I am a landscape, nature, and travel photographer adventuring around the island of Hokkaido, Japan. On this Channel, I will be learning the tricks of the trade on the fly. Follow me on this journey, warts and all, as I photograph the people, places, and landscapes of this rugged and beautiful land of Hokkaido.
Good to see you back out and about Shaun. Nice story telling. My school report always said I should try harder. 😊. Hopefully you will get to your 1000 milestone soon. 250 subscribers is quite unique these days. They seem to trickle in and out on my channel at the moment, so celebrate that 👍
Thank you Simon. I’m grateful to have had your support from more or less the beginning of my channel. The subs have come in fits and starts over the last two years, but for some reason one video brought a steady stream of new viewers and subscribers. It’s been gratifying. 😊 I look forward to seeing your channel continue to grow. Your work has been an education and an inspiration for me. But watching subscriber totals can sometimes feel like watching the stock market fluctuate. Best to focus on producing quality work.
Hi Shaun, what a spectacular walk with so many waterfalls. Each one is different and you showed this by your awesome photos. Wish there´s a similiar hike in Germany too. Greetings from Bernd
Thanks for watching and for your kind words! It was a remarkable location that I hope to have the opportunity to visit again someday. I also dream of shooting in Germany, Eibsee, The Black Forest, and Sächsische Schweiz Park!
I love this place. I'm 2.5 hours away and been there a few times. Some are better than others. I went there almost no water, them a lot water after heavy rain fall and always get great shots, I always track to be overcast days to have the best shots. Great shots and great video my friend
If I could shoot in this place every season, I’d be a happy man. I envy your proximity. With 24 waterfalls to choose from, if some aren’t photogenic, you’ve got at least half that are! 😂 And autumn is just around the corner! Many thanks for checking out my trip!
Impressive photos, nice video camera positions, esp the last one with the tree from the right. But the black borders around the presented images are distracting, giving the images a less joyful feeling.
Hello and thank you for your comment! I am glad you enjoyed the images and the video. I agree totally about the black borders…now. But at the time I thought it would help to separate them from the background better. Live and learn. 😂
Great photos and it’s really nice you added words of encouragement for enthusiasts like me. Chanced upon your video while doing research. Looking forward to my trip in February 2025!
Thank you so much! That’s great to hear you are coming to Hokkaido. Is your main purpose of travel for photography? I hope my other videos can give you some input and inspiration for locations, but if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me either through Instagram or my website.
Many thanks Dave! I’m glad you liked the video. And that image is probably my favorite of the day. I’ll tell you all about my trip over a couple drinks. I’ve got a great lost phone story to tell you
You say some of the compositions weren’t the most spectacular, I disagree! The images you showed were great. Very meticulous, avoided distractions, simplified, you nailed it. The waterfalls themselves are already beautiful subjects though can imagine the “waterfall fatigue” 😁 too much of a good thing isn’t good I guess 🤣 thanks for sharing this, that was a great walk with your son.
Thanks buddy. I’m really glad you liked the images despite my worry that they might be too simple. 😅 It was a beautiful hike. I could walk it happily again. Photographing that many caused the fatigue to set in.
I'm glad I discovered your video. I live in Hokkaido also, and am an amateur photographer (far from your level) and it's great to run across someone I can follow locally. Love your work.
Hey Jess, thanks for the message! There’s not many of us in Hokkaido! Make no mistake, I’m an amateur photographer as well, with professional aspirations and focus. 😆 where are you based in Hokkaido?
Hi Shaun. Great trail to take a walk with your son....and take pics! Seems like for the past year or so you have been using your long lens (70-200mm?) almost exclusively. Can you share your thoughts on that? Thanks and take care.
I admit it, I have been using the 70-200mm 90% of the time. Although, in this episode 2 shots were taken with the 18-135mm. The quality of the R lens is far superior and allows me to shoot in 45 megapixels. I am saving for a wide, R mount lens to give myself options, but haven’t gotten there yet. 😅
Thanks for sharing a bit of your adventures in America. The waterfalls were beautiful. I really liked the phot of the waterfall with all the rocks jutting out…sorry can’t quite remember the name…you took two photos but I really liked the first one. Have a safe trip back to Japan!
@@shaunkeenanphotoat present I’m not doing any true photography due to a range of circumstances, but yes I’ve done a lot of ICM. Trees are great as you found, but I’ve done windmills, sunsets, stars, even twirling a flower in my hand- the camera stayed still but the subject moved. It’s fun😁 as for the painterly feel in a landscape the mist assist helps,😁 but it’s mostly about atmosphere and not everything being tack sharp.
Thank you Lina! I was lucky to find it amongst all those flowers, and the fact that it just staying there for a time allowing me to snap his portrait! 😂 We’ve got three points on the gator 🐊
Drinking all night and getting tipsy until sunrise 😂 now we’re talking! It’s a beautiful time out and catching up with friends, already a great trip and being able to squeeze in some time to still shoot, makes it much better (even if it wasn’t “epic”). Looking forward to the US trip.
Always lovely to see the countryside and its creatures. Those ants reminded me of a time I was standing photographing a lizard on a gatepost, and when I returned to my vehicle a friend who was a passenger informed me that a snake had slithered over my boot as I stood there! Such can be the encounters in nature. The log you photographed reminded me of an alligator snoozing in the sun😀
That’s right. It’s recommended as a precaution here in Japan. I don’t know if they work, but I haven’t been eaten yet, so anecdotal evidence suggests they do. 😂
Thanks Kay! Although I need the bells as a deterrent for bears, I’ll try to make sure I limit the sound in future videos. I’ve come so accustomed to them, so I don’t really notice them when editing anymore. My wife totally agrees with you. 😂
Hokkaido has a brown bear that’s a smaller cousin of the grizzly bear. The bells are recommended as a way to announce yourself to any potential bears in the area and avoid an encounter. There’s been quite a few bear attacks in recent years. 🐻 I also carry bear spray on my hip just in case. Thanks for having a watch and dropping a comment!
Nice father son activity! That Kant quote was brilliant, thanks for sharing that. Beautiful sunrise and what amazing photographs you’ve taken. The fog really made it. You deserve much more subs and I learn so many things from your videos 😁 thanks for sharing Shaun.
Thanks man! The feeling is mutual. Seeing that quote on a T-shirt the day before my shoot was serendipitous. I had been thinking abut the marriage of technique and intuition for a while. Seeing that quote solidified talking about it for the episode. I'm glad you found it meaningful too! Happy shooting!
Many thanks!! 🙏 There is a brown bear in Hokkaido which is a slightly smaller cousin of the grizzly bear. The bells are meant to alert bears of your presence and hopefully scare them off. I also carry bear spray on my hip just in case. Every year there are attacks reported on the news. 🐻
Peaceful morning walk through the forest Shaun. I can see how it can be quite meditative, especially with all that vibrant green. With little distractions, it's a great way to focus on the wonderful world of small things. Thanks for taking us on your walk! 👍🌱📸
Thank you Valerie! I’ve actually been back twice since that trip. 😆 It’s such a great location. Can’t wait to shoot it in the autumn. 🍂 Have a great weekend and happy shooting Valerie!
The sunrise was one reason I liked working at night. The sunrise through the fog was beautiful. The b/w photo I thought was perfect, then you showed the one in color. I like them both, I can't choose one over the other.
Beautiful location, I’d love to experience a sunrise there too; thanks for at least allowing me a glimpse of it. A solo figure on the water has always been a favourite of mine, even better if it’s foggy. You have a great manner in explaining clearly, and I hope to see you reach 1k subs very soon. The rock shot is what David DuChemin would call a sketch- it may take many visits to achieve the desired results but the “sketch “ is the prompt. Of course he has a better way to describe it than my clumsy attempt 😁
The sketch - I quite like that. Thank you for sharing that little nugget of wisdom. I plan to visit again and hopefully have learned a little better how to capture what’s in my imagination. If you ever make it to Hokkaido, lake Shikotsu is one of my favorite places to watch the sunrise with camera in hand. 😊
Thanks for the tip Vimal! I used a polarizer and it wasn’t a dramatic difference since there wasn’t a lot of direct light, but the saturation was increased a bit.
@@shaunkeenanphoto Thanks for replying. I always use a polarizer outdoors. Have bought a 6-stop ND filter but have never given it a try. Of course, the ND filter is a double polarizer. Yes, the pictures were excellent. Sometimes mother nature is very kind with beautiful landscapes.
@@vimalneha Your 6stop filter is also a polarizer? once I started using ND filters, a lot of creative opportunities opened up for me, and I do use them often. I hope you get some great shots when you start testing it out!
@@shaunkeenanphoto Yes, this summer I will visit the nearby places in Munich. ND Filter has two circular polarizers combined. Yes, as you say, I will try different combinations. Thanks for the good content.
The beauty of small things; I grew up in a dryish state in Australia where moss can be tricky to find and while now I travel to wetter places I’m still enchanted by moss and also sundews.
Thanks mate! I spent three years in Australia and didn’t see much moss, come to think of it. Maybe on a trip to Queensland?? 🤔 I’m looking forward to going back in the fall. Subdew must be fun to photograph! 📷
Just found you and very happy 😊 I’ve been watching campers in Japan for some time and falling in love with their respect and heart with nature. I’m also a photographer so now I find you👍 looking forward to slowly savouring your work.
Brilliant! Thanks so much for jumping aboard and spending your precious time here. Hokkaido is a pretty special place and I hope you enjoy the adventures we go on…warts and all! 😃
I can’t believe it took me so long to visit, having been to Shikotsu-ko so many times. 😅 Have you taken it all the way to the top? I actually went again this weekend just for the walk after shooting another episode at the lake. I’ve been to Tarumae Garo many times and did an episode there. Love that place too. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pHSerlGt6OI.html
@@shaunkeenanphoto never walked up that way. It was actually closed for the longest time. I believe it was some rockfall after the massive storm we had many years ago when Shikotsuko got hit hard. If you haven’t been to Tarumae Garo it’s definitely worth a visit. Make sure you have your ND filters in the bag.
Thank you so much! There’s beauty all over the world, but I do find the culture and the landscape of Japan really resonates with me. I’m glad that beauty and appreciation I have can come across in my videos!
Hello from Tokyo! Subscribed! I had been watching channels like Simon d'Entremont and Inoue Hiroki-san, then I thought God I wish I lived in places like Nova Scotia or Hokkaido where virtually everything around you is photogenic. Then I found your channel. I'm glad I did. I love all the videos and photos. The last trip I went to Hokkaido was to Lake Shumarinai to catch Ito, the Japanese taimen. Then, I heard due to a series of higuma attacks, many places around Lake Shumarinai is getting closed. Perhaps it's about time I go to hokkaido not for fishing but for photographing 🙂
They are very talented and accomplished photographers, so I am thrilled to make it onto your subscription list. I am sure to always carry bear spray and bear bells, but there is always a risk. I’ve only seen a bear once in the wild and I was safely in the car! 😅
Beautiful and calm video Shaun. Good on you waking up for sunrise just to be out, I haven’t gone out for a sunrise shoot in a while, maybe I should do that soon. Moss corridor was a cool spot! I should make a trip to Hokkaido and hit you up someday for a shoot 😁
Mornings are tough, but I prefer them to sunset. No people and it feels so fresh and ripe with opportunity. You should definitely get out for a sunrise, even if you don’t shoot anything. Sure, man! Let me know if you ever make it to Hokkaido Thanks Keith!
