Untamed Views / 03 February, 2014
Frozen & Mysterious
Japan's Loch Ness | Discovering the beauty of winter's final fling
An indefinable quality in the light somehow signals the air temperature. Airflows from the north and northwest over many days during this late February have kept Hokkaido frozen. An intangible crispness in the atmosphere combines with the luminosity to forewarn of seriously subzero temperatures. Lake Kussharo, the largest caldera in Japan, is a wonderful location immersed in an ethereal natural light. I was most fortunate to have a serendipitous meeting with this special character tree embracing the lake. I can still remember the muffled silence of the place while it was completely frozen over and white. To my eyes, this aging tree remained graceful and resilient in a particular brutally cold morning. The soft pinky light was the perfect accompaniment to capture this magical landscape.
Akan National Park
43°36'38" N | 144°19'36" E
Hokkaido, Japan