Awakenings

One of the great things about Japan in winter time, is that thescenery is stunning when it's covered in snow, and this isparticularly the case in areas where there are natural hot springs.The hot water can cause a lot of steam, which results in veryatmospheric scenes.

This was shot on this year's Japan workshop. We arrived at this scenebefore sunrise to see the whooper swans wake up and to watch theirmorning rituals. I liked the low contrast feel, but I decided toinclude a considerable part of an overhanging tree to add some punchand to give the shot a more graphic, more Japanese look. I croppedsome water off the foreground that didn't really add to the shot.

Your comments are appreciated as always.

Nikon D3, AF-S VR 200-400/4.0, 1/1600@ f/5.0, ISO 800, tripod

As a fan of your beautiful works, this one is really fantastic! The blue monochromatic hue all over the picture made it exceptional and atmospheric. Just one question: Why did you boost iso rating up to 800? You had tripod and had enough shutter speed to sharpen moving swans. My best regards.

Hamid.

Wow! Fantastic work! Quiet and gentle image.

Best regards,

Marianna