The snow monkeys are a must-see for any photographer in Japan. While leading my annual Hokkaido photo tour on a beautiful February morning, I got to enjoy an up-close and personal encounter filming a lone baby snow monkey. His mother was taking a relaxing bath in the healing hot springs and left her baby close to where I was sitting. He was calling out to her to let his mother know where he was. Her bath lasted about 10 minutes, plenty of time to enjoy the baby snow monkey’s company. I got this short film because I know the Japanese macaque behaviors, and I have spent over 10 years visiting, photographing, and filming this troop, and I have known the mother of this youngster since she was young. From my years of experience visiting and working with snow monkeys across Japan, I knew precisely where and how to sit so the snow monkeys would eventually come to say hello. Other photographers before me were simply standing by this rock where I sat down, but I knew this was a mistake. Because of my experience with the snow monkeys, I know that standing rather than sitting would intimidate the monkeys, and they would stay away as a result. A sitting person is not perceived as a threat, so out of curiosity, the monkeys will approach, and sometimes babies will congregate nearby as mothers enjoy bath time. Sometimes monkeys will even brush past me as they travel the perimeter of the hot springs. I know the best locations to wait for the perfect up close and personal encounter with adorable baby snow monkeys. In the span of 15 - 20 minutes, after arriving at the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park and Hot Springs, I have already taken unforgettable photos and video, and I only give participants on my annual Hokkaido photo tour the advice of how to if they are so inclined to take their once in a lifetime photos using my tricks of the trade while other visiting photographers spend countless hours trying to capture breathtaking photos, but often walk away having wasted a potentially amazing photo op because they lack experience with the Japanese macaque, more commonly known as the snow monkeys.
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