Chasing The Light & The Photographer’s Mindset

luminous-landscape.com/chasing-the-light-the-photographers-mindset

blaininjapan November 11,

2019

Photographers have been chasing the light since the 1820s when Nicephore Niepce
successfully recorded an image using camera obscura. Before Nicephore Niepce, there
were pioneers who contributed since the 1700s, creating a knowledge base from trial
and error until Nicephore Niepce perfected the process with a lasting photographic
image. My experience chasing the light as a professional photographer began more than
30 years ago, and I’ve always relied on the beginner’s mindset to guide me. My preferred
themes are adventure and travel, and both are best served when I’m in the Za-zen zone
paired with similarly minded visual artists who are also chasing the light to photograph
spectacular moments in time. Non-natural visual artists are constantly distracted by the
little things and have a narrow appreciation of their surroundings. Their chi is
anticipating the next text message or update, but that steals the power and energy from
breathing the moment. During my photography adventures, I encourage participants to
remove distractions from their mindset such as setting their smartphones to ‘Do Not
Disturb’ or ‘Manner’ mode while in the field. This allows the participants to reduce the
amount of background noise interfering with their understanding of the beginner’s
mindset.

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The beginner’s mindset, in my opinion, must include a chapter on awareness for our
environment and surroundings while on Zen photography-orientated adventures.
Weather charts have been a fixture in my life since my childhood because I grew up in a
wilderness town in northern Canada. Summers were short, yet filled with fun and
excitement. My first trip to polar bear country was at age four, and I can still recount that
experience. Also, my family went on two month-long canoe trips on river systems, such
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as the Nelson River and Harding Lake. Harding Lake is only accessible by canoe or air
and is still the same to this very day. At age eight, I went on my first canoe trip, and even
at that young age, my family and mentors had already taught me to respect and
appreciate true wilderness, our environment, and First Nations People globally. Even
then, my family were climate activists and worked closely with the founding members of
the most widely known Environmental Climate Change movement groups. Because
wilderness adventure photography and environmental sustainably is so important to
me, I am constantly aware of how my actions, the actions of my team and participants on
my workshops impact the environment, no matter what theme my workshop is focused
on, such as birding/wildlife landscape, cloudscapes, architecture, among my many visual
art themes.

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My first few months in Japan were spent in the suburbs of Kanagawa Prefecture just
outside of Tokyo, with my partner, now wife, Manami and her family. The forested
mountains in the area are beautiful and lush with an abundance of hiking trails,
monkeys, wild boar, deer, exotic bamboo forests, but after that first few months, I felt
the need for some touring and exploration time. I had already acquired my Japanese
driver’s license and purchased my Honda 650 Africa Twin. After a few days of planning, I
was off to Mt. Fuji, where my family had booked me into a campground. The
campground was crowded, and I knew I would be better off camping on the hiking trails
of Kanagawa; I checked out after two nights. Luckily, the morning I had decided to check
out, I met a kind Japanese gentleman who spoke English, explaining to me that it was
permitted to camp around the forest of Mount Fuji. After half a day of searching, I found
my new campsite on a well laid out hiking trail, with a small stream nearby, on the
Northwest base of Mt. Fuji, in what I would later learn is named (Aokigahara – The Sea Of
Trees). That night I slept calmly in the natural world. The following morning, I woke up
unusually late, well after sunrise, due to the lack of light coming through the trees at my
chosen campsite. After breakfast, I thought I would do a little hiking through the beautiful
lush peat moss filled forest. After a few steps off the trail I was shocked, and luckily, I
realized the ground beneath me was unstable with the possibility of volcanic crevices or
a lava tube similar to those of Hilo, Hawaii. Lava tubes are natural underground passages
that allow lava to stream beneath the surface of a lava flow—sometimes kilometers from
the point of eruption. After the lava drains and dries, it leaves behind massive caves and
tunnels. Carefully, I kneeled and spread my body out on the ground; I found I was
walking on a thick layer of rich tundra peat moss with pockets of razor sharp lava rock
below me. This was my first of hundreds of adventures in the Mt. Fuji – Aokigahara
Forest, a forest with no soil with trees that grow in natural volcanic composted planting
pots; during my numerous explorations, I have uncovered dozens of accessible ice caves
and tunnels. 20 years later, I am still using the same trails when entering the forest while
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leading Mount Fuji Japan Photo Tours. The biggest difference now is the trail is
sometimes busy with Japanese school children on fields trips. They are being educated
on the forest’s eco-system, its natural beauty, and volcanic magnetic field facts, not the
folklore that has haunted the forest for generations. The Aokigahara forest spans over
3000 hectares, and the forest is comprised primarily of Hemlock Fir, Japanese Cypress,
other evergreens, and broadleafs such as the Longstalk Holly, Japanese Andromeda, Oak,
Fuji Cherry, and Maple. The forest’s popularity is growing among nature photographers
and fine art photographer with its incalculable mythological forms appearing from tree
roots and moss growing in, around, and over volcanic lava and up the trees.

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Invariably I was lead to study about the various species here in Japan and how their
surroundings affect them. I discovered that more than 600 bird species have been
recorded in Japan to date. Moreover, more than 60% are migratory. Approximately 60
species are endemic or sub-regional endemic. Japan is latitudinally long at over 3,000
kilometers and has 6,852 islands, and I have explored and photographed on over 200 of
them. Japan’s flora and fauna are divided by two ecological lines, the Blakiston’s Line
which is between Hokkaido and Honshu, and the Watase Line which is just below
Kyushu. My observations prompted me to open a satellite office, actually it’s an amalgam
of an office, studio, and home, a 100 year old traditional Japanese home with an irori
(charcoal burning fire place with accompanying ceiling vent) and tatami mats. Many
evenings are spent around the fire, making rice cakes and partaking of delicious green
tea. Niigata is platinum for the birding, landscape, and oceanscape photographer.
Niigata is almost equidistant between the Watase Line and the Blakiston Line, so during
the migration seasons, hundreds of Japan’s 600 recorded species land in my
neighborhood and nest in my backyard. During the winter, about one kilometer from
me, there are over 3,000 Whooper Swans who feed in the rice fields and nest in the small
lakes and ponds.

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Hokkaido wildlife, specifically, is internationally recognized for its abundance and
diversity. The Steller’s Sea Eagles are huge, beautiful, and fierce birds of prey; they have
been known to feed on fawns. Local children don’t walk alone, but normally these
massive birds of prey along with other fierce raptors feed pack-ice in the rich fishing
waters of Japan’s north. My team, clients, and I board chartered vessels to photograph
the Steller’s Sea-eagle in their natural feeding ground on pack ice. The white-tailed eagle,
which is smaller and native to Japan, also feeds on pack ice next to the Steller’s sea eagle;
tensions are high when fishing and the white-tailed eagle hold there own with the much
larger and legendary sea eagles. People who have explored Hokkaido with me have
photographed hundreds of eagles clutching live fish in their talons in flight, and while
feasting, legendary air and land battles break out over who will chow down. Some
Steller’s who are badly injured during these epic conflicts have to summer in Hokkaido,
unable to join the migration back to the Kamchatka Peninsula where they breed and
feast on fish.

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So, if you visit Japan with me, you can enjoy birding and possibly experience an
encounter with the largest herd of Sika Deer numbering close to 1,000 when they gather
if my team and I feel that you possess the beginner’s mindset and you have the calm
required. The paths are not for faint of heart, and it involves 4X4ing over ice where I

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must have calm and be able to read the Pacific Ocean tides and weather charts as we
travel to make sure we can safely return. In the past five years, I’ve had three groups
worthy and who would not panic in the experience. My other group were great wildlife
photographers but were not calm, hardcore explorers with the beginner’s mindset. One
of my core rules is never to break a group, but it has happened. On one occasion, half of
my group went cross country skiing/snowshoeing with me, and the other half stayed with
Jacque, a co-leader, with the SUVs in business class seating and accommodations. Both
worlds have their appeals. Both groups were able to photograph the red-tailed fox,
white-tailed eagle, black kite, golden eagle, and many other subarctic species. Sunrises
and sunsets are extraordinarily beautiful on the Hokkaido stretch of coastline if you
know the magical spots, as my team and I do.

Living in and leading photography orientated workshops in Japan for over 20 years, my
interest and respect for wildlife, the wildlife culture, biodiversity – cultural values, and
the human footprint on our environment and nature drove me to rid myself of my
western ignorance, even knowing I was a Buddhist and considered somewhat
enlightened at the time I entered Japan. I embraced Za-zen and shinrin-yoku a facet of
Japanese Zen culture. Japanese Zen culture blends several different elements seamlessly
together. People who don’t know Authentic Japan living inside or outside its territory
have the conception that it’s a non-stop shoulder to shoulder experience with people
packed in like sardines wherever you go in urban sprawls with bullet trains, traffic jams,
and roadways overflowing with commuters, but in reality, over 70% of Japan is
unpopulated Zen mountainous wilderness.

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Tokyo and other major urban centers have lost touch with Authentic Japan. Tokyo is one
of the safest cities on the planet to visit, yet the majority of Tokyo residents are not
native to the region; they were, once upon a time, simple countryfolk. In contemporary
Japan, most long to pilgrimage home during the Buddhist Obon summer holiday to
reflect on their roots in Authentic Japan. They return home to the countryside to greet
their family and parents with material gifts from the city, or omiyage in Japanese and
with Buddhist prayer beads in hand. Obon is a time in Japan to honour the spirits of
one’s ancestors. Outside the bustle of Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo and other large urban
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centers, zen gardens at the Buddhist shrines and temples come alive during Obon, the
natural landscapes have a calming effect and individuals naturally and seamlessly
meditate without thought to do so, to gaze inside themselves and still their mind which
translates to shared respect, and that respect emanates outside the individual to
positively impact their footprint on others and the environment. On many occasions,
friends staying at my Niigata beach house will walk to the store 15 minutes away, and it
transforms into a one or two hour excursion infused with forest therapy at our local Zen
Buddhist garden and shrine. It always happens. I never worry when visitors are a little
behind schedule. I know precisely where they are, and I let them enjoy that moment of
Zen.

From the amateur to master photographer, the Visual Arts in their purest, most fulfilling
manifestation should be experienced as an adventure of a lifetime. Every photographer
should be honored and humbled; today we have access to such amazing and advanced
camera gear for our expression. Unfortunately, most photographers are not taking
advantage of the today’s technological breakthroughs in our industry. I’m not explicitly
referring to camera gear. A camera, for me, is simply an extension of my perspective; I’m
so familiar with the past and present generation’s gear, it’s effortless for me to use.
When I stumbled upon the D.T. Suzuki’s teachings and the beginner’s mindset, his
philosophy regenerated my perspective back to the moment I first picked up a camera. I
then understood I had been living his teachings since my youth. Mentors guided me
from an early age to respect my environment, my surroundings and to treat all sentient
and spiritual beings as my family. Unfortunately, preconceived notions about what
constitutes lead to a confirmation bias. An adventure chasing the light will only show

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people with preconceived notions the fallacy of their perceptions and opinions.
Authentic Japan is a beautiful and zen filled land where it took me 7-10 years to stop
calling myself a visitor, and each time I learned something new, I would blend it into my
subconscious, creating a deeper understanding. This practice rewards me sharpening my
senses and constantly recalls me to the beginner’s mindset as each day brings me one
more learning opportunity. When anyone wants to learn from me and contacts me
without pretenses or under the guise of wanting to join a workshop, I have no problem
sharing locations for wildlife encounters with Sika Deer, Steller’s Sea Eagles, or any other
of Japan’s amazing wild inhabitants and landscapes, but knowing the location is only the
beginning. For example, Roberto Hofman of Amsterdam who works for KLM reached out
to me with no guile, asking for help assembling his itinerary from the snow monkeys to
Hokkaido for him and his partner, so they would not run into any trouble. I helped from
start to finish, and I asked for nothing in return. We spoke on the phone and emailed,
and he asked to meet while I would be in Hokkaido. He picked me up at my hotel in
Kushiro, and we spent the morning photographing the Red-crowned Cranes. His
kindness in giving an edible memento from Amsterdam was more than enough
compensation. I consider him a friend, and he has become a talented wildlife
photographer. Zen means balance and calm, two aspects of humanity that may seem
easy to achieve and obtain, but the majority cannot comprehend and achieve what D.T.
Suzuki set out to teach. Suzuki-san’s teachings have lead me to adopt a multitude of
photographic themes. To my agent, my multitude of theme is a contradiction for him,
and we constantly battle about it, especially with photographic exhibitions and print. The
expectation is to follow one theme, but my wild spirit and the beginner’s mindset go
hand in hand which refuse to be constrained. I chase the light for everything in, on,
around, and above the earth. My best work comes when all the distractions fall away,
and even Zen is not in my consciousness.

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rgb@blaininjapan.com

www.blaininjapan.com

Blain Harasymiw and Matthew Diaz

November 2019

© 2019 Luminous Landscape

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