During my annual Hokkaido Minimalist Wildlife Photography Workshop Tour, the weather always plays a huge factor. I have experienced snowstorms, snowsqualls, blizzards, thundersnow, and from time to time, an arctic bomb cyclone on Japan’s most northern island. And believe me, you don’t want to be caught in the field during any of these naturally occurring weather systems where winds can reach 160km/h with a visibility of less than a meter at times. That is why I always recommend you travel with an experienced outdoor adventurer photography workshop leader who is a local to the region you are visiting, especially Hokkaido, where the weather can be unpredictable and storms last from minutes to days. Also, during these storms, much of the pack ice on the pacific coast does not stay afloat; it sinks below the waves and resurfaces after the storm passes, taking a day or two to resurface fully. And you do not want to be caught on a chartered vessel or an inflatable zodiac boat on a wildlife photo-op such as the epic battles for survival on the pack ice between the Steller’s sea eagles and white-tailed eagles for a day or two after a storm unless the captain of the vessel and your Hokkaido photo workshop leader both know for certain the pack-ice has completely resurfaced after referencing satellite images and sonar from the Japan coast guard. There have been vessels that have gone out during rough seas or shortly after a storm and have been caught in pack-ice jams, in some cases for days, until an ice breaker could clear a channel. When the pack ice disappears below the waves, it is not gone, only submerged below the waterline, and some people get ahead of themselves and think they will have safe passage only to find themselves in the middle of a pack-ice jam with no route back to port. Even with fair winds and clear skies, when air rescue by helicopter is deployed, it is time-consuming, sometimes taking 2 - 3 days to evacuate everyone off the vessels. In my over twenty years of leading Hokkaido photo tours on pack ice to spot and photograph the Steller’s sea eagle, I have called off two such boat expeditions, and both times I made the right call as vessels, photographers, and fishermen got caught in pack-ice jams.

Inland, after these storms pass, Hokkaido becomes a winter wonderland for minimalist landscapes allowing photographers to experience the untold stories of Za-Zen that poets, painters, philosophers, Zen Monks, and pilgrims have been inspired by and have created visual or storytelling masterpieces that have passed on through generations all because of these spellbinding snowy landscapes. I love pre-dawn to early mornings, viewing and photographing these amazingly poetic freshly-powdered sceneries; they are artistically minimalist, especially in the morning light. On all my Hokkaido photo tour itineraries, I include minimalist landscape photography. Still, again we need HUGE SNOW STORMS for the landscapes to be just right for the perfect minimalist scene.

Minimalist photography takes a coherent zen consciousness, but I dislike being the bearer of disappointment for the first time minimalist photographer; the fact remains that achieving simplicity is more complicated than most assume; having a pattern, object, or objects and plenty of negative space to attend to constitutes the minimalism. Minimalism photography can sometimes be easier for the newbie photographer, as they see it for the first time with an open mind. Too often, I see photographers focusing on one or possibly, two themes. As a visual arts teacher, I feel this is a catastrophic mistake. As the zen master, D.T. Suzuki said, “I like zen because everything is zen.” My vision is to explore and always experience life with a beginner’s mindset. A beginner sees myriad possibilities in each theme and pursuit, which is the mindset I bring to each project I participate in. Many colleagues and fellow photographers feverishly hold onto their pride. They feel that because they are experts, they know the best expression of a theme and therefore limit the potential of the photographic subject. While teaching minimalism photography or any photographic theme, my goal is to discover the emotion, personality, and connection expressed in the scenery/visual frame for myself and broaden my workshop participant’s artistic flair and expressions so they can return home and hang those once in a lifetime shots. That subject/theme can be wildlife, landscapes, flowers, or street photography. However, I do have a deep passion for Minimalist Zen-inspired Photography.