Hokkaido Landscapes with Martin Bailey

In Hokkaido, Life Is Short, News & Stuff, Travel by David4 Comments

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I fell in love with Hokkaido, Japan, last year. I joined Martin Bailey as a guest on his Winter Wonderland tour, and spent almost two weeks photographing monkeys, cranes, eagles, and beautiful landscapes. I wanted more of the landscapes and Martin and I talked long and hard about the possibilities. So the second he started getting serious about running a landscape trip in Hokkaido for 2015, I saved my spot, and earlier this week he announced the details and opened applications for registration.

As I write this the snow is falling in Vancouver and has me nostalgic for Hokkaido, which kind of blew my mind last year. This will be a really great adventure. The weather can get quite hairy on the Hokkaido coast, which accounts for much of its beauty. Martin tells me there’s a chance we could get snowed in, which makes it even more exciting to me. If nothing excites you like the thought of cold, and very early, mornings, hunkered over a tripod in the snow and pointing your lens at something beautiful on the north sea of Japan next winter, this is the trip for you. I can hardly wait to drop my first filter or lens cap into 4 feet of snow. 🙂

Many of you know that, for the time being, I’ve stopped doing workshops and tours. Mostly this is because I need time in 2014 to get my feet fixed (once and for all, I hope). I may resume them at some point in the future. But it won’t be for a couple years.  For now, if you want to do a great photography tour, and have a chance to connect with me and hang out in sub-zero temperatures and deep snow on the northern Japanese coast, this is that chance (and likely the last chance for a long while.) I’m going as a special guest which means I’m not technically an instructor, but like Martin, I’m passionate about teaching and there will be lots of time to talk if you’re looking for instruction, or time to wander through the snow together looking for something amazing to photograph, or just a chance to tell stories over a bowl of udon and a bottle of sake.

We laughed a lot last year, spent time in the natural hot springs at many of the hotels, enjoyed some amazing (and strange) food, and made some really beautiful memories and photographs. Martin’s tours fill quickly, and with good reason. He’s an excellent teacher and guide and I’m looking forward to being with him again, to both teach and learn. Full details, the trip itinerary, and images from the areas we’ll be visiting, are on Martin’s website.

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If Japan doesn’t suit you, and you want to spend time with other passionate photographers more in love with photographs than gear, check out Jeffrey Chapman’s Within The Frame Adventures, which we did together for years and which he now runs with exceptional photographers and guides all over the world. But if you want Hokkaido landscapes in winter with a photographer who lives and works in Japan, and a chance to spend time with me, this is your chance. See you there.

 

 

 

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