Lv Guiming shoots the waterfall that has frozen into an ice cascade. [Photo/China Daily]

The sudden arrival of tourists in the waterfall area brought with it the germ of an idea, to become a photographer for the tourists.

Pooling together his entire savings, he bought a Polaroid one-step instant camera and became self-employed near the river, earning more than 100 yuan each day ($14), which was nearly five times what he used to earn as a stone pit worker.

However, soon, more tourists and farmers-turned-photographers flocked the area with their cameras, making the going tougher. Improvisation became necessary. Despite opposition from his family, Lv sold his 0.26-hectare orchard and bought a professional film camera. Next, he shifted from the village he had grown up in, 17 kilometers away, to a cave just 500 meters from the waterfall. Ever since, he has been spending days and nights at the waterfall, with his camera a constant companion.

He also paid special attention to acquiring new skills from the professional photographers flocking the waterfall. Among them was Li Jiang, a renowned photographer from the neighboring Shaanxi province, who, moved by Lv's thirst for photography, started teaching him systematically.

"I just imitated Li and some other photographers, pointing my camera to the waterfall," said Lv, who built up his learning curve quickly.

Trained by Li, Lv has left his footprint on almost all possible places near the waterfall. He now knows how to get the best angle of a frozen waterfall where the light is always changing. He has to sometimes lie on his belly on an icy surface for a long time.

The perseverance and hard work have paid off. In 2003, a local newspaper published Lv's photo of the Hukou ice bridge. Next, People's Photography, a national newspaper, carried an article detailing how he captured the rare scene, bringing "tears to my eyes".

He is forever willing to learn new things from the countless photographers flocking the waterfall. Staying close to the waterfall also means tolerating the harsh natural conditions. These two factors, says Chen Jianxiang, director of the Jixian news center, make him one of the best chroniclers of the waterfall.

Lv is now one of the most famous photographers in his hometown, where no fellow-villagers call him "lazybones" any more.