When people imagine snow monkeys, they think of them on Winter Photo Tours more than Spring Photo Tours, but snow monkeys are active during the spring time, just not drawn to soak in the replenishing baths of the hot spring. The snow monkeys are by nature social animals, so they tend to take quick swims in the warm waters or play around the pools with other young snow monkeys.
At their core, the snow monkeys are wild animals, and when photographing them, they need to be treated as unpredictable subjects. Your Japan Dreamscapes (JDS) Photography Workshop Leader has visited this location more times than he can count, and each time the experience has been different. Some parts of the snow monkey experience cannot be controlled, but your JDS Photo Tour Leader makes a point of thoroughly researching the weather and how it will affect issues such as lighting for the following day. He will also advise you about your camera gear and your camera settings. He is very comfortable with his own camera bodies and lenses, and he is happy to make suggestions about which lenses you should bring for your snow monkey experience.
On one occasion, while leading a Japan Photo Tour to Yaen-Koen Snow Monkey Park, our veteran photography workshop leader was giving advice to a client when a baby snow monkey slowly crept up to see what all the ruckus was about. Our photo workshop guide can’t say for sure how long the baby monkey was there before he noticed him, but before the mother could come and collect him, he was the subject of many photographs by the JDS Photography Workshop Guide as well as the nearby client. These occasions are rare, but there’s always a little magic involved when visiting the snow monkeys.
For the upcoming year, there are only two spots left on the Cherry Blossom Photo Tour which also includes two days with the famous snow monkeys. If the first day doesn’t yield the images you were hoping for, then the second day after some sage counsel from your JDS Photo Tour Leader will help you get some once in a lifetime photos.
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