50 and 70-200

how to get close to people ? - it is what i wanted to ask, but someone asked before me - useful tips ;o)
> brush your tooth and keep a good smile
> make fun of yourself, so they know you are friendly and not harmful
> know when not to shoot, when people getting too nervous, do something else, like talk to them
> be as boring as you could, keep a low profile, and capture the moments

how to research ahead on the small villages ?
> a bit hard, they got a local tour guy sort of thing to do the research ahead

a fun thing - in Jeff's picture u see alot of fish, light bulb and people walking with the head chopped off.
kind of a free styled photography, close to snap shot, to capture the moment, to present the mood - it is so cool - i wish my snap can do well in some ways too :o)

the most amazing thing is, they mentioned a feeling that they question themselves if they were really existing to capture all those fascinating moments... guess that's the feeling that i can hardly explain... like I am no more myself, sort of, when i am super concentrated ...