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Wandering through the hutongs of Beijing, Wang Huan, a custom travel photography specialist at Jingmei An'an Company, chats and laughs with customers while casually raising her camera. With the crisp sound of the shutter, the lens freezes the moment—a lively girl adorned with floral hairpins and the elegant old hutong streets complementing each other in a picturesque scene.

"Out-of-town customers are unfamiliar with the place, so I act as both photographer and tour guide," Wang Huan says. Increasingly, travelers prefer immersive experiences over mere "been there, done that" check-ins at scenic spots.

"I want to take a set of Beijing-style photos that stand out from the crowd," an out-of-town visitor expresses. Wang Huan has a flash of inspiration—she scans QR codes to unlock two shared bikes and leads the visitor into the old city's hutongs, shooting while riding. There is no fixed shooting route; instead, she flexibly arranges based on the customer's needs, capturing many interesting moments along the way.

Wang Huan is not only intimately familiar with the popular photo spots in Beijing, but she can also effortlessly recount the historical stories and anecdotes of notable figures associated with each location.

In front of the Red Building of Peking University, built with red bricks and topped with red tiles, young people often pose for photos in Zhongshan suits. Every time she shoots there, Wang Huan takes visitors on a journey back to the history of the May Fourth Movement. When exploring time-honored restaurants tucked deep in the hutongs, the octagonal table becomes Wang Huan's staging area—with every dish served, she photographs it and shares amusing tales about Beijing delicacies like braised offal (luzhu) and stir-fried liver (chaogan)...

A custom travel photography specialist acts like a cultural "translator" of a city, allowing consumers to gain both "beautiful photos" and "wonderful experiences" during their travels. Extending from "taking a set of photos" to "customizing a journey," this has revitalized new cultural tourism consumption. In 2024, the number of travel photography consumers in China exceeded 25 million, with the market size approaching 40 billion yuan.

The rise of the "travel photography craze" is driven by a combination of multiple factors.

Stepping into the office of Tan Tan, chairwoman of Jingmei An'an Company, an old photo from about 20 years ago hangs on the wall. At that time, she was still a slender young woman, yet she carried a bulky camera on her shoulder.