Looking for the perfect light: The Great Wall at sunset (Photo by Jonah Kessel)

Another great shot from China Daily Creative Director Jonah Kessel, this gorgeous image of the Great Wall in winter was used in the launch of China Daily's redesign earlier this year. I contacted him and he was good enough to pass on a few words about this photo and its shooting; here's what he had to say:

I took the Great Wall photo as part of an advertising campaign and series for China Daily. It actually took me two trips to find the right light to complete the project, including getting stuck in Hebei over night, sleeping at a farmer's house with no heat in -40°C weather (this is when bái jiǔ actually tastes good.) I wanted to show some snow on the wall, at sunset time in a place where the perspective could later allow me to superimpose the words "China Daily" in it, as if it were the "Hollywood" sign.

The advertisement was used in China and abroad as an introduction to China Daily's redesign (more on the redesign here.) It was used on billboards, posters, flyers and on screen promotion as well as imagery on subway handles in Beijing.

However, I really love the photograph by itself. It reminds me of the pain and effort involved with getting it, which after the fact, is pretty amusing.

Great Wall, Great Paper, Great Photo! (Photo by Jonah Kessel)

For more stunning images and commentary from Jonah Kessel, check out his blog, Nomadically Curious Visual Thoughts.