During our image review in Japan, co-leader Paul McKenzie suggested I do a blog post of our clients images from the trip since so many were fantastic. So here goes, they are listed in order of my receipt.
Kitty Kono’s images are below. For those of you that don’t know Kitty, she is an uber talented and extremely productive photographer. Her dedication in the field is second to none. Kitty has written several books on her travels. Her Ezo Red Fox is a sleeping beauty for sure! I was standing next to Kitty when she captured the two Steller's sea eagles fighting— she killed me on that one <grin>. Kitty’s “Swan Lake” shot is perfectly composed with the line up of swans and mountain background. To finish off her images Kitty shot a Long-tailed tit coming to an icicle for a drink.
Kitty’s daughter Yumiko was also on the trip and submitted her backlit monkey shot, not only is it creative but she nailed the mood. Yumiko is a very talented young woman. It seems everything she touches turns to gold! She spent some of her time on the trip with her studies.
To see more of Kitty’s work check out her blog.
Next we have Janice Rosner. Janice is also a very talented photographer that often steps out of the box, I like that about her. Janice and I have traveled together to many locations and she always surprises me with what she has captured. Her work with blurs is incredible and I like her creative eye. Her bamboo image below is simple yet elegant. I love it! Janice’s monkey image depicts a tender moment. More importantly, the closed eye of the one monkey really shows a sense of peacefulness.
My second favorite behind her bamboo blur is her lone Whooper Swan image, the colors reflected in the water are perfect! She worked hard with a long lens behind the group looking for any gap to shoot through- well done Janice! I explained photographer’s etiquette—when most photographers in a group are shooting with wide angle lenses and one is shooting with a long lens, the onus is on the long lens to move and to not expect the others to get out of their way—even if they have a shot all lined up. I learned that years ago on some of the bird workshops that I co-led with Arthur Morris. Janice’s final image is a slow shutter blur of two cranes coming in, it really implies motion!
Check out Janice’s website to see more of her work.
Next are Karen McCormick’s photos. Karen has been on a lot of my workshops and she always comes away with something great. Her trip with me to Norway yielded her a Best in Show at her camera club with her “Swirls of Green” aurora shot.
I am absolutely in love with Karen’s Red-crowned crane dancing shot. It is sharp, perfectly exposed and shows great interaction. Karen’s eagle flight shot from our day in Rausu, with the mountain background has a lot of impact. Her image below of the fox peeking its head over the snowdrift is priceless, I think I took that shot too-or at least I hope I did!. She was determined to get a nice shot of the fox and was one of the last to leave the little guy.
Her preening crane in the snow shows how the snow will look if you slow down your shutter. That’s the great thing about photographing in the snow—if you slow down your shutter speed the flakes become streaks. I love experimenting with my shutter speed in the snow. Remember, the farther your subject is from you the less blurred it will appear.
Bruce Fryxell is one of the last one to share his images from the trip. The other participants that didn’t share here also had some really nice images. I had originally met Bruce on my Bandon Oregon workshop a few years ago where he and fellow photographer Lori Moilanen attended. Lori and Bruce have since been on several of my workshops. I just want to say that Lori’s images from the Japan trip were also fantastic. Lori made the switch over to Sony while Bruce decided to stay with Canon; both systems will get the job done. Bruce and Lori are from the Olympic Peninsula and I will see them both when I head out there in a few months for my Olympic National Park workshop.
Bruce’s first monkey shot is wonderful. The intimate composition and framing works great here. I love seeing both sets of eyes; the inclusion of the arm wrapped around the young one finishes it off nicely. His next image shows the playful behavior of the monkeys. They are forever tormenting, playing, jumping, biting and screaming. It is a hoot to watch!
Bruce’s swan shot with the starbursts is another beauty; the lone feather is a nice touch for this one and I like the way he kept the image dark and moody. His final image of a crane coming in for a landing is a great flight shot. I like the wings open with the feet ready to touch down. It looks like he made it a B&W and left the red on the cranes head.
Visit his website to see more of Bruce’s work.
We have one spot open for our next Japan in Winter workshop scheduled for 2022. The spot is for a shared female. We will be doing a pre-trip to Kyoto and Koyasan in 2022-info about the pre-trip will be posted soon.
Below are a few images from Jenny Shuffield. She got the images to me late but they are worth adding! Each one is an example of the talent we had on the trip. Jenny is a very easy going photographer. She never seems to complain and is always smiling. I like that quality very much :) Her good energy is reflected in her images.
