As a professional photographer with over twenty-five years of experience leading Hokkaido photo tours, and every season Japan photo tours, and in my over thirty-five-year career as a pro photographer, expedition leader I have traveled the four corners of the earth several times, these experiences have enriched my understanding of world cultures, my life and the world of the photography. On every Japan photography tour and world photo tour, I lead I'm always sharing my knowledge with participants. Also several months a year I spend in the classroom polishing photographers skills, from preparatory school to graduate study visual artists. No matter what level of photographer I am instructing, I always bring to the table multiple themes such as Architecture, Studio, Lighting, Micro, Editing, Low Lighting, Black on Black, White on White, Minimalist, and OceanScapes, among others, but my favorite two themes are wildlife and landscapes.
My favorite location for winter wildlife and minimalist landscapes is on Japan's most northerner Island Hokkaido. Next week I will be back in Hokkaido leading my annual group Hokkaido Photography Tour which I offer annually in February. On this photo tour we will focus on spotting and photographing Red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis), Steller’s sea eagles (Haliaeetus pelagicus), White-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla), Shima Enaga (Shima Enaga (Aegithalos caudatus japonicus), The Japanese Pygmy woodpecker (Yungipicus kizuki), The Ezo Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes schrencki), The Blakiston’s Fish Owl(Bubo blakistoni), Whooper Swan (Cygnus Cygnus) among other wildlife and minimalist landscapes. But this workshop also, includes, a visit with the Ainu the first people of Japan, Mt. Fuji, a Samurai Castle, Japans most pilgrimed to shinto shrine, and the Japan Macaque or Snow Monkey (Macaca fuscata) in Jigokudani Yaen-Koen Snow Monkey Park.
Starting in 2025 Feb 1 - 9, I will be offering a Hokkaido only photo tour, plus my annual Snow Monkey Hokkaido photo workshop tour February 14 - 25, sorry 2025 is sold out waitlist only, and 2026 is already half full, by the time I post 2026 it may be waitlist only?
Across Japan, more than 600 bird species have been recorded to date. The majority, more than 60%, are migratory. Approximately 60 species are endemic or sub-regional endemic. Japan is latitudinally long at over 3,000 kilometers and has 6,852 islands, weather ranges from subtropical in the South to almost subarctic in the North. Japan’s flora and fauna are divided by two ecological lines, the Blakiston’s Line, which is between Hokkaido and Honshu, and the Watase Line which is just below Kyushu. Certain wildlife species are found only north of the Blakiston’s Line, while certain other species are only found South of it. These two lines and regions in Japan make it conspicuous among flora and fauna that different species need to thrive. Species found north of the Blakiston’s line are plentiful and paradise for the wildlife photographer.