Since our main workshop leader is a professional photographer with over twenty-five years of experience leading Hokkaido photo tours, and Japan photo tours in every season, coupled with his over thirty-five-year career as a pro photographer and expedition leader, he has traveled the four corners of the earth several times. These experiences have enriched his understanding of world cultures, his life and the world of the photography. On every Japan photography tour and world photo tour he leads, he’s always sharing his knowledge with participants. Also several months a year, he spends time in the classroom polishing his photographer’s skills, from preparatory school to graduate study visual artists. No matter what level of photographer he instructs, he is always treats multiple themes such as Architecture, Studio, Lighting, Micro, Editing, Low Lighting, Black on Black, White on White, Minimalist, and OceanScapes, among others, but his favorite two themes are wildlife and landscapes.  

His favorite location for winter wildlife and minimalist landscapes is on Japan's most northern island, Hokkaido. Next week he will be back in Hokkaido leading the annual JDS group Hokkaido Photography Tour which is offered annually in February. On this photo tour our participants will focus on spotting and photographing  Red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis), Steller’s sea eagles (Haliaeetus pelagicus), White-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla), 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 Nations 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 February 2025, JDS will be offering a Hokkaido only photo tour, plus the annual JDS Snow Monkey Hokkaido photo workshop tour from February 14 - 25. Unfortunately, 2025 is already sold out, waitlist only, and 2026 is already half full, by the time JDS posts 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.