Hokkaido, Winter 2026
I sit here writing this from the comfort of a hotel room, looking across a frozen lake at sunrise. The lake is now pure white from last night’s wild storm, and the wind is still blowing fiercely; one reason I’m happy to be sat here rather than be out photographing. I drink my coffee watching the soft pastel hues of the sky change. I feel relaxed and happy for this morning’s photograph to simply be a memory that I keep in my mind. It’s enjoyable to just take this moment and reflect on the past 14 days here in Hokkaido.
A few days ago, I was in a very different storm, a quiet and calm one. Snow fell heavily, filling every void in the landscape—making trees float as they were held up by the mass of the thick air. With no wind, every sound was absorbed by large, fluffy flakes—it felt like being in a dream. I found a beautiful silence as I sat there slowly being covered in snow, becoming part of this white landscape.
Returning to photograph in Japan’s winter landscapes again this year, I think how this place has helped me build a deeper understanding of the silence I come here to make photographs of. Being more than a simple lack of noise, but an interconnected balance of tranquillity, harmony, and space. A still moment within ourselves, embracing any imperfections, as no moment is truly perfect; just our experience in it.
I hope you enjoy a few of the silent moments I found in Hokkaido this year.
Winter Harmony
Winter Harmony, Hokkaido 2026
This landscape, even with its winter coat, is still complex and busy; often unbalanced, just like our lives within it. Then suddenly there is this rare moment of harmony, where everything aligns and brings us a sense of peace. We feel connected, at one with nature, in a beautiful drama-free relationship.
Stillness Within
Copse Sketch, Hokkaido 2026
A pencil sketch within this void of white. It’s rare when a landscape can be reduced down to its simplest form. With such a few elements, everything is more considered. A careful selection of shadow, light, and its placement with the contours of the land provides a sense of beauty, a connection between inside and outside.
Two Snow Grasses
Two Snow Grasses, Hokkaido 2026
Nature producing its own art as it tries to be heard within the winter silence. A perfectly imperfect arrangement; it’s the small imperfections that allow us to flourish and that make photographs real; nature is not perfect nor are we.
Standing in Silence
Standing in Silence, Hokkaido 2026
A tree stands in the landscape just like ourselves, allowing us to project our emotion onto it, feeling like we’re standing there in that moment. A reflection of our interconnected and harmonious relationship with nature, allowing us to respond clearly and appropriately to change between nature and ourselves.
Fine Art Prints
The small artist proof (AP) prints above have been printed with the Epson P906 on Epson Velvet Fine Art paper after returning from Japan. All of these photographs are available to buy as large fine art prints, printed to a limited edition of 45. Please get in touch for more information on these prints, or to secure the first print—numbered 1/45—of these latest editions in my Silence #2 collection.
Join me in Japan
I will be returning to Japan again in November this year to photograph the amazing display of autumn colours along with some of the ancient temples and shrines on the main island of Honshu. Click here to find out more information about joining me on this exclusive small group photography tour.
20th - 30th Nov 2026 Japan Autumn Photography Tour, Japan - 11 days
