A Ptarmigan and I - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

Meeting a winter Ptarmigan was on my wish list. But it’s not an easy wish to fulfill.

One, their white plumage again the vast white expanse of the Arctic terra makes it difficult to spot them. Two, they are skittish, which may have given them the name “snow chicken” in the US.

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It was another two-hour trip on the komatiq early morning. The polar bear mom had been pushing her way cautiously towards the Hudson Bay, protecting the vulnerable cub from the wild gray wolves. The previous afternoon, we got a glimpse of the mom-and-cub duo where they had hunched down for the day.

The tracks of them in the morning led us to the edge of the Hudson Bay, where the water was frozen on the surface. We searched up and down and there was no polar bear in sight. We were happy that they made it safely into the water. From there, they launched their seal-hunting journey on sea ice. At the same time, I was sad to have missed the opportunity to see them off.

But, staying focused was never supposed to be my specialty (see my life (horror) stories to get a hint :-)). Soon, a flock of ptarmigans appeared in front of us. While the white birds couldn’t run fast enough behind the willow trees for cover, I couldn’t believe my eyes when one was instead running towards us. In fact, it felt like she was running towards me.

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The beautiful bird stopped in front of our komatiq. The time froze.

It felt like there’s only she and I in this world. She stayed there, changing poses as I pressed my shutter, as if she’s my model of the day. Face the sun… Great. Step forward please… Awesome. Now, look at me… Bingo!

Once I’ve got my fill for wildlife photography, she turned around and went to join her group.

I don’t know since when my lucky streak started with wildlife. Maybe a little dog on the street of La Manzanilla in Mexico that ran into my arms was a hint? Maybe it started when a little girl that I’d never met before gave me a hug in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles many years ago? I don’t know. I always think animals and children are the most intuitive. To be allowed in their space is a great honor.

Do you want to hear/read/see more of my stories with the animals/wildlife I meet on my travels? Some are really WILD. :D

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Girl Extraordinaire in Canada - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

When we arrived at the lodge in the remote Kaska Coast of Canada, a young girl came out in vibrant red to welcome us. Who knew, we would be seeing her everywhere in the next 10 days.

She’d be on the back of skidoo before sunrise, leading the caravan of komatiq (in cree language, sled designed to travel on snow and ice) in negative 50 degrees.

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She’d be there helping teach us how to start a fire (wilderness survival 101) with no match.

At the end of the day, when we barely made our way to our room (those in the subtropical/tropical weather won’t understand how much time it takes to take off your clothes :-) ), she’d already changed and was ready to pour wine and serve dinner when we arrived in the dining room.

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I’ve never based my life choices on my gender. But this girl impressed me by the amount of talent and energy such a slender figure can hold. The best that I could do was to focus on what I was familiar with, that is to photograph, while trying to survive the harsh environment.

She said she’s our lodge manager. I think she’s a girl extraordinaire. Her name is Bella.

Let’s celebrate the talented girls/women in this world every day. Only when all talents in this world are tapped will we as human race reach our full potential.

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"I Learned My Lesson" - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

“I learned my lesson”, she said, at a café overlooking the Mirror Lake (Kagami-Ike, in Japanese) in Nagano, Japan.

It was an early morning. The misty air was as still as the surface of the lake. The Mt. Togakushi (戸隠山) in the background was playing hide-and-seek with us.

While we were having fun with the visual interests, a breeze swept through. The mirror was broken. All of sudden, we remembered dozing off on the bus for an hour and the subsequent half-an-hour hike to get to this location in cold November weather. It was decided that we'd put in enough hard work and the café sitting quietly on the gentle slop became a tempting idea.

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She and her husband had been living in Southern California for 30 years and moved back to Japan 6 years ago. Curious about the cultural differences, I inquired about the transition in workplace.

”I learned my lesson”, she said, “and I’ve kept my mouth shut since”.

The recent resignation of the Tokyo Olympics chief over sexist comments reminded me of our conversation with this lady from Southern California.

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P.S. Remember I see landscape in human bodies? Well, vice versa is also true - I see human body in landscape. Do you see it in the first image?

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