JIGOKUDANI MONKEY PARK 36° 43’ 58.1” N 138° 27’ 45.7” E
Despite all of these challenges, there are ongoing efforts to conserve the snow monkeys and their habitat. Conservation organisations, governmental agencies, and local communities are working together to establish protected areas, implement sustainable land management practices, and raise awareness about the importance of preserving biodiversity. Scientific research and monitoring of snow monkey populations is essential for understanding their ecology, behaviour, and population dynamics. By studying these factors, researchers can identify conservation priorities, develop effective management strategies and track changes in the monkeys’ status over time. Such is the importance of the park in Jigokudani.
-Photography-
from a photographer ’ s perspective , snow monkeys are a very interesting spe- cies to spend time with. They’re simultaneously inquisitive and completely disinterested. They go about their routines and behaviours, mostly not even seeing the humans who’ve made the trip up the mountain to see them. Occasionally, a younger monkey will make eye contact, but the older ones choose not to engage. They do convey their feelings with many different facial expressions. Their behaviours and interactions are enchanting to observe. However, photographing snow monkeys does come with challenges. The combi- nation of hot thermal water and snow equates to a lot of steam, which makes focussing difficult. The snow monkeys move around, so getting an image where the subject is in a decent position or pose and there isn’t too much steam to distort or mal-focus is tricky. Then there are the other tourists to contend with, which is why arriving as the park opens and staying until closing time is beneficial, as there are less tourists present at the beginning and end of the day. The weather is also a factor. If there hasn’t been much snow, then the backgrounds are broken and messy with the rocks showing. If it’s too warm, then the snow monkeys won’t feel the need to venture down from the mountains and use the thermal springs. If it’s snowing, it can inhibit the camera’s ability to focus. The cold also drains batteries quickly, so spares are required. This is all a part of wildlife photography and is nothing new, but it’s worth noting. For me, photographing in snow often lends itself to black and white, clearing out distractions and honing in on the importance of detail and individual intricacies, being able to shoot so tightly that each hair is visible and each imperfection or dust particle is seen. I also favour using the softness of the snow to counter the sharpness of a subject. Snow also makes any photographic experience more surreal as sound is absorbed so everything is quieter, more muffled, slower even.. All distractions melt away and it’s just you and the subject. Everything quietens, stills, pauses, and the distance between sub- ject and subject, between heart and heart, closes in. And this is where the magic occurs. There’s a gentle intimacy when our energy and that of a wild animal connects, the gift of a glance, a shared curiosity. This is an honour that not everyone gets to experience in their lifetimes and one that some people aren’t even aware of. And if we’re lucky, we get a clear shot of that moment that encapsulates this memory forever.
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MOTHER VOLUME THREE
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