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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.

Pack-ice for as far as the eye could see; we ran into this ice jam about 30km off the coast of Hokkaido, where Steller's sea eagles were fishing. And in the distance, the incoming storm, we made it back to shore with a couple hours to spare.

Snow Squall curtain lifting and Red-Crowned Cranes, the storm I knew would pass when I saw it coming, and for over twenty years, I waited to get this once-in-a-lifetime shot. I took this image while leading my Hokkaido photo tour.


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.

Hokkaido's blue pond is perfect for the Minimalist photographer but you have to get there at just the right time. I took this image during a Hokkaido private photo tour.

Simplicity and strength of a tree. I took this shot during my annual Hokkaido photo tour, we were stuck in our lodgings for two days.

Morning golden hour with telephone and electric poles along a side road. I took this shot during my annual Hokkaido winter wonderland minimalist photo tour.

Minimalist photography is not only landscape but can include any theme, here the raptor just caught a fish and with no eyes, mouth, or head I labeled this one minimalist. I took this image during my annual Hokkaido tour.


Too often, ‘minimalist’ leads both amateur and some pro photographers to think minimalist photography is straightforward. ‘Minimalist’ photography is a theme/style of photography known for intense austere simplicity. We, visual artists, focus on sparseness; it could be a single tree, a snowy hill, patterns, or lines in the snow that provide the viewer a unique visual experience that is pleasing and calming. I would even go so far as to say minimalist photography in snow and desert puts me in a frame of mind comparable to shinrin yoku.

Partial Minimalist Landscape scene just outside of Nakashibetsu Hokkaido, it would have been nice to have the tree on the ridge or below. I took this shot while leading my annual Hokkaido photography tour.

Negative space is essential for minimalist photography, if the bird was in the middle I would not consider this minimalist. I took the image during my annual Hokkaido photo tour.

Some of my favorite minimalist shots are patterns seemingly blending. I took this shot of kayaks at Mt. Fuji while leading my annual Hokkaido photo tour.

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.

I like the idea of the moon being the negative space, but with the mountain I feel it's not minimalist and too busy. I took this image during a Hokkaido private photo tour.

A super fast-approaching snowsquall over the barren Hokkaido landscape. These storms come out of nowhere and usually last under an hour, as this one did. I took this shot while photographing Red-Crowned Cranes in Akanko volcanic Complex.

For me this is this is a classic example of minimalist photography, I took this image while leading my annual Hokkaido photo winter wonderland tour.

Enjoy Hokkaido Minimalist Photography with me in 2023 or 2024!
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