Japan Autumn Leaves Photography Workshop

Once Japanese autumn arrives, Mt. Fuji and the entire Honshu Island up to Hokkaido are dressed in red maple leaves and an assortment of various vibrant autumn colors. Of course my annual Japan autumn leaves photo workshop naturally focuses on forest bathing (shinrin yoku) as we spend most of our time communing with nature. And where better to commune with nature but at ancient Zen sanctuaries throughout Japan, but let’s not forget the ancient pilgrimage routes taking us to Shinto shrines, and the most fabulous autumn leaves landscapes deep off the beaten path. My route follows the ancient pilgrimage routes, that samurai, lords, geisha, and artisans such as the Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, Katsushika Hokusai, who is best known for his woodblock print series (Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji,) which includes the iconic print The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

For my annual Essence of Autumn Japan photo workshop, I choose a cross country route that takes us from the Pacific Ocean side of Japan to the sea of Japan side and back. I also use this route for my annual cherry blossom photo workshop; I have been scouting and building up this route for over twenty years, and every year my team, participants, and I find a new treasure or two, so I can share them with the next year’s participants. This route is a work of art perpetually in progress, as no one location ever casts the same light, shadow with the same scenery, trees in bloom, or with an identically perfect snow capped mountain backdrop. Strangely many visiting photographers attempt coming to Japan alone or join run of the mill international tour companies that don’t know the lay of the land, and they simply drop participants off at a location and leave you to your own devices, or you could find yourself trapped with an international celebrity all-star photographer who thinks or advertises that they know Japan’s topography, but the majority don’t, so they contract local guides who generally are not photographers, or are unskilled and new to photography, who attempt to discover hidden autumn treasures on the beaten path. WoW! If they hired a person on par with my skill level, it would cut into their profit margin so dramatically it wouldn’t make fiscal sense to even come to Japan. As a result, they stay on the beaten path. And everybody knows the best way to see the stunning beauty of a nation is to travel with a local well-established pro photographer.

Annually, I receive over a dozen offers to co-lead Japan photo workshops, and to be honest I may co-lead with another photographer once every 5 years, but this is a service I only provide for friends and mentors. I am not too concerned about someone borrowing my routes as they are extremely complex, as any experienced expedition workshop lead photographer will tell you it’s all about lighting, time of day, and no one scene will never appear the same. Nature is not like a photo studio, but some get fooled and believe it can be, hence those who join run of the mill tour companies or client photographers joining international celebrity led tours destined for Japan. As it turns out, the lead photographers are tourists themselves. Wow, another run of the mill photo tour company is born that follows the beaten path.

My annual cherry blossom and autumn leaves route, in truth is so complicated that initially my team and I plan at least two separate routes, just in case the season is early, then we stay in the highlands. If the season is late, then we stick to the lowlands, and after twenty years of exploring on this ancient pilgrimage route, my team and I know it like the back of our hands, and we know months ahead of time which routes to choose. We pass through territories where famous samurai such as Takeda Shingen, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Uesugi Kenshin among others took up residence, and I know their history like the back of my hand, including their pilgrimage routes and where they enjoyed hanami and autumn leaves viewing.

In fall, the colored leaves from the forests and glades surrounding Japan’s iconic peak on Mt. Fuji Autumn Photo Tours as well as in Kyoto and Osaka, are famous all over the world due to those locations being able to handle the influx of English speaking guests, but I’ve only mentioned three locations, but let’s not forget Tokyo. Let’s also not forget Japan is over 3,000 km long with 6,852 islands, and I assure you there are bountiful photo ops off the beaten path where trees transform into their fall incarnations and showcase the rich reds, vibrant oranges, sparkling golds, and the rare and sought after purple Japanese maple leaves that signify the arrival of autumn. The interplay of light, especially during golden hour seems to magnify the beauty of the autumn colored leaves. And just as the blue hour changes to golden hour, you can photograph the same scene and have remarkably different results. The unpredictable element of nature is part of what makes expedition adventure photography an art form.

As your Japan Photo workshop Leader, I will help you harness the power of those potentially unpredictable moments in nature into once in a lifetime photos. You may have questions while you are in the field, and as the workshop leader, I am always available to answer questions, to help you capture gallery worthy prints. Most of the time all it takes is one small rethink to your approach to make a photo extraordinary. I take my participants’ needs to heart on all my photo workshops including my annual Japan cherry blossom and on my Japan autumn leaves photo tour workshops so that you, my clients, arrive home most likely a little tired, but happy with big smiles, especially when editing, sharing and printing the images you captured on your Japan photo workshop of a lifetime, with my team and me. Plus don’t plan on coming to Japan to diet. With us, everyday is a new opportunity to enjoy the very best Japanese cuisine.

Join me in 2023 or 2024 to make your Autumn Photography Tour Dreams a Reality!

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Japan Autumn Leaves Photography Workshop

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